Angel Down (Clean) [Clean]

Sebastian Bach | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 20, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Clean
• Label: Mrv
• ASIN: B000WM72KC
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #361,527 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2007 album from the hard rockin' renaissance man, formerly the vocalist for the multi-million selling Skid Row. Features guest vocals from Guns 'N' Roses frontman Axl Rose. 14 tracks including the first single '(Love Is) A Bitchslap'. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What were Bolan and Snake thinking to fire this guy?, November 21, 2007

By 

Daniel Maltzman (Arlington, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angel Down (Audio CD)

As the lead singer of Skid Row, Sebastian Bach was one of the last true stars of the pre-Nirvana hard-rock era. His natural good looks, showmanship, charisma and pipes were perfectly suited for MTV in the late 80s/early 90s. But with the onset of grunge and alternative rock, overnight, Bach found himself suddenly obsolete. Skid Row gave it another try with their underappreciated third outing "Subhuman Race," (1995) but it unfortunately underperformed. In the late 90s, Bach's career really hit the skids when he was fired from Skid Row.

But Bach has kept himself busy over the years. He's dabbled in theatre, TV shows and of course music. First there was The Last Hard Men, the mid-90s project he did with Kelly Deal and Jimmy Chamberlin (released in 2001) as well as a live album with a couple new songs, and an album with Frameshift. Now Bach is back with a new studio album, the Roy Z produced "Angel Down" (2007)

Imagine crossing "Slave to the Grind" (1991) with "Subhuman Race" and that's pretty much the sound and style of Bach's new album. It has the hooks and catchiness of "Slave", yet the Pantera-esque aggressiveness of "Subhuman Race." "Angel Down" manages to strike a good balance--sounding heavy and melodic like Skid Row, yet fresh, as it avoids sounding too retro.

The opening title-track," Angel Down" starts off with an epic, old-school metal, "Shout at the Devil" like intro, before going into an all-out assault mode and is a great way to fire up the album. "You Don't Understand" is a bit of a throwback, with a real 80s melodic feel; not that that's a bad thing, as the song rocks.

Guns N' Roses reclusive singer Axl Rose joins Bach for the next three songs, the first being a cover of Aersosmith's "Back in the Saddle." Bach and Rose's cover has less of a groove than the original but has more of an edge, is more metallic. Bach and Rose sound fantastic together, switching off lead vocals. Rose's presence is felt less in the melodic, up-tempo "Love is a Bitchslap," which sounds a bit like an updated "Piece of Me" (from Skid Row's self-titled '89 debut). The forceful "Stuck Inside" (co-written by Rose) is a little darker and wouldn't have sounded out-of-place on "Subhuman Race." Again, the vocal interplay between Rose and Bach works beautifully.

"American Metalhead" is another fast-paced rocker. While not really a stand-out track it's effective and keeps up the momentum. "Negative Light" goes full-fledged into Pantera territory, and is very heavy and aggressive. "Live and Die" is another heavy yet melodic rocker.

By this time you should know that a power-balled is coming up, and it does with the excellent "By Your Side," a melancholy, semi acoustic track that sounds like a cross between "I Remember You" and "Wasted Time."

The mid-tempo, snooty "Our Love is a Lie" gets the album moving along nicely, but "Angel Down" drags a bit with "Take you down with me," "Stabbin' Daggers" and "You Bring me Down." While those tracks don't really suck and are effective, they're also slightly generic and are the albums least memorable songs. Fortunately, "Angel Down" ends on a high note with the outstanding "Falling into you," a balled somewhat reminiscent of "Wasted Time," the closing song from "Slave to the Grind."

Despite losing a little momentum towards the last quarter, "Angel Down" is overall, a very strong album. It's certainly way, way, way better than the super lame albums that Skid Row released without Bach. If you're looking for an old-school sounding metal album, "Angel Down" is highly recommended.

After nearly 20 years of being on the map, Bach still sounds awesome; the dude hasn't lost a thing. He's like a nineteen-year-old trapped in a thirty-nine year-olds body--eternally youthful and adolescent. His band, (Metal" Mike Chlasciak-lead guitars, Johnny Chromatic - rhythm guitars, Steve DiGiorgio - bass guitars and Bobby Jarzombek - drums) sounds great and is probably a cut above Skid Row in their prime.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Heavy Metal Record in Years!!!, November 24, 2007

By 

Life-long Van Halen fan (Huntsville, AL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angel Down (Audio CD)

Wow! This CD is unbelievable! I wish I could give it 10 stars. Every song is fantastic, and Sebastian Bach's voice is better than ever. Axl Rose's contributions on three of the songs are great, too. This CD is much heavier than anything Sebastian did with Skid Row, and he has truly outdone himself on this one. Sebastian may single-handedly bring back real rock music! Thanks, Sebastian, and keep on rockin'!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Angel Dust, January 13, 2008

By 

Sean Fleischman "LandfallNav" (Stamford, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angel Down (Audio CD)

Just like phencyclidine (PCP), the primary psychoactive effects of hearing Sebastian Bach and Axl Rose last only minutes, but total elimination from the mind is prolonged, typically extending over weeks. I suggest listening to this CD daily for an extended high.