Les Anges de la Nuit- Ruins of Victory

Artist: Les Anges de La Nuit
CD Title: Ruins of Victory
Label: Static Sky Records
Reviewer: Mattew Johnson
Date: 7-6-05

With a name like Les Anges De La Nuit, you’d expect this band to be some ethereal or medieval project out of Europe, but in fact it’s a trio of Florida musicians playing contemporary, pop-infused EBM. It’s pretty good stuff, but the trouble is that on this album they blew their load too fast, opening the album with “The Apocalypse,” by far their strongest track. The song’s strangely wistful vocals merge beautifully with its bombastic synth melodies, but everything after that feels a bit like filler. This isn’t to say it’s bad – even the weakest pieces, like the airy synthpop of “Forever and A Day” or the imitation VNV Nation anthem “I Find Myself” are still full of catchy vocal hooks – but it never quite reaches the potential that seems to be there. “Lost Forever” starts off with more aggressive vocals and hard trance programming, but tapers off into disappointing wishy-washiness, while a lack of conviction in the vocals diminishes the dark melodies and mournful atmospherics of “In the Worst Time.” There are a few other shining moments, like the lovely vocal harmonies of “Translucent Minds” or the synthesized choirs adorning the hypnotically minimal “Reborn,” but none of it manages to reach the height of that first track. An album full of tracks like “The Apocalypse” would all but guarantee them a massive following, so let’s hope that next time around Les Anges De La Nuit do more than just tease us by merely hinting at what they’re capable of.

For more information, visit the record label’s website at www.staticskyrecords.net.