Stress Angel blistered religious buildings on their debut offering… Now these unusual Death-Thrash beasts are back with a second album, set for release via Dying Victims Productions and Stygian Black Hand on March 15th.
A rather unsettling introduction begins this record with unhinged grandiosity. Soon subsiding for churning guitars which revel in the revulsion of true early Death Metal pioneers. Clunky bass lines and dry snappy drums fixate the furore of the low end on their target as macabre vocals malicious spew across the instrumental artillery. Convulsive rhythmic torment couples with thrashing rage to convey utter morbidity from the abyssal depths. Their cacophonous soundscape is not totally unlike Norwegian bands such as Obliteration, also drawing from such legends as Grotesque, Death Strike and so on in their venomous delivery. The cleaner vocals and dynamic mix is ferocious, allowing each sepulchral subtlety to cut through the ears. With a certain bombastic angle to their groove-laden onslaught, Stress Angel shred and lacerate anything in their path with a curious and unusual but utterly true-to-origins take on Death Metal. A vibrantly impressive start to things.
Further into the darkness, we hear more battery from the drums which continually barrage rage forth. Alongside this percussive trepanning, sadistic guitars and bass weave webs of deathly grimness whilst vocally we are treated to mean snarls and shrieks of utter contempt. The entire band feels charged and like they picked up exactly where “Bursting Church” left off. The speed-ridden relentlessness is a display of utter mayhem that these maniacs offer with coagulating excellence. Production values soar with an old school and unpolished delivery, almost punk-like, showcasing and harnessing these feral merciless tracks triumphantly. Betwixt the contorting flourishes, there is some dissonance and melody which accentuate the unpredictable moods of this volatile opus. Subtle 80s Heavy Metal nods such as reversed hi-hat hits further add to the classic spirit of the record. There is no predicting where Stress Angel will take us, but each anguishing and aggressive step is undeniably exciting on this angular oddity.
Whether thrashing with power or giving us monoliths of doomy atmosphere, the consistent valiance and reliably epic delivery of the songs ensures nothing feels out of place. Haunting leads or meandering riffs, each moment flows seamlessly with transcendent fluidity while holding onto that unsettling and unconstrained approach. Sometimes, just sometimes, a band can be so experimental without losing the Death Metal spirit and Stress Angel is one such victorious example that takes the music further while never abandoning the parts that count. Archaic and yet unheard, savage and yet transfixing; this album is a one of a kind listen that you will not want to take off your turntable. Few bands are quite so defiant of convention without feeling progressive for the sake of progress, but Stress Angel simply played unhinged and extreme Death Metal by their own rules. This is both commendable and rewarding in equal measure for any true maniac who dares be punished by nemesis.
A triumph of truly chaotic, bewildering and untamed Death Metal delights. Of equal quality to its predecessor, “Punished By Nemesis” is a superb and nerve-severing cut of madness that is absolutely wild from start to end.
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