Fifth Angel - Time Will Tell (1989)

It would not have been possible to follow-up the self-titled Fifth Angel with anything superior, so instead the Seattle band went back to the studio to produce something in a similar vein, but possibly even more accessible than the debut. James Byrd was out, and the band added a few new members in Kendall Bechtel (guitars) and John Marco (bass). By 1989, of course, this radio friendly hard rock and heavy metal was on its way out, aside from the popular glam bands already in rotation on MTV's top countdowns (before the breaking of the alternative rock wave of the ensuing decade), so Time Will Tell really arrived when there was little chance of it being noticed among the crowd, and it did not fare very well, the band splitting up shortly after.

Often in this era a band would follow up a masterpiece with a stark disappointment, but for whatever its worth, Time Will Tell really isn't all that bad. It creates the same catchy atmosphere we heard on Fifth Angel, albeit less inclined towards superb leads or guitar fills that were clearly inspired by the former guitarist. The production is still top notch, the riffs very often stand to memory, and Ted Pilot's vocals are arguably sharpened up even from the previous work. Sadly, the album does suffer its share of less inspired writing than its beautiful sibling. Of the 11 tracks, 3-4 slack behind the remainder, and thus it could not be scored as favorably. But to any fan of House of Lords, Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, Queensryche (80s), Lizzy Borden, or Scorpions its still probably a worthwhile listen to this day, an example of unintended obscurity for such polished and accessible writing.

The band starts off huge, putting a few of the best songs out front, with the rocking "Cathedral" at the helm, a steady rocker with nice melodic speed metal licks that ascend alongside Pilot's voice to one of the better, if predictable chorus sequences on the record. "Midnight Love" burns with passionate street metal vibes, popping melodies and solos that very nearly rival the work of Byrd on the debut. "Seven Hours" also survives upon its gleaming rays of guitar lead, though the rest of the song is not that catchy, nor is the ballad "Broken Dreams", though its successful enough to provide the atmosphere I loved about a "Fade to Flames" and not at all difficult to carve through. These are followed by the title track, which is actually a pretty good mid paced hard rocker that should thrill any fans of "The Night" or "Shout It Out" from the debut.

The inclusion of a cover of UFO's "Lights Out" works disturbingly well amidst Fifth Angel's original writing, so much that you'd never expect it if you were not already aware of the English band's original. "Wait for Me" is another track ala "Shout it Out" or "Fifth Angel", with very similar use of chord patterns, but despite a decent stab at the chorus its just not all that effective. I have no such problems with the elegant "Angel of Mercy" or the flowing molten metal that is "We Rule", with a pretty cool gang chorus supplemented with tasty little speed metal licks. "So Long" is another unfortunately forgettable mounting ballad, but the closer "Feel the Heat" is quite good if you forgive the ultimately cheesy title and chorus, at least how they function vocally here.

Time Will Tell is more of the same, and that's not a bad thing, but the individual songs do not seem to captivate the imagination and build up the heart's blood to a volcanic eruption like those of the debut. Cut out a few of its less inspired numbers and throw the remainder into a mix with Fifth Angel, and you've got yourself quite a blissful play list, but as a whole, this is not so readily recommended for consumption. However, if you enjoy radio friendly melodic US metal of the mid to late 80s, it is unlikely you would feel much chagrin at what these nearly 50 minutes indulge. Both Fifth Angel albums would probably be scoffed at by most of today's more extreme metal crowd, since they hinge on glam and the band certainly bore that image to an extent, but those brave souls among us who could care less and just like a decent metal song to bang our head to while we blast it in the car stereo will find something to digest on either of them.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] (in the end there may be some pain)

http://www.myspace.com/fifthangel

Fifth Angel - Fifth Angel (1986)

Fifth Angel stood as a fairly anomalous act for me to follow in the 80s, because they represent a much cleaner, tidier sound than I was quite accustomed to. No dirty thrashing, no pulverizing extremity, simply a band of quality songwriters who wrote two albums and called it a day (reforming recently). This s/t debut is accessible heavy/power metal of the highest order, for it seeks nothing else than to satisfy with its resonant vocal melodies, riffs played straight from the belt, searing guitar leads courtesy of the excellent James Byrd, and and overall favorable impression that I felt out of few other US bands in the 80s (perhaps Queensryche, Lizzy Borden, old Fates Warning, and a handful more). That Fifth Angel was not a bigger hit really saddens me. The band had a major label deal through CBS, and there was certainly some level of promotion for this release, since a lot of my friends in high school had heard or at least heard of it, and the consensus was favorable, even from those into more extreme bands like Slayer and such.

Fortunately, the band wrote such a fine collection of songs on this debut that they truly stand the test of time, and anyone seeking to rediscover the heart of 80s US metal would do well to study its vaunted arches of verse/chorus/verse/chorus/solo/verse/chorus bliss, because its one of the penultimate 80s 'pop metal' records, easily destroying the collected output of 99% of all the mainstream glam metal fops like Poison, Warrant and Bon Jovi, and well on par with the better work of the Scorpions, Quiet Riot, Ratt and so forth, though Fifth Angel had a more somber, serious undercurrent to their writing which would probably function better amongst the more serious power/prog metal fans of that era. Even the cover image to this record stands out to me, for its iconic image wrapped in fine, classic text font on a purity white background, and the production here is outstanding. Each instrument pops and simmers with clarity, and though the vocals of Ted Pilot might fly across the top like the profession of the man's own surname, its all distinctly captured, even the bass lines, which simple as they were, do their job readily.

As pristine as Fifth Angel is, it is still a metal album, and the band reassures you with the opener "In the Fallout", stomping along at a raging middle pace while Byrd snipes in with some great little melody licks. Soon, Pilot surges into a massive chorus that instantly imprints itself on the memory, and you can just hear how larger than life this band and record were. Its so easy to close your eyes and feel yourself fly above the city limits, where daring heroes dash against one another with bullets and fire amidst the clouds. "Shout It Out" slows to a pumping rhythm, once again adrift in Byrd's fancy fills and solid bass lines, and escalates to a huge chorus. This was such a fun song to play on the guitar when I was just picking it up, simple and powerful, with a serious tone to it and badass chorus comparable to the best of Twisted Sister, Scorpions or Quiet Riot. "Call Out the Warning" surfs back to a faster, cruising rhythm with a wicked melodic infusion. Somewhere in the backdrop, angelic choirs escalate as the chorus kicks into overdrive, and the leads are absolutely phenomenal and unforgettable.

Almost in lock step with the transition from "In the Fallout" to "Shout it Out" (there are way too many 'outs' on this record, one little complaint), we next arrive at the band's namesake "Fifth Angel", a moody piece with great 80s synths and a steady plod of careful triplets that waltz on into bridge chords, and then to one of the best chorus parts of this band's career: they call the Fifth Angel! That's all it takes, folks, and you're in metal heaven. Like "Shout it Out", this was a wonderful track to play along to, polished but still heavy in its own way. "Wings of Destiny" is a well composed power ballad, with a catchy chorus, but to be honest, it's the one reason I don't give this record a perfect score, because everything previous to the chorus and lead is not quite superior. However, I should point out that the band does not make this mistake again!

"The Night" is a resonant rocker with a huge atmosphere to the intro, and a bouncy, playful verse riff similar to Kingdom Come's "Do You Like It" (which came a few years later). Yet again, the bridge and chorus vocals work in beautiful cohesion, and Pilot's patterns are pure heavy metal perfection that would easily appeal to fans of Tony Martin or Dio-era Sabbath. "Only the Strong Survive" provides a loving slice of bluesy road warrior metal, chain gang guitar rhythms and a very Dio-like chorus. "Cry Out the Fools" (out and out again!) would easily be a great intro for any wrestler or gladiator to enter the sports arena, and it yet again commits a grievous impact on the palette with its pure melodic chorus syrup. However, waiting in the wings until the climax of the album is the gorgeous ballad "Fade to Flames", one of the very finest of all Fifth Angel's offerings, with beautiful acoustic work, and classical leads that flutter through them before the morose innocence of Pilot's emotional side comes to fruition. You can play this song at my funeral, people, because I'd love to see the look on the gather's face when the power metal riff erupts at 1:15, with the amazingly cute vocals and guitar hooks. I'd also like to point out that this track features some of the best leads I've heard in 32 years of metal fandom. Short, concise, and breathtaking, especially in the intense bridge sequence.

There are not many albums of this exemplary status in the mid 80s, for this was the time in which thrash was perfected and rapidly changing the landscape for most of the evolving metal fans. Traditional metal still thrived in the US and Europe, and Fifth Angel was certainly a band ready for the radio, but for some reason the connection was never made beyond the college metal station rotation. When you consider that bands like Bonfire or House of Lords (the latter also featuring drummer Ken Mary) made a small impact with videos and radio exposure, it absolutely boggles my mind that this Seattle act were not the biggest thing since the invention of the hair lint remover. Don't be turned off by their nearly glam looks, or pop friendly musical narrative, this was a great metal band and if you appreciate good songs and hooks then I'd highly recommend you track this debut down and dive in deeply. Its far better than the follow-up album, and if "Fade to Flames" cannot draw at least a tear from you for brighter, better times, well you're probably some remote appendage of SkyNet.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.5/10] (there will be nothing left but fear)

http://www.myspace.com/fifthangel