Album of the Week

Last week I was perusing Bandcamp in search of music to buy for Bandcamp Friday. I eventually came across the Bandcamp page for Mort Productions, China's first heavy metal record company. I soon came across the gothic metal band DengeL (the name derives from the combination of the words "devil" and "angel"). They are a gothic metal band from Beijing, China. The band formed back in 2007 so they have been around for nearly 15 years. I read online that have released a couple of EPs. That is all I could find out about the band. Unfortunately I couldn't find any links to the band on any of the social media platforms I use but I did find their Weibo account (China's version of Twitter) as well as their douban page  via their Weibo page. Judging by my online research they went on a hiatus for awhile but the band decided to give it another go at music and they released their first full length album Promised [this is hte title listed on their Bandcamp page]  (note: it was listed as Re-Opening on their doubanpage) this past March. You can read more about the band on the link to their douban page that I just posted. 

I am massive gothic/symphonic metal fan and finding the band DengeL was the best thing I have found online in such a long time. Promised/Re-Opening completely took my breath away between HoRan's vocals and the classical influences in the music. I almost cried the first time I heard the album because it was so good and the band wasn't trying to emulate like their European counterparts. DengeL is truly one of a kind. Every single track on Promised is a delight to listen to, there is not one track I didn't like or just felt meh about. I enjoyed the fact that the music isn't overly bombastic which sometimes can be annoying in the genre, and HoRan's ethereal vocals takes center stage.  I also enjoyed the instrumental version of the album. The instrumental tracks does a great job at showcasing the band's musicianship. Really dug listening to keyboardist Pan He. She is terrific. The entire band compliments each other. Don't be surprised if this album ends up being in the top spot of my annual end of the year best of list. I have been listening to it 2-3x a day. I just adore this album. I really hope and wish fans of gothic/symphonic metal music will look beyond Europe and start investigating in countries like China, Indonesia, and Japan. DengeL is a band that definitely needs to be heard from all over the world. 

Stand out tracks:
"Mother's Tear"
"Brave Heart"
"Angel"

"His Bride"

Current members include lead singer HoRan, guitarists Cui Yanxuan, Liu Wei, bassist Shen Yang, keyboardist Pan He, and drummer Zhang Xiao her.