Angel - White Hot

Hard-edged 70s glam pointing the way forward

Angel, like Kiss and Cheap Trick, took the flamboyance and pop sensibility of the glam rock bands of the earlier 70s and added the heavier sound of the likes of Black Sabbath in a way which was to prove influential on the decade that followed. Perhaps even more than Kiss, Angel pointed towards the glossy rock of successful 80s acts such as Dokken or Poison.

White Heat is arguably their best album, having lost some of the prog influences from their early work, but retaining the hard rock edge which was to be diluted in their later albums. The anthemic tunes here, such as Over & Over, Hold Me, Squeeze Me and Ain’t Gonna Eat My Heart Out Anymore show the band at its concise, punchy best, delivering hook-laden pop-metal of the highest quality. It’s not a perfect album – Greg Giuffria’s keyboards especially are somewhat over-elaborate at times – but overall it stands up as a great example of late 70s hard rock. This reissue comes with no frills, not even a sleevenote – but this is a minor criticism as the sound quality is superb and the music more than speaks for itself.

4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars

Mercury/Universal Import | 314 510 958-2

Reviewed by William Pinfold
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