Release date: 11th May 2018
Engel has always been a consistently good band, and their latest album Abandon All Hope is no exception to this trend – this is another solid and powerful release from this very talented band.
Engel have mastered the art of writing catchy and memorable songs, with Abandon All Hope featuring some serious earworms. The vocals are perhaps the strongest element of the band’s sound, as there’s a lot of power and body to them – vocalist Mikael has a cracking set of lungs and gives an excellent performance from start to finish.
Opener Darkest Void kicks things off with a band, with the introduction setting the scene and adding a lot of atmosphere before the vocals are added, followed by the full band. It builds things up, adding a lot of momentum until things reach fever pitch and it’s such a good way to get the album started. Meanwhile, later track Untouchable shows another side to the band, with a slightly heavier approach with harsh vocals taking centre stage for the most part – it adds a nice bit of variety to the release, and keeps things interesting.
As a whole, Abandon All Hope is a very exciting album. With plenty of tremendous inclusions and some stunning musicianship, there’s plenty to be getting on with and showcases a band that is still at the top of their game.
9/10
