Just when it looks like the traditional "rock star" is dead and buried, along comes Sebastian Bach to remind us just what the hell a real one looks and sounds like. Nobody today fits the bill better than Baz...his buddy Axl Rose has been to the plastic surgeon too many times and been too long without a decent record. Unlike Axl's largely mythical "Chinese Democracy", Bach's "Angel Down" has landed feet first on the asphalt and is ready to give the listener a bare-fisted smack in the face.

This is heavy, catchy, melodic arena metal that transcends time and space. Any small defects can be overlooked by the sheer enjoyment factor in listening to the music. Yes, the riffs in "You Bring Me Down" are awfully familiar...yes, the structure of "Take You Down With Me" is a little on the awkward side...yes, there are two "lighter-worthy" ballads on show. None of that matters because this is just plain fun to rock out and headbang to. Bach has always had an awesome voice to go along with his image and on "Angel Down", he cuts loose in a way he hasn't since the classic Skid Row album "Slave to the Grind"(one of the best ever as far as commercial metal goes). He can scream, he can croon, he can snarl, he can plead...it's Baz's show all the way. Axl Rose shows up on 3 tracks, but is so far in the background, he doesn't steal any limelight at all from Bach.Which is as it should be.

This is heavy, catchy, melodic arena metal that transcends time and space. Any small defects can be overlooked by the sheer enjoyment factor in listening to the music. Yes, the riffs in "You Bring Me Down" are awfully familiar...yes, the structure of "Take You Down With Me" is a little on the awkward side...yes, there are two "lighter-worthy" ballads on show. None of that matters because this is just plain fun to rock out and headbang to. Bach has always had an awesome voice to go along with his image and on "Angel Down", he cuts loose in a way he hasn't since the classic Skid Row album "Slave to the Grind"(one of the best ever as far as commercial metal goes). He can scream, he can croon, he can snarl, he can plead...it's Baz's show all the way. Axl Rose shows up on 3 tracks, but is so far in the background, he doesn't steal any limelight at all from Bach.Which is as it should be.

Despite his overwhelming presence, you can't deny the metal credentials of his band-mates.All metalheads should know guitarist Mike Chlasciak, who's appeared with Halford, Testament and his own Pain Museum. Mike makes sure the METAL is never far away on "Angel Down".His 6-string partner is Johnny Chromatic, who I know little about, but who does very well indeed. Drums are handled by the super talented Bobby Jarzombek, also from Halford and Riot, while bass player Steve DiGiorgio, a veteran of extreme bands like Sadus and Death, surely gives Bach some underground cred. It's an all-star band that jams out some of the purest, most chest-beating anthems around. No "sub-genre" labelling needs for this...just straight-up metal rock n' roll.

Highlights are the bruising crunch of the title track, the almost Angelwitch-like "You Don't Understand", the high energy "Love Is A Bitchslap" and the grinding "American Metalhead". The cover of Aerosmith's "Back In the Saddle" is spot-on and the two ballads, "By Your Side" and "Falling INto You"(co-written by Desmond Child) succeed due to the clarity and purity of Bach's voice.

Unless you're screwed into the underground so tight that you think Darkthrone is a sell-out, "Angel Down" is a must have. The Rock Star lives on!