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Damnation Angels: Fiber Of Our Being
Damnation Angels - Fiber Of Our Being Album Art

Damnation Angels: Fiber Of Our Being

Symphonic Heavy/Power Metal
4.0/5.0

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Unsigned/Self-released
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 23.07.2020 | Released: 31.07.2020

Reviving from the "Where have they been?" file is England's Damnation Angels. The band has been missing in action since 2015's Valiant Fire, an album which garnered them some major recognition. Also, in that year Damnation Angels lost two band members. But personnel problems have been an issue since the band's inception. This month the band returns with their third long player, Fiber Of Our Being, the first recording with new vocalist Ignacio Rodriguez (Azeroth, Morwen, et al) and bass player Nic Southwood. Also, somewhere between then and now Damnation Angels lost their multi-album contract with Massacre Records, so this album is self-released.

Damnation Angels - Click For Larger Image

Damnation Angels

What has not changed is Damnation Angels commitment to creating symphonic and bombastic heavy power metal. Besides the symphonic synth layer, the band injects riff harmony, expressive guitar solos, strong vocal harmony, notable rock groove, and quite catchy melodies and refrains. The song arrangements blend these elements with a juxtaposition of heaviness and lightness and with mixed pacing, perhaps dialing back on the power metal formula. At the microphone, Ignacio has a fine voice, singing strong, clean, and melodic.

Speaking to the songs, I enjoyed most every song here. However, I found myself leaning to the ones that bumped up the rock groove, had strong vocal arrangements, and memorable choruses. These would include More Than Human, Rewrite The Future, or Fiber Of Our Being, my favorite song on the album. For something closer to power metal, listen for Greed And Extinction which starts fast in the first half, only mix the pacing in the latter half. Alternatively, A Sum Of Our Parts is mostly quiet and soft with voice, piano, and synths yet, after a segue of silence, it rises at the end. The opus of the album is the 13 minute Remnants Of A Dying Star, wherein Damnation Angels' goal seems to be to simply overwhelm you with their bombastic symphonic sound. I found it somewhat monotonous and overbearing, and so uninteresting. Another listener may hear things differently. Nevertheless, Fiber Of Our Being is a fine return to form for Damnation Angels, a significant and entertaining album of their expansive and symphonic heavy metal. Recommended, especially if you're a fan of the band or genre.



CraigHartranft.net - New fiction, crime fiction by Craig Hartranft

The Bottom Line

Fiber Of Our Being is a fine return to form for Damnation Angels, a significant and entertaining album of their expansive and symphonic heavy metal. Recommended, especially if you're a fan of the band or genre.

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