It's quite reasonable many fans of European Metal music stick to the more 'uncomplicated' bands representing the genre nowadays (won't tell names, haha!) while at the same time some other acts just need some more promotion to blow your speakers with their restless Metal energy. I always considered Greek/German warriors MYSTIC PROPHECY belonging to this category; Fireangel will probably add you to this group.
Loved their previous album, Satanic Curses, and now am gradually falling in love with this newest effort too. Dimitri Liapakis (VALLEY'S EVE - also a producer and studio owner) is the kind of musician that digs good Metal music, be it some 'classic' British/American Hard Rock or traditional German Heavy or vicious Speed/Thrash Metal, and does not stick to being single-dimensional. Form the beginning (back then featuring FIREWIND mainman Gus G. in the guitars), MYSTIC PROPHECY dealt with storming Metal music enriched with melodic (not 'candy'!) hooks or dark vibes rarely seen in Euro Metal bands (Liapakis' voice is a crucial factor for this one to occur, too). Without releasing just copies from the same source, the band has established its own recipe and...
...Fireangel carries on this series of quality music. The vocals of Liapakis remain the perfect mix of ruthlessness and harsh melody; he can convince both the untamed metaller and the hardrockin' prowler 'bout his intentions. The guitars work is -again- striking; tons of sharp themes with a clear tendency to stick to mind, while the refrains have that 'simple-yet-try-to-write-it' attribute you simply can't ignore. The rhythm section is not that 'feral' this time, compared to the hammering steel of Satanic Curses, but that does not mean that there's lack of some really nasty pounding here.
Along with Liapakis only Markus Pohl has survived in regards to the previous album's lineup, while the newcomers have won the bet bringing on some fresh breeze: a pounding intro precedes Across The Gates Of Hell and dark forces meet with dominant vocal lines, resulting in an efficient vile opening track with some tremendous guitar work (this applies to the whole album, trust me). In an album of equally killer tracks, let's also give the picture of Demons Crown's torturing pace (oriental ZED YAGO meets Tony Martin?), We Kill!! You Die!!'s sing-along mastery (what a Speed/Thrash/Power Metal typhoon this is...), Father Save Me's firepower...and the list goes on until the hardrockin' Metal energy of Forever Betrayed wraps up the album.
If being asked what the standards for building up some prominent German/European Power Metal songwriting are, you can just refer to MYSTIC PROPHECY's discography and avoid further explanations. Mixed by Fredrik Nordstrom and produced by Liapakis himself, Fireangel is an impressive release (the same goes for 2006's Savage Souls and Satanic Curses, too) and  -thankfully- confirms that the departure of Gus G. and drummer Dennis Ekdahl (the same goes for the recent lineup changes in the MP camp) is now just a sweet memory...Heavy powerful European Metal you just can miss/neglect: Fireangel can act as another evidence/proof that Metal music is still alive. Even if it's not likely to happen, I'd imagine MYSTIC PROPHECY headlining an outdoor grand Metal fest in the (near) future...
Promotional Trailer