It was quite the undertaking to get the lowdown on this version of ARCHANGEL. When there is no information with the digital files you receive, you have to rely on the internet providing you with the goods. Unfortunately there are two more ARCHANGEL’s around, and they were the ones that kept popping up. It was only due to reading some earlier reviews, which I normally despise doing (as it might cloud my judgement), that I found out that this ARCHANGEL is a Danish one. So, bow I could build, but even then, outside looking at information on site of the record company SCARLET RECORDS, there was not a lot to be found. Even their own Facebook page doesn’t offer much solace.

But let’s get back to what I am here to do, which is to review the debut album by these Danes, which is called “Total Dark Sublime”. And I will tell you up front, that is not an easy task. Their music is a mix of Traditional Heavy Metal with Punk and Horror elements, with some Glam Metal influences thrown in for good measure. They are trying their hardest to sound as Underground as possible, but are not being helped by a crisp, clear and outstanding sound and production. That makes listening to ARCHANGEL a lot less obscure and “Total Dark Sublime” a lot less scary.

I feel that if someone like ROB ZOMBIE would have handled the knobs on the tables, they would have been just about the perfect soundtrack to a B-class horror movie. Now, it is just that bit too clean to achieve that. On the other hand, there is no mistaking what ARCHANGEL is playing, as all the songs have body, are solid. Plus have enough quality to stand the test of time. They are very different from each other as well, which helps with keeping up the diversity for you as a listener. But then again, how to classify this.

For instance the difference between the punk song “Sunslayer” and the following Metal Power ballad “Vidine” is like trying to get through a hairpin bend at 100 Mph. they are both at the other side of the spectrum. It makes listening to “Total Dark Sublime” a real adventure, but also confusing at the same time. It also makes it difficult to put ARCHANGEL into a certain spectrum. I just hope that the listeners of today, especially those who listen to the bands one song at a time, will appreciate this. I know I am struggling.