Sebastian Bach - Angel Down

I bought this CD more out of curiosity than any expectations. Let’s face it, when was the last time you heard Axl Rose screaming his a#$ off on an album? (And no, I am not talking about the Chinese Democracy leaks that appear on the web every two years or that mutant aberration which appeared on the End of Days soundtrack.)

Sebastian Bach is the former vocalist of New Jersey rockers Skid Row. Bach was the guy who gave the Skids some real metal street creed by pushing the limits in Skid Row’s hair band era. Skid Row’s self-titled debut in 1989 was a sign of things to come. 1991’s heavy and darker offering “Slave to the Grind” beat the hairspray out of the critics who labeled the Skids as a pop metal act. As the grunge era kicked in, the Skids soon found themselves has-beens and kicked off the radio by hordes of tuneless wonders. An acrimonious split occurred in 1996 after the third studio album “Subhuman Race” sank without a trace. Bach then had a series of forgettable outings (Last Hard Men etc) and regular stints on Broadway productions (Jekyll & Hyde, Rocky Horror Show, Jesus Christ Superstar) not to mention reality shows (Supergroup, Celebrity Rap Superstar etc).

Angel Down, produced by Roy Z and released on Merovingian Records, is Bach’s 3rd studio album.Bach’s band includes bassist Steve DiGiorgio (Death, Sadus), drummer Bobby Jarzombek (Painmuseum, Demons and Wizards), and guitarists Metal Mike Chlasciak (Halford) and Johnny Chromatic.

The metal mayhem starts immediately with the opening tracks ‘Angel Down’ and ‘You Don’t Understand.’ Bach’s screaming shatters all pretenses as to the direction this album is going to take. “You Don’t Understand’ is a melodic throwback to the old days with Metal Mike cranking up some serious riffing on his Jackson flying V. The next 3 tracks feature Axl and kick off with an Aerosmith cover ‘Back in the Saddle’. Bach and Rose trade lines and screams like its 1990 all over again, and you wonder where Aerosmith has been for the last 10 years.

‘(Love Is) A Bitchslap’, the first single of the album, is co-written with producer Roy Z and is a “Skid Row meets GNR” kinda track. ‘Stuck Inside,’ is a heavy mid tempo rocker, with Metal Mike’s chromatic riffing. Bach’s vocal range makes this another stand-out track. All through the album, the band keeps it tight and Bach is phenomenal throughout with no signs of wearing down. The songs that follow though are a bit predictable and the guitar solos are boring to say the least. Nothing too technical or making you go crazy. The lyrics are also ridiculous at times, try “Livin’ in the stratosphere, Ain’t always cloud 9, I don’t even know if, it’s what I was hopin’ to find”.

The album’s one standout track is the ballad ‘By Your Side,’ co-written by Sebastian and Roy Z. Bach has always been killer at singing ballads and this is no exception.

Bach will probably never sell 10 million albums again but in an age devoid of anything listen able on the radio, Angel Down does not compromise and stands tall amongst the ruins.