The first two tracks "The Human Bondage" and "Inhuman" are heavy as shit. I wouldn't have expected ANGEL DUST to take up the heaviness two more factors, but with these two great tunes they impressively prove me wrong. The sound is ultra-fat and the riffs a lot heavier as on "Enlighten The Darkness" or "Bleed". Still you find beautiful melodies everywhere. That's what I call "Power Metal"! The band also has turned more modern. This fact is proved by "Unreal Soul", where you can find some distorted vocals and synth-sounds. But nobody needs to stop reading feeling turned off. The song has a brilliant and super-melodic chorus, which never sounds sappy. The song is just strong, surely a future band-classic. The following semi-ballad "Disbeliever" is no bit weaker. The tracks starts pretty calm and dreamy and is excelling in the strong vocals of Dirk Thurisch, who shadows 80 percent of his Power Metal-lic competition on "Of Human Bondage". Towards the end the song gets heavier and really fat. And "Forever" is topping it off easily still. The mix of a cool melody and super-fat riffs just blows away everything! This song is one of the best that the band ever has recorded, a real killer, listen to the song and you will agree with me.

Then we have "Unite", which is pretty modern, in terms of heaviness returning to the first two songs. The riff and the double-bass could almost have come from BOLT THROWER, you just have to think away the vocals and the keyboards. Thumbs up! "Got This Evil" hammers out some stomping mid-tempo, mighty riffs ruling, grinding you. Different with "The Cultman", starting out like a dreamy semi-ballad, a six-minute-plus hymn, a real masterpiece, the catchy refrain just enthusing. But it still gets better! The next-to-last song "Freedom Awaits" is the super-killer. I cannot put it into words, you really have to hear it for yourself, no kidding! And the final kick in your arse is the Seal/Adamski-cover-tune "Killer". Really well done and nicely rocking.

I'd always had thought that "Bleed" was the ultimate ANGEL DUST-album, but I was wrong. "Of Human Bondage" surpasses "Bleed" and "Enlighten…" by far.

This album just has everything that a good Metal-album of the new millennium needs. Fat riffs, good melodies, great vocals, interesting lyrics, a modern touch and a damn good sound. For me the best album in the still young year of 2002. Without exaggeration I can claim that ANGEL DUST will reach the peak of the German scene with "Of Human Bondage". No matter if you are a Power Metalian, a Speedster or Thrasher, listen to this hot steel and I guarantee, you will love it.

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