Starlight Ritual hail from Montreal, Canada, and play thick, gritty heavy metal strongly reminiscent of Di'Anno-era Iron Maiden, with hard rock elements drawing from Rainbow and Dio woven throughout. Much like the late Paul Di'Anno, vocalist and bassist Damian Ritual has a gruff, gravelly delivery that immediately calls those early Maiden albums to mind. The music on Rogue Angels carries a retro, distinctly boxed-in sound, resulting in a tight and focused expression packed with attitude. It's largely this roughness that makes the band stand out.
In fact, that raw edge helps compensate for songwriting that, while mostly solid and forceful, can occasionally feel a bit messy or uninspired. On the plus side, the album boasts a strong opening trio and standout cuts like "Omenkillers" and "The Law." On the other hand, tracks such as "Far Beyond the Storm," "Of Words," and "On the Run" fail to spark much emotion. Still, the band manage to leave an impression and keep me engaged largely through sheer sound and attitude alone, which is worthy of praise in itself.
