Despite their dated white polyester clothes and androgynous makeup,
Angel had surprising talent and range for a group whose initial purpose was to be some sort of divine answer to
Kiss. That being said, their sound was far from original and was highly derivative of other top acts of the time, including
Kiss themselves. So on
Helluva Band you get the
Queen-like "Feelin' Right," the
Emerson, Lake & Palmer-meets-acoustic-
Yes of "The Fortune," and the dreadful
Boston boogie of "Anyway You Want It." The rest is poppy and commercial rock, which was more accomplished than the gender-bending glam metal that would follow them in the '80s, yet not quite as good as the best material of their '70s peers.
Helluva Band has some intriguing moments, especially from progressively minded keyboardist
Gregg Giuffria, but most would be just as satisfied with
Anthology. ~ Brian Downing