ANGTORIA – Un-Official Demo 2004

Angtoria is a new trio fronted by former Cradle of Filth female vocalist Sarah Jezebel Deva. Multi-faceted and talented musicians Chris and Tommy Rehn join Sarah to form this new Orchestral Metal band. In the 2nd half of 2004, Angtoria put together a 5-song Demo EP comprised of 4 original tracks and a cover song called “Confide In Me” written by Steve Anderson and David Seaman.

Unfortunately, this Demo is not available to the public for sale (yet) as the band has opted to disseminate this EP only to radio stations and to the press in hopes of turning enough heads to land the support of a record label. In sum, they should land a deal if there’s any justice in the music industry. Deva shows remarkable range and vocal control throughout each song of this Demo, and the Rehn brothers deliver a totally impressive musical performance, playing a host of various conventional and non-conventional Rock/Metal instruments. Their style is similar to Nightwish at their best, but Deva sings in a “normal” voice (vs. operatic), and it simply works better to drive home and sell the Orchestral Metal concept of this band.

As is normally indicative with Symphonic/Orchestral Metal, the production quality of this EP is excellent … to get the full effect of the instruments, that quality is truly paramount, and Angtoria certainly meets this initial requirement. Of special mention is the percussion sound and mix … the drums indeed have their thunderous moments, however, they’re neither over-emphasized nor repetitive at any juncture. Instead, the kit is skillfully played, unique in presentation, well blended, yet powerful! The guitar sound is excellent too, and there are instances, especially in the first track, “Six Feet Under’s Not Deep Enough,” where it literally explodes within the song. Curiously, no instrument is really “featured” in this album. The keys, the bass, the wind instruments, the various other stringed instruments, and even the guitars are all apparent, distinctive, and skillfully played, but none are featured in a “hog wild” approach above the others. Pretty cool, actually, and VERY easy to listen to … almost in true orchestral fashion!

Deva’s performance is the icing on the cake. Along with handling the diversified vocal challenges presented in these 5 songs, she is also entrusted to write the lyrics. For those who may not be familiar with her voice, her vocal sound is very similar to Deborah Harry from the Pop band Blondie, although Deva has the upper hand on both clarity and range. Her delivery is relaxed, at times almost inappropriately so to the point of causing you to crack a wry smile when listening closely to the lyrics. Deva’s voice so casually and beautifully describes quasi-horrific scenarios towards others (significant others, in particular) in “Six Feet Under’s Not Deep Enough,” and in the radio-friendly “A Child That Walks In The Path Of A Man.” The other lyrics written by Deva lie within the titles “Deity of Disgust” and “Suicide On My Mind.” To put it lightly, Deva appears to harbor a tad bit of ill will and repressed hostility within those goddess-like vocal chords, but in the end, she delivers with unconventional grace, propriety, and stunning talent.

Yes, it is certain this Demo will catch the attention the band desires … the key, however, will be to see whether or not Angtoria has what it takes to conjure up a full-length CD of similar quality after a record deal is landed. We can only hope, because should Angtoria be capable of generating this type of music consistently, there most certainly will be a new player in the Symphonic/Orchestral Metal arena to be reckoned with very soon. For now, though, you’ll only have the opportunity to listen to this band via musical avenues such as the request lines of Metal Express Radio!

REPORT CARD:
Guitars: B
Percussion: A-
Keyboards and Other Instruments: B
Vocals: A
Lyrics: B+
Recording Quality: A
Originality: B
Overall Rating: B+