Angel Down is Bach's first solo CD since 1999, and his band includes guitarists Metal Mike Chlasciak (Halford) and Johnny Chromatic, bassist Steve DiGiorgio (Death, Sadus) and drummer Bobby Jarzombek (Painmuseum). Bach and his band toured with Guns 'N Roses last year, and got along extremely well with Axl Rose, who he had also toured with back in the day. Rose lends guest vocals to three tracks on the album.
The songs on Angel Down are really diverse. They range from old school power ballads to mainstream modern rock to more intense thrash-influenced metal. Bach's voice sounds as good as ever, and he can belt out the high notes, croon the ballads and use an edgier style on the aggressive songs. His band is excellent, especially the guitarists. It's also great to hear Axl Rose singing again, who seems to have a great time with Bach, especially on the Aerosmith cover "Back In The Saddle."
There's no doubt Sebastian Bach has always been one of the most interesting and charismatic figures in his genre of music, but he is not content to rest on his "18 And Life" and "Youth Gone Wild" laurels. Angel Down is one of the most pleasant surprises of 2007, and definitely exceeded my expectations.
