Vintage sounding death metal can end up being a bit of a mistake. A lot of times, it feels like listening to a classic OSDM band from wish.com instead. I’m always open to the idea of exploring the old and adding your own flavour to it and Stress Angel prove, that they are masters at this approach.
Punished by Nemesis is their second album and sees the band continuing in the style they’ve established. It’s death metal in the style of its very beginnings, simple but extremely effective and fun. Don’t expect a cheap copy of something you’ve heard a hundred times before. Stress Angel bring together different elements of early death metal and proto-thrash metal to create a distinctive sound, full of clever riffs and a laid-back, almost homely feel. They’re not afraid to use epic samples that don’t distract but help build a dark atmosphere in the background, complemented by a tastefully mixed sound referring to the early 80s. In contrast to their debut album, Bursting Church, Stress Angel have refined their sound even further, and it’s a welcome change. The drums have that same slapping sound you hear on some of the earlier extreme records, and the guitars are similar to those on Altars of Madness, with a bit of Morbid Tales thrown in, creating a constant stream of tremolo riffs.
I really like how Stress Angel manage to alternate faster passages with slower ones, while still building a heavy and devilish atmosphere in their songs. They’ve chosen a distinct era as their inspiration, and they captured the atmosphere really well. The guitars go for the classic riffs and occasionally show off with a great solo. These occur in different forms throughout the album, but are particularly interesting in the slower passages, like on the track “Ritual Debt”, which even veers into more melodic waters.
I have to admit that I didn’t connect with Punished by Nemesis right away. However, I’m a big fan of their first album, so I gave this second one another chance. Since then, I’ve been listening to this album regularly, and I’ve been impressed every time. Stress Angel are experts at creating an understated sound that captivates and then stays with you. It’s not just a nod to the past, but a natural progression to the present. It’s a straightforward style that doesn’t try to be anything more than it really is. And it works really well.