World Fighter

Angel Sword is a Finnish band I'd never heard of despite World Fighter being their third album in a career going back to 2010. They play melodic heavy metal that combines the gruff vocals of '80s Running Wild and the penchant for hooky vocal lines of Timeless Miracle as they rock through songs like "Vigilantes," "Church of Rock," and "Afterburn." They follow a tried-and-true formula of twin guitar work with catchy choruses and, while the songwriting isn't transcendent, it is generally quite good with nary a dud over the album's tidy 32-minute running time. If you are following the traditional heavy metal revival and bands like Blood Star, Night Demon, and Midnight Dice as well as pioneers like Running Wild, you should enjoy World Fighter.