:: Adagio - Archangels In Black

Adagio

When you take an overview of French outfit Adagio’s output over the years, you definitely get a sense that the band is continually in search of new challenges, with every one of the band’s three studio albums to date sounding completely different from the other. Now returning with the fourth full-length effort ‘Archangels In Black’, the follow-up to their highly acclaimed ‘Dominate’ from 2006, Adagio has once again gone through a transformation, with their latest effort staying into darker and heavier territory than anything the band has done before. With a revamped line-up in place, Adagio have explored and broadened upon the heavier direction that was hinted on their last album, with the opening track ‘Vamphyri’ boasting plenty of complex riffing, blast beats and an overall heaviness that hasn’t been heard from the band up until this point. The band’s trademark power metal sound is still very much present, but it’s the progressive influences and the heavier direction that play a larger role this time around that reveal the leaps the band have made from as little as two years ago. The addition of new vocalist Palin has had a positive effect on the band’s song writing, with his melody lines and vocals suiting the band’s new found direction, particularly on ‘The Astral Pathway’, the dramatic Symphony X/Kamelot like ‘Fear Circus’ and ‘Getsu Senshi’. Of course, it’s Forté who steals the show on most of ‘Archangels In Black’, with the heavy ‘Undead’, the varied title track ‘Archangels In Black’ and the blackened intensity of ‘Twilight At Dawn’ just some of the songs that exemplify his talents on the six strings.
Although the album falls well short of being called an all out classic, ‘Archangels In Black’ is easily Adagio most diverse, heavy and consistent release to date, and an album that will appeal to those who like their power metal a little more progressive influenced than traditional sounding.