To celebrate the 40th anniversary of their first E.P. World Of Light, Balaam and the Angel return with Forces Of Evil, which like the debut is a 12” vinyl-only release (though, unlike the debut, it is also released on streaming platforms!). The band still have a very loyal following and the good news is that they also still have a strong quality control ethic – when they moved to Virgin in the mid-80s and released their most commercial single, ‘She Knows’, any of the B-sides of the various formats would have been great singles in their own right.
The four tracks on Forces Of Evil tend towards goth-rock rather than the goth-pop of those major label years, certainly in the case of lead track ‘Dancing Senseless’, think Dreamtime-era The Cult – and there is a hint of The Chameleons (the bands sharing a producer in Christoph Bride). Guitarist Jim Morris (one of three Morris brothers that make up the band – still their original line-up) revealed that the E.P.’s title track is actually an older song that had been set aside because of the simplicity of its lyrics, but four decades on, “the sentiment could not be more current and universally appropriate”.
‘Feel The Silence’ is an upbeat track with some interesting percussion, while ‘After Life’ has a more lived-in vocal and lyrics that betray those extra decades of life experience, compared to those early records. Though born in Scotland, the brothers grew up Cannock in the West Midlands, and so their date at the excellent Castle & Falcon venue in Birmingham promises to be a big night for the local heroes. See www.balaamandtheangel.co.uk for full details of the upcoming tour which starts on Friday 8th November in Leamington Spa and concludes in Bedford on Friday 29th November.
Forces Of Evil E.P. is available on vinyl from 25th October 2024, and streaming services on 1st November 2024.
