Description

Black vinyl with gatefold cover

Engel arrived on the infamous Gothenburg scene in 2005. By 2007, they were making their label debut with Absolute Design in Europe (North America would not see the album for another year), then following it up with successive releases – 2010’s Threnody, 2012’s Blood Of Saints, and 2014’s Raven Kings. With founding members Niclas Engelin (of In Flames) and Marcus Sunesson (formerly of The Crown) at the helm, Engel has survived line-up changes and over a decade in the industry, touring across the world and sharing stages with everyone from Dimmu Borgir to Amon Amarth. 2018 saw the release their fifth album, Abandon All Hope, an album that is heavy on melody, turning its head on the metal meets industrial roots of the band’s earliest days. Instead, Abandon All Hope sees Engel picking up where Raven Kings left off, refining and streamlining their sound, and going even deeper into the trenches of soaring melodiousness. Think My Dark Path and you will be headed in the right direction, sonically speaking. On Abandon All Hope, Engel provide lyrics that are socially-aware and turn an observant eye toward our inherently human flaws, forewarning that change is inevitable or we will be forced to, ahem, abandon all hope. Both on a personal and a societal level. Ultimately, however, it’s all about the music and the sound here is fully melodic despite being blistering metal, proving that Engel always have a keen ear for scrumptious melodies and killer guitars. The end result is a collection that runs the gamut and drafts an infectious new set of tracks to add to the already storied Engel oeuvre. Horns up.

Track list:
1. The Darkest Void
2. The Legacy Of Nothing
3. Book Of Lies
4. As I Fall
5. Buried
6. Untouchable
7. Death Reversed
8. Across The Abyss
9. Gallows Tree
10. Abandon All Hope
11. The Condermned