Dark and groovy post punk for the modern age which certainly has "still got the fire"
Seems that I wasn’t alone in waiting for new material from the three Morris brothers to be released! According to the band themselves, pre-orders for the limited edition 12″ pressing of ‘Love Death Wealth Water’ sold out within 72 hours..! Balaam And The Angel are one of the very few bands of their era who still have their original line up intact. Anyone who’s caught the band live in recent years knows they’re definitely not resting on their laurels, but instead still moving forward hungry for more, which formulates itself into this astonishingly diverse and powerful release.
As with their 2024 ‘Forces of Evil’ EP, we’re once again offered the inimitable, unique Balaam And The Angel sound of the beautifully textured, echoing guitars and melodic basslines we all cherish and love, skillfully updated to a contemporary 21st century version without losing any elements of their recognizable dark, atmospheric, but still catchy tunes of former days.
If ‘Forces of Evil’ musically and effortlessly picked up where Balaam’s debut album ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ left off, then ‘Love Death Wealth Water’ feels more like a successor to ‘Live Free or Die’ or ‘Days of Madness’, with a harder, edgier guitar-driven sound.
Lyrics-wise, the ‘Love Death Wealth Water’ EP addresses such diverse topics as friendship, poverty, and daily life, as well as online scamming!
Opening track ‘Wealth’, with its haunting guitar parts and almost hypnotic tribal drumming from Des, is slightly reminiscent of ‘Isabella’s Eyes’. With a chorus inviting audience participation, it has strong potential to become a firm fixture in the live set! ‘Fear of Poison Water’ takes us on a rougher ride; big guitar riffs and hooks with a pumping bass safely steering the ship to shore.
Mark’s brooding and emotional vocals guides us through the mighty but slower-phased ‘You are Dead to Me’, with an anthemic, dare I say, power ballad feel to it. The record close with a real banger. ‘Love me Too’ is layered with Jim’s powerful, punchy guitar hooks blasted out at full throttle, once again inviting a perfect fists-in-the-air, sing-along chorus.
Balaam & the Angel will promote the release of the ‘Love Death Wealth Water’ by airing the tracks at a series of dates across the UK in the upcoming months, before returning to the stage once again this November with the ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ 40th Anniversary Tour. Make sure not to miss out:
Sat 9th May: Woking, Fiery Bird
Sun 10th May: Brighton, Concorde 2 – Kindred Spirits Day Fest
Fri 9th July: York, The Fulford Arms
Sat 10th July: Edinburgh, La Belle Angele – Deadinburgh Festival
Friday 20 November – Leeds, Warehouse
Friday 27 November – London, Bush Hall
Saturday 28 November – Birmingham, 02 Institute 2
Ticket links for all shows can be found HERE
Balaam And The Angel‘s ‘Love Death Wealth Water’ EP releases tomorrow, Friday 1st May, when it will be available to stream and download on all regular digital platforms.
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