Angelzoom

German vocalist Claudia Uhle is the solely responsible for Angelzoom; an etheral, airy sound that narrowly avoids classification.

Angelzoom runs with the dark wave crowd such as The Dresdon Dolls, L'Áme Immortelle and The Birthday Massacre, but this is kind of misleading. As much as some may put her next to dark wave artists, I would sooner slot her in with Enya. Her sound is electronic with dark synths in same manner as The Birthday Massacre, but any rock or punk is absent, very vaguely rearing its head in the "heaviest" tracks of the album 'Turn the Sky' and 'Fairyland' (though heavy is really the wrong word). Bar those two songs, the rest of the album quietly goes into Enya territory with pretty little instrumentals and twinkly songs.

As it is, there is not really a bad track on here. Angelzoom's cover of Linkin Park's "Crawling" might leave a bitter taste in the mouth, but other covers, such as Depeche Mode's "Blaspehmous Rumours" is nothing short of glorious if you appreciate the albums purpose. Angelzoom does not build tracks up like any other artist on the planet; the first verse of any of the songs has the same tone and volume as the finishing chorus which can make some tracks seem repetitive, and have the listener wonder where she's going. She is not going anywhere. This album leans more towards chill out and new age, rather than making artistic sounds and sending out a message. It is laid back from beginning to end.

Uhle's vocal delivery is very pretty (a light soprano), but not much else. It is almost as if she does not know the meaning of lyrics she sings, as the vocals are soulless. This is most evident in 'Crawling' where she does not convey any kinds of anguish or pain whatsoever; she might as well be singing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. Also, English is not her first language, and her diction is rather off-putting (think Tarja Turunen), but all tracks but one are in English.

There are four instrumentals on this album. All very pretty and calm, especially 'Peace of Mind', but they are all achieved with synths and electronics. They are all a merit to her, but they may not stand out for most listeners. There is a beautiful Christmas song towards the end of the album 'Christmas Dreams'. Although not a Christmas album, the album does seem to have a Christmassy on a wintery feel to it, especially with the instrumentals. You'll also find a variety of male guest vocalists which makes some songs very reminiscent of L'Áme Immortelle (think 'Back in the Moment' and 'Into My Arms')

Stand out tracks include 'Turn the Sky', 'Back in the Moment', 'Blasphemous Rumours' and 'Fairyland'. For Enya enthusiasts the standout tracks maybe different; such as 'Otium', 'Falling Leaves', 'Guardian Angel', 'Newborn Sun', 'Christmas Dreams' and 'Peace of Mind'.

There are some weak tracks on here. Whilst 'Crawling' would be anticipated by listeners, as it is quite a good song for adaptation, it does not work, but there's also 'Lights', and 'Into My Arms' (though L'Áme Immortelle fans might love it). Although weaker, they are still listenable.

Ultimately, this is an album to chill out too. To play it from beginning to end, most suitably next to a warm fire on a winter's night. I would recommend this to dark wave fans, but it will not be the stand out album of the year for you. I think Enya/Enigma fans will appreciate this perhaps a little bit more. I think it is a beautiful album overall, and is successful in doing what it set out to do; just do not expect anything innovative or inspiring here.

If you're in the right mood, Angelzoom is quite possibly one of the greatest things ever. However, if you're not in that gateway mood, it's just a CD with gorgeous vocals and excellent music. Now usually those two reasons would be enough to warrant an easy five-star rating but with Angelzoom, I honestly have mixed emotions. Take for instance when I first heard this CD, as I was trying to fall asleep. At that point I was sure this self-titled affair was perfection. But when I listened to it the next day I wasn't quite as smitten as I previously was. Don't be fooled, I still enjoy it a lot, more than I thought I would when I bought it, and it's definitely worth the money, but I think Claudia might've been holding back a bit (that's just me).

Aside from the delicate vocals, the music is what truly shines. Throughout Angelzoom's running time I found myself in constant amazement at how much the orchestra and everything else really adds to Claudia's vocal performance. Take the opening track, Turn The Sky, Apocalyptica is known for they're gorgeous take on metal but on this song, it's like it's a completely different group. Or even Fairyland. Fairyland is your average light to driving song but Angelzoom's version of this tried and true formula is wonderful. Even where Angelzoom could've easily failed with adding male vocals (something I generally hate), they shine once again. Back In The Moment and Into My Arms are, in particular, two of the strongest tracks featured, almost thanks solely to the incredible dynamic between Claudia's fragile vocals and Joachim Witt and Roedernallee's deep vocals.

One thing I can't believe Angelzoom did on this release was include a perfect rendition of a horrid nu metal song. Who knew adding strings and female vocals to a Linkin Park song that was beyond terrible would actually work out for the best. Other than that, Blasphemous Rumours, Otium, Dream In A Church, and Newborn Sun are all standouts as well.

My favorite songs are Turn The Sky, Back In The Moment, Crawling, Fairyland, and Into My Arms. Angelzoom is a breath of fresh air but can stand a few improvements here and there. It's not for everyone though. Unless you're looking for a dreamy band then definitely look elsewhere. As for their future, who knows. I think it's hilarious that a prodominantly metal record label would dare sign them because they're honestly the furthest thing from metal. But Nuclear Blast does have a pretty solid reputation for signing deserving acts. So with that in mind we can only hope to hear more things from them.

I love happy accidents. Angelzoom is one of my favorite happy accidents of late. I stumbled upon the band on the internet. When I heard samples of their music, I was immediately hooked. Angelzoom is quite a contrast to Claudia Uhle's other band X-Perience. The music is not so heavy on the electronic sounds and more piano based than synth based. The music has a classical/new age sound with elements of ambient and goth. Claudia has a beautiful voice. Her voice is very clear and it matches well with the intricate melodies. It is really difficult for me to pick out a favorite song on the cd because I love each and one of them. I enjoyed the band's interpretations of "Blasphemous Rumors" and "Crawling" (especially since I am no fan of Linkin Park). You wouldn't think that a Linkin Park song wouldn't sound good as a classical/pop/ambient song but it does. I hope that "Angelzoom" isn't a one album project because I really loved what I heard on this cd.

Angelzoom is a project of singer Claudia Uhle. Basically, it's about piano-orientated and electronic ambient music. I think Angelzoom has a unique style and is also very pleasant to listen to, but it would be better if it had some rougher edges. I somehow got the feeling that this album was very 'carefully' made. But that's the only minor point, in my opinion.

I think Angelzoom is really talented in making ambient and mood music. There are enough tracks on this debut album that prove the talents of Angelzoom.

Best songs on 'Angelzoom': 'Turn The Sky', 'Back In The Moment' and 'Fairyland'.

Also check out her work as X-perience. Claudia creates a wonderful mix of classical / gothic / soundtrack and European Pop in this album. The record has amazing soprano vocals and great acoustic as well as synth recordings.

The tracks are dark, yet still playful. Think of Enigma, Sarah Brightman and Enya mixed together, but she also has her own unique sound.

She covered 2 tracks: Blasphemous Rumours by Depeche Mode and Crawling by Linkin Park.

Don't miss this exciting work and make sure to search for her work as X-Perience as well.