Search - Adagio :: Archangels in Black

Adagio emerge after a three year absence; but things are not

Nikiforos V. Skoumas | Athens Greece, Cambridge UK | 03/18/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Fourth album by French symphonic prog metal band "Adagio". Having undergone several line up changes since their debut, the band now consists of Stephan Forte (G) Franck Hermanny (B), Eric Lebailly (D), Kevin Codfert (K) and new lead vocalist Chris Palin.

In contrast to their early days, "Adagio" is no longer a neoclassical band rather an ultra dark outfit with the sporadic inclusion of brutal vocals and impossibly thick guitar parts. However the most apparent sign of consistency would be the melodic vocal lines present in almost every song which truly make this album special.



Still the opening guitar riffs on most songs share incredible similarity in being unreasonably heavy and unmelodic; eventually causing the listener to get tired when attempting to play the album from start to finish. Aside of that, the rhythm parts are actually discrete and support masterfully the vocal lines while the solos are clearly phrased definitely adding to the atmosphere and character of the release; (yet in all honesty one would expect more shredding from an album of this kind).



Favorite tunes include "Fear Circus", "Undead" and "Astral Pathway".

"Archangels in Black" brings together a handful of diverse influences while effectively changing the character of the band. It still sounds like Adagio but major changes have definitely been put to motion.



"Power Play" UK magazine (issue 106) marks this album with 7/10 commenting: "This new formula may take an album or two to flesh out".

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