Craving Angel
Redemption
(Minotauro Records)
Hailing from Minnesota, you might wonder why the Metal Archives entry from these classic heavy metallers still considers them to be “split-up.” As a matter of fact, it states that these guys more or less called it quits shortly after releasing their 2014 debut, Dark Horse (obviously nothing like the Nickelback album or Katy Perry song by the same name of course). Yet oddly enough, I happen to have in my hands (and yes, I do mean physically – I have a disc copy of this one) the band’s sophomore outing and it is a complete recording from front to back. It’s actually quite a long listen as well, containing a whopping seventeen songs. Yep, you heard that right. These guys didn’t even go the bonus track route and instead filled up what would essentially be two discs worth of material on this hour long performance. Now I cannot say as to whether or not this is the gold master of the album as some things still seem a bit rough and raw to the ear, but if you love the kind of classic hair metal and rock albums that you’ll find on labels like Frontiers and sometimes AFM, you’ll definitely dig the eighties vibe going on here.
There’s definitely a little bit of Mötley Crüe in this one, but Priest pops up along with some Guns N’ Roses and even Wasp. There’s actually a little ballad on here that I like called “Roses Are Red” and for all sakes and purposes, the acoustic version included is a bonus track. That being said, Craving Angel aren’t a ballad band. They’re the kind of act that you might find a video from on VH1 Classic’s metal block of videos (which are actually history, regardless of whether or not you like hair metal or not – this stuff is still a part of heavy metal culture) and fit generally within the alcohol-infused long hair and spandex scene of the eighties. Often the lyrical content can get even a little controversial, like “Chicaboom” which seems to be about the recent shooting massacres we’ve had lately. Vocalist/drummer Bud Hughes sings “Chicabow Chicaboom, pick up a gun! Chicabow chicaboom, Now it’s done! Shoot it! Shoot it!” before talking about the anxiety and mental frustration that overcomes some of the individuals that attempt these massacres. I don’t think Hughes is advocating shootings however and it seems to be a mental observation of current events. It is nonetheless catchy, as are several of the other tracks on this record.
You know, with so many cuts to choose from, it’s a good thing that they are actually catchy as I’d have been bored to fucking tears otherwise and I’m not. Maybe Hughes doesn’t have a crystal clear voice, but he has some real passion and that’s what sells the disc for me. Just think of Craving Angel as the kind of classic rock and hair metal influenced act that might not have the best vocalist on planet earth, but are still able to deliver memorable cuts that you’ll recall after awhile of soaking it in. Musically, there are some real strengths here in the form of new axeman Jim Cassidy, who really brings his A-Game to the entire performance. He not only offers a dozen of different styles in the band, but he treats us to some fantastic guitar solos here and there that work much better than what I expected. The only real complaint I have about the record is it’s length. It’s not that there aren’t plenty of memorable, catchy moments to be had here, it’s just that perhaps there was a bit too much recorded for one album. Most of the songs are about radio-length, with the exception being “Roses Are Red” (one of the album’s shining moments) clocking in at a little over five minutes. There’s nothing wrong with crafting short and right to the point numbers, as some of these songs literally go back to the eighties and nineties contemporary rock and metal scenes where they would have fit right at home on the radio. Though if the band had only given us ten tracks (as well as that bonus acoustic of “Roses Are Red”) then there would still be enough for a nearly twenty minute EP release. I think that Craving Angel should have gone through a lot of these tracks and picked what they thought were the real standouts, as well as beefing up their production just a little bit in some areas, as the disc can sound a bit thin in a few areas. That being said, I can’t promise that everyone will simply love Hughes’ vocal performance here, as it can come off a bit nasally in some sections – but at the same time, people still can get over Dave Mustaine’s similar approach and perhaps this won’t be such a problem. At least Hughes’ is on-key and manages to hit chorus after chorus after chorus, hard and heavier than bands with a larger budget and production quality.
Craving Angel are definitely not a bad band, but they definitely need to work on areas other than songwriting and I’d hope that our fine friends over at Minotauro will do that for them. Parts of Redemption still feel unpolished and need to be cleaned up, along with the fact that there are just too many cuts on here for one recording and maybe the best of the best should be selected for full release. Redemption is a situation where I hope it hasn’t gone into the gold master stage yet, because there is still much that needs to be done here. If the work doesn’t get done, it’ll be a shame – because Craving Angel are a rather strong act and I think that they really could have had some merit if presented in a much better form. For those of you who don’t mind these inconsistencies, definitely give Redemption a listen. Even if they’ve been stretched dreadfully thin here, Craving Angel prove that they still have the chops necessary for classic rock and heavy metal music.
