Angel Witch - As Above, So Below

Angel Witch

As Above, So Below

2012 Metal Blade Records
I think for a lot of people, including myself, this album came as a complete surprise. If you look at the backcatalog of Angel Witch, you'll find that there's only a couple of studio albums, a few rarities and demo collections, and a whole slew of live albums. I can't fathom why this is the case, and the only thought I have on the matter is that when your debut album comes as close to NWOBHM perfection as Angel Witch's does... well, where do you go next?  But all that aside, here we are with this release that came at us out of left field, and I'm damn glad to own a copy. The simple fact is that all eight songs here are in the classic Angel Witch style, and I think any of them would not have been out of place on their fabled debut. I really don't know how any band could manage to do that, unless these songs were all written a long time ago and only recently released from the vault. I seriously doubt that's the case, but after Sodom put out "The Final Sign of Evil" with several never-before-heard tracks from their earliest days, I suppose anything is possible. Well, whatever the case may be, I'm enjoying the album a lot, and I hope Kevin Heybourne and company don't take another twenty some-odd years to do another one.