Description

Great release with both albums on one cd by this speedy heavy metal act from Amsterdam. Various members have been classically trained so the bands sound was based on classical music structures which made them stood apart from the plethora of other Euro Metal acts. Track Of Doom – 1986 Dutch metal demons Angus made their official debut with 1986's Track of Doom — a fine start and textbook example of post-New Wave of British Heavy Metal if ever there was one. Like Judas Priest gone hyperactive, the group injected the speed of Raven, Saxon, and of course Motörhead into frenetic but still melodic ditties like "When Giants Collide," "Finally Out," and the amusingly misnamed "Heavyweight Warrior," thereby contributing to the up and coming power metal movement (spearheaded by Germany's Helloween around the same time). Two instrumentals, "The Centaur" and "Dragon Chase," clearly establish Track of Doom as an '80s metal release (for good or ill), and slower selections such as the title track and "Lost Control" draw a straighter line to the band's 1970s influences (again, Priest), as well as the anthemic riff-fests made popular a few years earlier by the mighty Accept. But for all of these easy comparisons, the honest truth is that Angus were very accomplished musicians (particularly guitar wiz Bert Foxx), and distinct enough in their own right to suggest it was probably poor distribution and promotion from their hapless record label, Megaton, rather than lack of talent or skill that left them marginalized within the big picture of European metal. Therefore, although not exactly essential material, Track of Doom constitutes a worthwhile discovery for '80s metal enthusiasts. Warrior Of The World – 1987 By simplifying the group's songwriting, dulling their metallic edge, and pandering to commercial aspirations, 1987's Warrior of the World became the predictably disappointing sophomore album from Holland's Angus. An unfortunate decision to conform — employed by many a heavy metal band before them — this album proves, as is often the case, to be their undoing by failing to attract as many fans as hoped for by their accessory-to-the-crime record company, and by losing touch with their original die-hard fans in the process. Sure, to casual observers, the difference between these albums may be imperceptible at first, but there's no denying once the whole tale was told, that a lot less of Warrior of the World's songs "stuck" than had been the case a year earlier. Not only the product of inferior songwriting, tracks like "Moving Fast" and "Money Satisfies" also suffered from a lifeless production job that misguidedly "evened out" the bandmembers' previously standout individual performances, rendering them quite sterile. To wit, excellent lead guitarist Bert Foxx is reduced from a protagonist to a stagehand and, worst of all, singer Edgar Lois is multi-tracked into oblivion, his powerful voice reigned in whereas before it was allowed to soar untethered. In short, except for momentary flashes of inspiration during the title track and "Black Despair," there's little recommending Warrior of the World to any but extreme fans of '80s Euro-metal. Track listing: Track Of Doom – 1986 1. The Centaur 2. When Giants Collide 3. Track Of Doom 4. Heavyweight Warrior 5. Finally Out 6. The Gates 7. Dragon Chase 8. Lost Control Warrior Of The World – 1987 9. Warrior Of The World 10. Moving Fast 11. Leather And Lace 12. Money Satisfies 13. Black Despair 14. 2086 15. Freedom Fighter 16. If God's In Heaven (Why Is There Hell On Earth?)