WhatzUp

Angel Down
Sebastian Bach
by Chris Hupe

Sebastian Bach

Angel Down

Bach is back. Though it seems that everyone’s favorite VH-1 diva, Sebastian Bach, has been around quite a bit lately (with acting stints in Jesus Christ Superstar and “The Gilmore Girls,” along with appearances in “Supergroup” and “Celebrity Rap Superstar”), Angel Down marks the first album of all original material ever released by the former Skid Row frontman.

I didn’t want to buy this album. Though his performance on Frameshift’s 2005 album, An Absence of Empathy, was just short of amazing, Bach’s rock star attitude and me-first personality is enough to turn off even the most loyal fan. And if the album had not been streaming on his label’s website for a few weeks prior to its release, I probably would not have bothered. But it was, and I did.

Written with a mighty band – including guitarist “Metal” Mike Chlasciak (Halford, Painmuseum), drummer Bobby Jarzombek (Halford, Demons and Wizards), bassist Steve DiGiorgio (Death, Sadus) and Johnny Chromatic – the album is truly a group effort, as Bach is credited with writing most of the lyrics while the band, with help from producer Roy Z. of Bruce Dickinson fame and songwriting guru Desmond Child, wrote the bulk of the music. And though much is being made of Axl Rose’s background vocals on three of the songs, his appearance is actually fairly negligible, while still being noteworthy, as we continue to wait for Chinese Democracy’s eventual release.

The disc starts with the title track, a song that picks up where Skid Row’s Slave to the Grind left off (yes, I am aware of Subhuman Race), with Bach’s piercing vocals and Chlasciak’s soaring guitar serving notice that “this ain’t no novelty album.” The NWOBHM-influenced “You Don’t Understand” and the cover of Aerosmith’s “Back in the Saddle” are next, but they are, by far, the low points of the album. Hit the skip button on both of those songs and continue on to “(Love Is) A Bitchslap,” the first radio single, and “Stuck Inside,” both with Rose on backing vocals. This is where the album kicks into overdrive, grinding through new classics like “American Metalhead,” “Negative Light” and “Live and Die.”

Through it all, Bach has never sounded better, and the band matches his performance with every note. Though the album leans toward the heavy hitters, it also takes us back to the heyday of the pop/rock ballad with “Falling Into You” and “By Your Side,” a song that would have been a huge hit in the late 80s and could be huge even now, if it were able to slip in next to the 170 or so daily spins of Hinder’s “Lips of an Angel.”

With Angel Down, Bach serves notice that he can still be a relevant voice in the hard rock world. With a voice as strong as ever, and the tunes to match, Bach delivers an unexpected gem. Which leads us to the question of what took him so long? It doesn’t matter what the answer is; if you like hard rock done right, you must, and I mean must, pick this one up right away. This is a great album. Bach is back indeed. (Chris Hupe)