Album Review - Janus Stark - "Angel In The Flames"

 


Janus Stark were one of those bands I was sort-of-aware-of in the late '90s and early noughties and I'm pretty sure I must have seen them a couple of times supporting other Britrock bands I was a fan of around this time (I have a memory of them opening for the Wildhearts on one tour but I can't for the life of me remember where - it may have been a Ginger solo gig or maybe Silver Ginger 5? Anyway, I digress). Headed up by Giz Butt who's also played live guitar for the Prodigy, the original line up split in the early noughties with drummer Pinch (who'd served his apprenticeship with Giz in the English Dogs back in the '80s) going on to join the Damned and Giz putting together thrash metallers The More I See.

Recent years have seen Giz reforming the band though aided and abetted by fellow guitarist Richard Gombault formerly of fellow Peterborough natives and one of Britpop's most criminally under-rated bands Midget. Now signed to the UK Subs' Time & Matter label, Angel In The Flames is their second album and it's not a bad effort at all. Landing somewhere in the area between the heavier end of pop-punk and the more melodic side of thrash with a dose of political anger thrown in, it makes for a good mixture with the likes of Crucify All Leaders, Dead! Dead! and Shuffling The Pack showing off the power. Elsewhere, Giz has lost none of his shredding ability if the riffage on Murderers Rights Society is anything to go by and Some Stars Never Fade shows a more melodic side to the band's output.

True, there are a couple of more anonymous songs on here as well - Last Exit To Change Your Mind and Those Who Realise are a bit forgettable but overall, this is a decent effort which proves that Janus Stark are very much still a band with something to say in the modern climate. If you'd like to investigate further, you can give Angel In The Flames a spin and download a copy at the Janus Stark Bandcamp page.

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑🌑 (7/10)

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