Label : STF Records
Review by Tony Cannella
From Spain, Ankor has previously released a full-length album and an EP which were both sung in their native Spanish language. Now Ankor returns with their English language debut “My Own Angel”, and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprise with their mixture of intensely aggressive music combined with an accessible almost pop style. The band has three vocalists and the aggression comes from the belligerent vocals of Julio A. Lopez as Rosa de la Cruz provides the perfect foil with clean vocal style which gives the songs some accessibility. Guitarist David Romeu is also there to contribute some clean male vocals. Musically, they can go in different directions, from aggressive to accessible and even a tiny bit of prog thanks to their keyboard sound. The opening track, “Remaining” gets things started aggressively, but even though this is a very heavy song that features the aggressive male vocals, it also gives the listener a taste of the melodicism that this band is capable of, thanks to Rosa’s clean singing style. The guitar harmonies kick off the next track “Completely Frozen” which turned out to be one the best as it just gallops along until it reaches its conclusion. Other highlights include: “It Would Be Easier” (featuring clean male vocals in conjunction with Rosa’s), “No Matter What” and “Against the Ground”. “My Own Angel” by Ankor may seem a bit uneven at times, but there is enough good stuff here to pique the interest of metal fans everywhere.
Rating – 76/100
Tracklist
- Remaining
- Completely Frozen
- It Would Be Easier
- Awaiting Your Awakening
- No Matter What
- My Own Angel
- Pride
- Reborn
- Against the Ground
- Starting Over
Line Up
- Rosa de la Cruz – Vocals
- David Romeu – Guitar & Vocals
- Fito Martínez – Guitar & Backing vocals
- Javier “Rubio” Casanova – Keyboards
- Julio A. López – Bass, screams and backing vocals
- Jordi Vidal – Drums
Links