Angelical Tears

Next up in our coverage of the bands playing at this year’s Dame Nation festival, Unleash the Furies brings you Angelical Tears from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma! That’s right folks, symphonic metal with a gothic flavor is alive and well in the Great Plains.

Angelical Tears first came to our attention this time last year with the release of their self-titled EP, which offers six tracks of angelic vocals with demonic guitars. In the band’s own words: “The combination of the ethereal vocals of [Russian-born] Julia Flansburg, pounding bass of Glenn Flansburg, heavy guitars of Steven Bittle, thundering drums of Jeremy ‘JC’ Clifton, and the melodic keyboards of Robby Ray, give Angelical Tears a style and sound that sets them apart from their peers[.]“ True words. Take the guitar-driven intensity of American melodic metal, temper it with the dark melancholy of Russian gothic metal, and you have a pretty good idea of what is in store for you. And it’s good.

Angelical Tears is hard at work on a full-length album for release in early 2012, and a tour in Scandinavia and Russia with labelmates, Where Angels Fall. Exciting stuff ahead for these newcomers!

Angelical Tears is:

•Julia Flansburg – Lead Vocals
•Glenn Flansburg – Bass
•Steven Bittle – Guitars/Vocals
•Robby Ray – Keyboards
•JC – Percussion/Vocals

You can check out Angelical Tear’s entire 2010 EP on their Facebook and ReverbNation profiles. - Unleash The Furies - Female Metal You Should Know

Based in a suburb of Oklahoma City is the pure European Neo-Classical female fronted Melodic Gothic Power Metal orientated band ANGELICAL TEARS. If no additional info was supplied to me, I would never have guessed this band is from the USA, because this sounds like a typical Dutch band to me and comparisons to the Dutch bands EPICA, AFTER FOREVER, DELAIN, THE GATHERING, KINGFISHER SKY, STREAM OF PASSION, WITHIN TEMPTATION, MORNING, AUTUMN, etc. etc. are quite easy to make. Without a doubt, the band’s debut mini-CD is a high quality release that can easily compete with the aforementioned bands. Happily, the production is also very good and it is thanks to the excellent musicianship of the band and the ‘angelic’ voice of Russian born singer JULIA FLANSBURG, this ANGELICAL TEARS is receiving the highly recommended mark. It might not sound very original and especially in Holland, there are a lot of similar bands playing this genre, nevertheless ANGELICAL TEARS sounds really good and especially the song “Darkness” would make WITHIN TEMPTATION jealous! The band was formed in 2006 and are currently working on their first full-length CD, to be released sometime in early 2012 and without any doubts, that will be a very interesting CD to look forward to! Check them out at: www.angelicaltears.com and e-mail them at: info@angelicaltears.com - Strutter'zine

Az Angelical Tears egy 4 évvel ezelott megalakult oklahomai együttes, ám a vágyott nemzetközi siker még nem érte el oket, s ez okból keresett meg minket az együttes gitárosa, hogy ajánljuk oket nektek, hogy minél többen és több helyrol megismerhessék és megszeressék zenéjüket.
Lássuk hát kik is ok és mit játszanak!

2006 októberében alakult meg a hat tagot számláló együttes, mely új, különleges zenei színfoltja lett Oklahoma városának. Zenéjüket a goth-, klasszikus-, metál- valamint az alternatív zene befolyásolta, így ezeknek az összegyúrásából született az Angelical Tears világa.
Julia Flansburg éteri hangja, Derek Teague és Steven Bittle kemény gitár szólói, Jennifer Corbin dallamosbillentyu- témái, Glenn Flansburg (Julia férje) ütos basszusa és Tanner Hodgkinson mennydörgo dobjai adja ki ezt a kiváló együttest.

Nemrégiben jelentették meg elso kislemezüket ’Angelical Tears’ címmel, melyet a helyi rádiók már játszanak is.
A kiadványon 6 dal található, külön érdekessége, hogy az énekesno anyanyelvén, oroszul is énekel rajta!
De nincs megállás, szeretnének kitörni és nemcsak helyi berkekben játszani, így az idei évre tervezik nagylemezük kiadását is, melynek munkálataihoz már hozzá is láttak.
Dalaik meghallgatása után azt kell mondjam, minden esélyük meg van a nagy áttörésre, mert nagyon jól szólnak mind a lírai, mind a zúzósabb nótáik.
Stílusban leginkább az Evanescence és a The Murder of my sweet közé tudnám helyezni oket.
Így aki ezt a két együttest szereti, hatos fogatunkat is szeretni fogja!
Dalaikba belehallgathatsz Myspace oldalukon, vagy hivatalos honlapjukon, de kedvcsinálóként itt a ’Tomorrow Happens Now’! - Ladies in Rock Magazine

Auch wenn der Bandname die Vermutung nahelegt, wir würden hier mit Tränendrüsen-Gothic konfrontiert werden, und diese Vermutung durch die Tatsache, daß in Julia Flansburg eine Sängerin der Band vorsteht, verstärkt wird, haben ANGELICAL TEARS mit solchen Klängen nichts am Hut. Stattdessen kann man bei der Band aus Oklahoma City von kraftvollem, aber zugleich auch melodischem Metal sprechen, den man als eine Mischung aus STRATOVARIUS und nicht ganz so modern aufgepeppten THE MURDER OF MY SWEET beschreiben könnte. Die sechs Songs des ersten ANGELICAL TEARS-Demos sind fehlerfrei ausgefallen, Julia singt zugleich gefühlvoll wie auch mit der nötigen Power, so daß man für diese Träne gern eine Phiole bereitstellen kann, um sie zu konservieren. Denn: Diese Band gehört definitiv zum Besten, was Amerika bislang auf diesem stilistischen Sektor hervorgebracht hat! - UNDERGROUND EMPIRE

Os los traemos desde Oklahoma. Esta formación poco conocida quiere salir de su Estado y arrasar mundialmente y no le falta madera para llegar a lo mas alto.
Desde octubre del 2006, “Angelical Tears” se ha destacado en la escena musical de la ciudad de Oklahoma. Su Metal pesado pero melódico es el resultado de una variedad de influencias que pasan por el Gótico, la música Clásica y el Metal Alternativo. Estos elementos se combinan para crear un sonido Metal con fuertes elementos Góticos Sinfónico.


La combinación de la voz etérea de Julia Flansburg, las guitarras pesadas de Derek Teague y Bittle Steven, los teclados melódicos de Jennifer Corbin, el potente y sonoro bajo de Glenn Flansburg, los estruendosos tambores de Tanner Hodgkinson dan vida a un estilo y sonido que los distingue de sus compañeros en la escena musical norteamericana de Oklahoma.
El primer show de la banda fue con "March Bandness" batalla de bandas en el concurso organizado por la emisora de radio "The Buzz" 94.7FM Oklahoma City, pasando entre las cuatro mejores y desde ese momento la banda ha seguido tocando la escena local y ha recibido una gran respuesta de los aficionados y propietarios de los clubes.
Recientemente lanzaron su primer trabajo de estudio con material original de la formación. La música de este CD ha ganado el “Airplay” de radio local en local “KATT” estación de radio 100.5.
El lanzamiento de este CD, ha hecho que la banda haya fijado su mirada más allá de la escena musical local, en busca de extender sus alas hacia los estados circundantes y nuevamente están trabajando en un nuevo proyecto de estudio de larga duración que comenzarán a grabar para el 2011.
El grupo contacto con nosotros para facilitarnos su último disco y que sonase en Auriarock.
- Auria Rock Webzine

CD Info

2010

Self Released

6 Tracks

English/Russian Lyrics





Stop the presses; hold the fort, hell has frozen over. We actually have a really good female fronted Gothic sounding American release. Someone call my cardiologist, I’m having heart palpitations. Well, actually, I’m enjoying it more than I can possibly describe. Maybe there’s hope for a band from the northern part of the Western Hemisphere in a country not called Canada. And where are they from you ask? Oklahoma, not generally regarded as the hippest state in the union, and generally proud of it. Don’t ask me how it happened, it just did. Now I’m not saying I’ve never found anything to recommend in Oklahoma but strip joints aren’t generally a staple on this site, and that was the only high point in my experience with the Sooner state, especially that little redhead, er, ahh. . . . But, I digress.

Well, this strange phenomenon may have happened because some really good metal musicians just happened upon a really good vocalist. And she just happens to be a RUSSIAN. How’s that for irony? Oklahoma is about as far from Moscow as you can get, in more ways than one. The production here is an EP, a rather substantial EP with a total of 6 songs that serves as a coming out effort for the group. I generally shy away from American music but after a cursory listen here it was clear that this was a substantial sound, both musically and in terms of the vocalist. So let’s take a look at Angelical Tears.

The EP starts with No More. We get a haunting vocal intro that leads to crunching guitar riffs, it’s a strange blend of the American Great Plains and the dark Russian wilderness, which is pretty much what this production is all about. Just to be clear, our Russian vocalist, Julia Chikina, who is now Julia Flansburg, is the wife of bass player Glenn Flansburg, and our congratulations to Glenn on a fine acquisition. I can’t imagine a vocal that works better with a given sound. The song moves from that dark intro into the more metal delivery over those pounding guitars, augmented by a symphonic from the lovely keyboardist, Jennifer Corbin. Jennifer has to be the only symphonic keyboardist working in metal music in Oklahoma, and she’s pretty good. There is a limited male vocal, something on the order of a death metal vocal but not in the Morten Veland mode. It’s mainly there for emphasis. Chikina can hit the high notes and does so here on occasion, the guitars from the two guitarists ride over the drums and the bass as intended and we are introduced to something pretty much akin to the European Gothic motif. There’s quite a bit on line regarding the band, you might want to check here for some samples, I never could get their regular website to work.

The second track is Save Me. Again, some fine keyboard work to support the guitars, and those guitars do justice to this North American art form. Julie goes dark here, in the truest tradition of the Gothic message. She sings:

Sadness around me
It takes control of me again
It makes me helpless
I can’t break free, break free
I can’t hide
My soul is lost in emptiness
Because we can’t be
We’re losing ourselves, ourselves

The song is, as most of them are, a guitar based number. The bass works overtime, but the tempo alternates between crushing metal and the alternating softness of the seductive vocals. Julie can make the hormones howl.

Dreams is just that. .. dreams. Again, keyboards lead us into the melody, a softer direction takes hold and Julie again takes us down a dark and dusky road. The song addresses the fear of relationships, initially with a darker tone that leads to a more staccato drum line that leads the guitars into the metal. There’s not as much overlaying of the vocals in this production as we typically get with the Europeans and that may be an oversight. The limited glimpses we get in this song are outstanding. Wish there was more of it; she can do wonderful harmony when given the opportunity. The song concludes with more of the dark, sultry vocal, over a limited instrumental, all very nice.

Tomorrow Happens Now is the fourth title. It is drum driven, a harder design. There are two guitarists with AT, along with the bass, and they work together well, and that double duty is apparent on this number. Again, the keys provide a cushion, one that could be more interesting with more emphasis. There is a little here and it is a highlight of the music. But, it is the guitars that drive the AT music, and the bridge on this track is outstanding. At the conclusion of that bridge, Julie returns with her enticing vocals to make this a first rate metal production.

Darkness is another rocker. We get some interesting vocals over the guitars to start the number. This is the harder part of the AT sound. But, as the song progresses, we return to the dark interpretation of reality that is the focus of the AT music. You don’t often hear this message in American music, but it pervades the European sounds:

Darkness surrounds me
And holds me really tight
Rippling through my heart
It keeps dragging me down and down

Again, there are some strong guitar riffs to keep the song going. This hard guitar, blended with the sultry vocals is what makes the AT sound interesting. It flows through most of the music, and this track is no disappointment.

The final selection, Chasing Eternity, has to be the highlight. A tight keyboard introduces the song, and is followed by Russian vocals. Julie allows that she wanted to do some Russian lyrics to spice up the music, and just threw them into this song. And boy, do they WORK. This is absolutely the strongest cut on the EP, and the Russian lyrics go a long way towards making it that way. I don’t have those lyrics here in Russian, of course how many of you would be able to read them if I did, but the English translations are adequate. Just believe me, they sound better in the original Russian. Again, they look at life from a darker perspective:

I want you to be right next to me
But I’m still alone
It’s so hard to be far away from someone you love
And not know when you meet again
Your eyes are like a light that shines within me
But darkness eats my soul and you can’t find me

Angelical Tears presents a picture of what American music could be, if musicians would make the effort. The writing is solid, the musicians as strong as anyone, and the vocals leave nothing to be desired. Wish I’d have known about the band when I was in Oklahoma City, just think of the money I could have saved staying away from those other entertainment options. .. and I would have liked it a whole lot more.

9 / 10 - Sonic Cathedral

From Oklahoma, comes the Gothic Rock/Metal band Angelical Tears. Their debut 6-song EP features 22-minutes worth of songs with dark, haunting melodies that at times are reminiscent of Evanescence. Angelical Tears are fronted by the formidable vocals of Julia Flansburg. First off, Angelical Tears has crafted a fine debut with the songs on their self-titled EP. The production is excellent and the songs are well written and performed. From the opening track "No More" – which is a great, heavy opener – the band highlights the strong vocals of Julia Flansburg. This is also the one song to include rough male vocals. The third track "Dreams" features a number of tempo changes and is my favorite of the 6 included here. "Tomorrow Happens Now" is only about 3-minutes long but it is a fast paced up-tempo track that is another highlight. The closing two tracks the hauntingly melodic "Darkness" and the piano heavy ballad "Chasing Eternity" brings "Angelical Tears" to a great conclusion. Angelical Tears has what it takes to be a major talent in the realm of Female Fronted Metal. The band are currently working on music for a full-length studio album which should – hopefully – see the light-of-day in 2011, until then fans of dramatic Female Fronted Metal should get acquainted with Angelical Tears via this excellent EP.

Rating – 88/100 - Femme Metal

Self Released) Reviewed 10th September 2010

Since forming in October of 2006, Angelical Tears has stood as a unique musical voice in the Oklahoma City music scene. The band's heavy but melodic sound is the result of a variety of musical influences such as Gothic, Classical, Metal, and Alternative. These elements all combine to create 6 tracks that offer a metal sound with strong symphonic Gothic elements. The combination of the ethereal vocals of Julia Flansburg, heavy guitars of Derek Teague and Steven Bittle, the melodic keyboards of Jennifer Corbin, pounding bass of Glenn Flansburg, and thundering drums of John Kenerson give Angelical Tears a style and sound that would see them causing quite a stir on the European Mainland I am sure. Check them out at www.myspace.com/angelicaltears. Good stuff..8.5/10 (Reviewed by Aimee)"
- Ravenheart Music

Hailing from Oklahoma, bang in the middle of the infamous Tornado Alley, Angelical Tears features two females and four males with the vocalist of Russian origin. Sounding similar to Evanescence, Vanguard and Within Temptation, the Gothic Metal sextet wrote their debut EP amongst the tornadoes circulating the studio, dragging in the darkest of atmospheres and fury from nature's beauty. How daring is it that the band should perform in front of an audience with a tornado on the horizon, it is as if this EP would be the best soundtrack for such an occurence. Such sheer beauty is brought by Julia on vocals and Jennifer on keyboard duties, but with that sheer darkness and sublime metal is brought by Steve (also male vocals), Derek, Glenn and John and together the American sextet deliver potentially one of the best Gothic Metal debut's seen this year, so much so I cry 'Angelical Tears'. - Wretched Spawn