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Angels Of Destruction - Marah
  • Band Name: Marah
  • Record Label: Yep Roc
  • Release Date: Jan 8, 2008
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. The Boston Phoenix
    88
    Their songs of experience suggest they spent some time exploring that darkness, only to have found the light on the other side.
  2. The A.V. Club
    83
    'Angels On A Passing Train' and the terrific rock-soul ballad 'Blue But Cool' don't have anything particularly interesting to say--the lyrics are all about salvation, redemption, and other big ideas Craig Finn repackages far more ingeniously--but they jump out of the speakers with just the right mix of conviction and craftsmanship.
  3. Mojo
    80
    Angels Of Destruction continues a rich tradition forged in the bars of their hometowns. [Feb 2008, p.105]
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  4. Uncut
    80
    Angels Of Destruction sounds like one almighty road trip, barrelling along to piano. blustery guitars and the odd honk of E Street sax. [Feb 2008, p.86]
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  5. All Music Guide
    80
    Angels of Destruction! is an album that brims with joy, rage, and adventure, and deserves your attention.
  6. Billboard
    80
    Marah manages to convey the manic energy that makes it such a great performer, and the result is its best album yet.
  7. Magnet
    80
    Angels just rocks. [Winter 2008, p.108]
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  8. Amazon.com
    80
    Smith adds subtle layers of piano to the formidable 'Wild West Love Song' and the bluesy, Zeppelin-like 'Jesus in the Temple.' But even more newsworthy, her jazzy stylings have rubbed off on the Bielankos.
  9. The New York Times
    80
    In Rolling Stonesy stomps and skiffle bounces, easygoing vaudeville shuffles and driving rockabilly boogies the songs make allegorical visions sound like barroom banter.
  10. Pitchfork
    69
    Angels is a Marah album, which sort of sucks, but that 'Blue But Cool' and 'Santos De Madera' and the title track might still make you a little misty eyed and/or end up on a mixtape.
  11. New Musical Express (NME)
    60
    Tracks like 'Angels On A Passing Train', swoon with religious imagery and elevate in their choruses, nodding unashamedly to Dylan and Springsteen, while 'Jesus In The Temple' is a BRMC mosey into the sunset, delivered with adventurous gusto that's matched by anything found here.
  12. Q Magazine
    60
    Angels Of Destruction builds on the momentum of 2005's "If You Didn't Laugh You'd Cry." [Feb 2008, p.99]
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  13. The Guardian
    60
    You'd need to have that pre-existing love for Serge and David Bielanko's music to draw anything much from their unremittingly competent seventh album proper.
  14. Spin
    50
    The subdued exception 'Blue but Cool' aside, the pretentious poetry and overwrought riffing induce numbness, not transcendence.
  15. Slant Magazine
    50
    Overproduction, unfortunately, doesn't fully account for its flaws. Too many of the songs invoke heavy-handed spiritual imagery.
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