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Angtoria - God Has A Plan For Us All review



Reviewer:
9.2

188 users:
7.98
Band: Angtoria
Album: God Has A Plan For Us All
Release date: April 2006


01. The Awakening
02. I'm Calling
03. God Has A Plan For Us All
04. Suicide On My Mind
05. Deity Of Disgust
06. The Addiction
07. Six Feet Under's Not Deep Enough
08. Do You See Me Now
09. Original Sin
10. Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned
11. Confide In Me [Kylie Minogue cover]
12. That's What The Wise Lady Said
13. A Child That Walks The Path Of A Man [limited edition bonus]

"A candidate for Best of 2006"

I am amazed by the amount of imagery this music conjures up. Rarely do I hear an album that is so visual and engaging. When I hear the music I see vivid colors; when the vocals start the powerful lyrics fill in those colors with clear action and scenery. I really am watching this music.

The album opens with a symphonic intro, but don't let that fool you. This is no ordinary, throw-away symphonic intro; this effectively introduces us to the bombastic and dark symphony which will accompany us on this journey. There is actually nothing "throw-away" here, Angtoria has considered every detail. After only a few tracks you can sense the distinct and unique Angtoria sound. Each song is special yet continues the musical themes of the album. While the song tempos are moderate the emotional pace seems fast, like a rush from a high. Even when they slow down for the incredible ballad "The Addiction," nothing is sacrificed.

I am impressed by all aspects of this album. The music is really bombastic: big, loud, aggressive, crunchy metal paired with the drama of a symphony orchestra. The music could stand alone but so could the vocals. Both are so strong. Sarah Jezebel Deva has really discovered a new voice for herself. Gone is the high soprano from Therion, this is a very unique voice she presents.

I mentioned above that the lyrics are powerful and I wasn't kidding. Each song is well laid-out and it's easy to connect with Sarah's emotion. The creepy title track "God Has a Plan for Us All" seems to be about child molestation in a religious household: "He crept into my room/ whispered my name took my innocence away/ God has a plan for us all/ I have been touched by the hand of God." Each song has a lyrical except worth including here but there are 13 songs and I don't have enough space! I'll mention the chorus to "Six Feet Under's Not Deep Enough" which conjures up some of the most vivid imagery: "I'll dance on your grave until my feet bleed/ Six feet under's where you'll rot/ We'll spit on your grave until your soul screams/ Six feet under's not deep enough."

This is truly symphonic metal. Unlike many light, pretty, soprano-fronted metal bands who are labeled as symphonic, Angtoria truly is. This is a very dark symphony, nothing light and fluffy about this band. While the songs will easily be stuck in your head they are not easy, catchy songs; they're memorable. I gave this album a 9.2 instead of 10 because I can nit-pick out several small flaws but none affect the overall picture of this strong album.

Favourite songs: I'm Calling, God Has A Plan For Us All, Suicide On My Mind, The Addiction, Six Feet Under's Not Deep Enough, Confide In Me


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 10
Production: 10





Written on 22.05.2006 by Susan appreciates quality metal regardless of sub-genre. Metal Storm Staff since 2006.

Twitter: @HeavyMetalSusan

Guest review by
The_Hellion
Rating:
8.0
Symphonic metal is normally a safe bet because it is difficult for someone capable of doing this kind of arrangements to do a terrible job. This doesn't mean all symphonic metal is automatically awesome, of course there are lame symphonic arrangements, not in this album though; I think the fact that the symphonic part is so well done is what makes this album kind of dull. This album is ninety per cent focused on symphony, while other elements are left in second place.

Read more ››
published 14.11.2019 | Comments (0)


Comments

Comments: 13   Visited by: 161 users
23.05.2006 - 13:16
Vicsor
Account deleted
Well i fully disagree with this review, i didnt find anything new or worth for the world of metal. Special mention: thay call themselves Epic Metal, Where??? its clearly full of symphonic passages and references. Sara sings lovely, but is it enough? how many "angels" singing there are nowadays .... lots and lots. I like her work in COf, Therion ... but for this category id stick with Liv Kristine as an example, better in evthing.
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24.05.2006 - 04:36
__Az__

Ha ha... A Kylie Minogue cover!?!?
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24.05.2006 - 08:14
Frost/bitten
Account deleted
lol, kylie Minogue cover hey. Well i liked the review though iv never heard the band before, i just might check them out.
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29.01.2007 - 22:43
Rating: 8
Draggtor

the album is good and not more, but what im not truly certain is about the title of two song, Suicide on My Mind and Six Feet Under's Not Deep Enough, in some pages the names are exchanged, the lyrics the same, so, what song it's 4th and which the 7th?
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Haeliev & Ez-Rechiel...
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31.01.2007 - 04:16
Bitch Boy

@ Lyrinan: good review. This album is really great, especially because of the orchestration. My favorite songs are Six Feet Under's Not Deep Enough and Suicide On My Mind.
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04.03.2007 - 17:12
marillionfan
Account deleted
A very good album IMO and a very nice surprise. i find the music really inspired; good vocals and great musicianship.
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30.04.2007 - 17:06
The Voice
Account deleted
I ve just heard this piece of...and since I gave em a chance, I m gonna check the Spice Girls out too!

Award this! Best 2006 debut album, ooh what a great year for metal. Runner up the Diablo Swing, gettin better I see...

Want atmosphere? Get Beyond The Veil, and a life possibly

A total waste of money, I m furious (i guess you noticed...)
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30.01.2008 - 16:59
jadawal

So far the album seems....alright, I'm listening to it now. Nothing special, but definatly not worthless. The review would of been alright if you explained those nit-picked flaws you've found, to explain to the people whats actually wrong with the album.

I don't think it's one bit original, and it sounds like techno-industrial dance sometimes, it's not that good in my opinion. Sara's vocals are.....nothing compared to her works with Therion or classic CoF. Seems very bland. There are a scattered catchy melody throughout, but nothing compared to the intro of the album, which I thought it made a pointless progression into nothing.

I just had to change a song it was so annoyingly bad.

The best you will find on this album is the symphonic parts with no other instruments playing.

That's my mini review, I'd give it a generous 6.5/10
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23.10.2009 - 13:57
Rating: 8
Njord
njord
Good review, I like the visual aspect you referred, it's really realistic. For symphonic lovers it's an album between 8 and 10 but for ppl not into symphonic thing it will be just another metal album.
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27.11.2009 - 15:13
Rating: 9
Powerslavex
Alexskywalker
Good review, surprisingly i really like this album my favorite song is suicide on my mind, relaxing stuff
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13.02.2010 - 03:47
treptolemus
aphotic_zoning
Hey, i like the songs a lot. This is nice and quite enjoyable ...
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\m/etalstor\m/
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26.12.2012 - 11:26
PocketMetal

Very enjoyable stuff , but the cover art is unbelievably immature and ugly :|
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27.03.2014 - 06:41
Rating: 9
ohmayhem

I discovered this album a couple of days ago and I've already listened to it 7 times. I usually never love something this much on the first listen. Great review!
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