Archangel A.D. "Casus Belli"

    Up and coming thrash fanatics Archangel A.D. are preparing to unleash a fierce sounding heavy metal assault upon the metal world with the release of their new album, “Casus Belli.” Formed around 2015, this young group of passionate metal maniacs from Edinburg, Texas take their extreme music making talents to the next level and offer up an album full of blistering sounding thrash. 

    Now, I have come across this band before and I actually reviewed their debut EP back when it was first released. I remember hearing a group of young and hungry metal musicians who were trying to craft a merciless thrash metal sound. Also, I was really impressed by how this band took their time to write some clever compositions. On this new album Archangel A.D. has definitely become more polished in terms of songwriting, and the album’s overall production is very impressive. You hear the band add more dynamic compositions and throw in some different musical elements in attempt to show listeners how they are not just another one-dimensional worship thrash band. 

    The album contains nine tracks and I believe listeners will be able to take away a lot more than just simple repetitive palm muted riffs and generic thrash metal arrangements. For example, the band hits hard with the opening track, “Bet on Death,” which does a tremendous job getting the adrenaline flowing by throwing down a heavy dosage of headbanging riffs. On the second track, “Casus Belli,” the band starts to mess around with different tempos and I like how they transition between the different arrangements throughout the song. Also, the lead guitar playing is extremely fluid and gives the song an extra boost of vibrant sounding energy. 

    I have noticed over the years that a fair amount young thrash bands tend to get caught up in the speed war and end up writing very sloppy riffs. Archangel A.D. seems to be very aware of when to turn up the heat and when to lay down a slower sounding riff to complement the singer’s high energy vocal parts. Songs like, “Beacons” and “Celestion,” flow with a wicked sounding synergy that perfectly gets the job done. Even though this type of thrash metal sound has been hammered out quite often over the years by numerous bands, I like how Archangel A.D. injects such raw energy into their sound to give it that little extra something to help them stand out. 

    Songs that didn’t fit the typical thrash metal mold like, “Pluto-s Lament” and “Sangre de las Montañas,” were great additions and showed the creative mindset that seems to thrive within this band. The atmospheric sounding instrumental piece, “Pluto-s Lament,” was one of my favorite tracks and it allowed the bass player to have a certain amount of freedom to explore this vast musical landscape with plenty of free space to add some pleasant sounding bass riffs. 

    In the end, I was impressed by how much Archangel A.D. has grown as a band since their debut EP. This is a band that does not sit around and expected the metal world to just hand them everything because they play badass sounding thrash metal. These musicians are dedicated to their craft and “Casus Belli,” is a call to all metal fans around the world that Archangel A.D. is a band ready to make an impact. Honestly, it brings me great joy to see a band continue to triumph and improve with each new release. I hope Archangel A.D. continues to waive the thrash metal flag for many years to come! 

Check out the video for the band's 2019 single "Eventide" below (Also the new album drops July 23, 2021): 

Archangel A.D. Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ArchangelA.D

Archangel A.D. "Warband"

    Bursting out the abyss like an unstoppable demonic force without remorse, Archangel A.D. is group that is ready to strike. The Edinburg, Texas based band unleashes a fist full of thrash metal madness on their upcoming album, “Warband.”

    Taking the fierce and skull crushing spirit of 80’s thrash metal, Archangel A.D. constructs brutal headbanging riffs while composing some blitzkrieg like pieces of music. I hear a very classic thrash vibe in their songs and the songwriting is rather impressive for a young bunch of dudes. There are so many bands who try and look “thrash metal” to where the songs come out sounding incomplete, or are just poorly recycled riffs taken from Slayer songs. I think Archangel A.D. is going about writing their songs in the right manner to where they are not just hitting the repeat button on each track.

    The album opens with an explosive song called, “Unto the Evil,” containing a crushing main riff section. I thought the music was very reminiscent to that of early Testament and Megadeth where the riffs contain some strong and thoughtful chord progressions accompanied by catchy verse sections. The drumming is solid along with the overall guitar and bass work, but I felt like the vocal presentation during the song was where the band really excelled. The band’s singer delivers a strong performance and the recording quality of the vocals helped give the songs that extra emphasis of aggression. Track number two, “Blighting,” is yet another classic thrash worshipping slice of galloping fury. There is no hesitation as the band feverishly hammers out a blizzard of notes and sounds to construct a sinister song.

    The album’s title track, “Warband,” is strong piece of music and the musicianship from each member really stands out. Archangel A.D. does not settle for simplicity, however, they do not try and complicate their music with unnecessary technicality. That also goes for the instrumental track, “Enter the Temple,” which is a decent composition that is heavy and features some monstrous riffs. The final two tracks, “Evil Dreams” and “Metal Horde,” are dark pieces of music that both contain some haunting arrangements. I think the intro to, “Evil Dreams,” was down right terrifying and I really liked the bells ringing in the background. The band did a great job creating a very ominous and doom like atmosphere which was an enjoyable change of tempo.

    In a sea of countless thrash bands around the world, I think Archangel A.D. did a tremendous job showing what they are capable of doing on, “Warband.” I want to hear them continue to focus on coming up with dynamic song structures, because I think that is where they will excel the most and separate them from the usual suspects. Also, the recording quality of the songs on this release was fairly decent, so I hope they build off of how this album sounded and find ways to produce some impactful thrash records. Thrash is still alive and kicking, especially when you have young bands like Archangel A.D. showing they have the potential and talent to conjure up some wicked sounding tunes.


Archangel A.D. "Blighting"

Archangel A.D. Facebook Page:
 https://www.facebook.com/ArchangelA.D