On “Chapter II,” the new CD from Angelface feat. Natalie Chandra, the rock comes fast and furious as blasts of roaring guitars punctuate swirls of synthesizer in an all-out attack of goth-influenced and hook-filled hard rock. Singer-songwriter Chandra brings a Pat Benatar-like vocal power to this 12-song collection, matching the intensity of her singing to larger-than-life anthems as well as moving power ballads. Highlights include CD-opener “Sulphur Anima,” an insistent, synth-driven howl of rage; “Stop Looking Away,” a Celtic-infused rocker with strains of bagpipe going head-to-head with a pile-driving heavy metal riff; the atmospheric ballad, “Scorned”; and the 8-minute opus, “Sekhmet's Summoning,” a gothic anthem of melody and vision. With its nod to Northern European influenced Black Metal, Angelface’s “Chapter II” CD is tailor-made for fans of Evanescence, Lacuna Coil and other theatrically-oriented bands who deliver epics of darkness and shadow like there’s no tomorrow.
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