STRESS ANGEL
STRESS ANGEL “Punished By Nemesis”
By Dr. Abner Mality
When I found out STRESS ANGEL was from New York, you could have knocked me over with a feather. Rarely have I heard such a blatantly European sound from a US band. But these guys are resolutely devoted to ancient German speed/thrash/black metal of the 80s and have seemingly emerged from a crypt after 30+ years of slumber.
IRON ANGEL, VECTOM, DARKNESS, early DESTRUCTION and SODOM, even some bits from the NWOBHM and South American death-thrash...you will hear echoes of all of these during the 40 torturous minutes of “Punished By Nemesis”. And amazingly, STRESS ANGEL equal or even surpass their influences here. The record is a volcano of potent 80’s underground riffing, with a dank, dark production to match and super-echoey vocals that sound like they were done in Mom’s basement. A good thing, in this case! I was around during this age of metal and I can confirm 100% that this was the sound of many German and mid-European bands. The reproduction of it is flawless!
As for actual songs, it’s tough to pick favorites. But “Monsignor’s Wish” is a real bulldozer, “Close to the Presence of Suffering” invokes a robust CANDLEMASS vibe, “Jericho’s Trumpet” is full of the “curly” arpeggiated speed metal riffs of DESTRUCTION and IRON ANGEL and all these are ace. STRESS ANGEL does know how to inject the occasional doom riff into their stew...”Missionary Zeal” is a great example. But never doubt that at their heart, this is a speed metal band.
The lyrics seem to revolve around exorcism and anti-Catholicism and that also takes me back to the misty days of metal history. I do wish that the band would have pumped up the bass sound more, it is very thin and watery. But really, if you’re looking for an uncanny return to the depths of evil metal history, STRESS ANGEL is about as authentic as it gets.