Metal Mirror – Vodka Hell And Angels

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Vodka Hell And Angels Cover

Metal Mirror – Vodka Hell And Angels
Self-Released
Release Date: 07/07/2017
Running Time: 43:00
Review by Vikkie Richmond
6/10

I’m always wary of bands that don’t have a website, although to be fair, this one is under construction.  That would have been fine, except there is no proper bio on the Facebook page either.  Call me old-fashioned, but I like to have something to go on because us lowly reviewers have to wade through a lot of music; frankly, we don’t have time to dig too deep to find information on every band.  How interesting then, that Metal Mirror’s Facebook bio simply says, “Legendary New Wave of British Heavy Metal band”.  Modest, hey?

It turns out that MM have been around since the late 1970s (their career spanned three years, from 1979 to 1982) and I suppose one has to hand it to them, because it’s always brave to come back with a new album some thirty years after you’ve released the last one.  Of course, that’s not counting the two ‘live’ albums released in 2006, the ‘compilation’ released in 2014 or the additional live album, “The Dingwalls Tapes” in 2017.

So, what about the fresh, new material?  The title track to the album, “Vodka Hell and Angels”  introduced me to Metal Mirror and straightaway I liked the big guitar sound and cymbal-heavy percussion.  Unfortunately, when the vocals kicked in, I nearly turned it off.  I’m not one to give up, so I persisted and second track, “I Love Halloween” started really promisingly, with a dirty riff, however the lyrics are pretty repetitive and that voice just really grated on me – I can’t help it.

This is such a shame, because the band’s sound is really good – track three, “One Way Ticket to Hell” has a great, pacey, get-up-and-dance quality, but the lyrics and vocals just don’t back it up.   In fact, there is track after track of belting, raw, British heavy metal here, along with some cracking guitar solos but I’m afraid it’s just not for me, purely because of the vocals.  That said, I’m aware from the band’s Facebook page that there are over 2,000 people who will probably disagree with me, but then, that’s the beauty of rock; if we all liked the same music, wouldn’t it be boring?  Tell you what, you download it and listen to it; let us know in the comments here if you disagree!

Stand out tracks (purely for musicianship):  One Way Ticket to Hell, Outlaw Rider, The Gates of Hell  

TRACKLISTING:
01. Vodka Hell and Angels
02. I Love Halloween
03. One Way Ticket to Hell
04. Devil In The Glass
05. Outlaw Rider
06. Long Black Train
07. Million Dollar Itch
08. Slow Game
09. Dusk Till Dawn
10. Liar Killer
11. Little Dam Punk (With A Big Big Head)
12. The Gates of Hell

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Disclaimer: This review is the sole property of Vikkie Richmond and Ever Metal.  It is strictly forbidden to reproduce any part of this review, unless you have the explicit permission of both parties; failure to comply will be treated as plagiarism and reported to the relevant authorities.

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Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of [user_login] and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

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