Fifth Angel was formed in the suburbs of Seattle in late 1983 by James Byrd (lead guitar), Ted Pilot (vocals) and Ken Mary (drums). The group was finalized with the additions of Ed Archer (rhythm guitar) and Kenny Kay (bass). Archer, Mary, and Pilot were in a band called Ridge in high school, which had disbanded after winning a number of "battle of the bands" competitions, but not getting signed by a record label. Hearing about both Pilot and Mary, James Byrd (originally from Seattle, but then down in Los Angeles) wanted to work with the two and moved back to Seattle to start Fifth Angel. Following the model utilized by Queensr˙che, another Seattle-area metal band that had recently been signed to a major label, Fifth Angel concentrated on songwriting and perfected their original songs, instead of extensively playing the club circuit looking for a record deal. The band's work resulted in a four-track demo at Steve Lawson Productions with engineer/producer Terry Date in late 1983/early 1984, consisting of the songs "Fifth Angel", "Wings Of Destiny", "In The Fallout" and "Fade To Flames". The plan proved fruitful, as Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records, an independent label, signed Fifth Angel for the release of its first record. The original 1984 demo tracks were included on the album, along with five cuts recorded in 1985: "Shout It Out", "Call Out the Warning", "The Night", "Only the Strong Survive" and "Cry Out the Fools". Mixed and delivered to the label in 1985, Fifth Angel's self-titled first album was officially released in 1986. Despite the positive reviews, a line-up change occurred. Bassist Kenny Kay departed the band and was replaced by John Macko. Although information on the departure is scarce, Pilot mentioned in an interview that Kay simply "lost interest" in playing music. After Fifth Angel's initial album received such critical acclaim, CBS/Epic Records took notice and negotiated a seven-album deal with Fifth Angel and its new management team, Derek Simon and Concrete Marketing and Management. Epic re-released the band's debut album in 1988, to set the stage for a follow-up recording. But as the money and publicity arrived, the band lost another original member - founding guitarist James Byrd. Seattle guitarist Kendall Bechtel replaced Byrd in the band, as writing and recording began for the group's follow-up album, 'Time Will Tell', which was released in late 1989. Although Terry Date was originally slated to do the engineering and production on the record, he was bypassed in favor of Terry Brown. With fan and media support behind them, Fifth Angel seemed primed for a successful tour, but the band fractured and dissolved before they could get on the road, right after 'Time Will Tell' hit the shelves.

FIFTH ANGEL (1986, 1988) EPIC/SONY JAPAN (Bootleg)

  1. In The Fallout
  2. Shout It Out
  3. Call Out The Warning
  4. Fifth Angel
  5. Wings Of Destiny
  6. The Night
  7. Only The Strong Survive
  8. Cry Out The Fools
  9. Fade To Flames

Line-up:

Ted Pilot - vocals
James Byrd - lead guitar
Ken Mary - drums
Ed Archer - rhythm guitar
Kenny Kay - bass*

* While pictured on the back cover, Kenny Kay did not actually play bass on the album. Ed Archer played bass on half the record, while Randy Hansen played bass on the other half.

I was looking forever for a copy of Fifth Angel's debut. So I was pretty stoked when I finally found a used copy for sale. And I was even more stoked when the copy I got seemed to be a Japanese version! But Then I started to look a little closer. What appeared to be the obi was actually copied onto the back of the trey-card! This had bootleg written all over it, so when I checked the matrix number on the CD itself, it was of course missing. Darn Greek bootleggers ripping us collectors off! But I digress. I still get to hear the music. Fifth Angel's debut album was initially released by Shrapnel Records in 1986 (se original cover art on the right), but the oldest recordings on the album dates as far back as a demo from 1984. The band got enough success to get the attention from major label Epic Records. They re-released the album in 1988, and that is the version I have (pictured left). The music is melodic metal at it's best. Imagine Queensr˙che's production combined with music in the vain of classic Dio, Crimson Glory and Scorpions (no, not the ballads, only the strong metal tracks from the early 80's!). All the songs are very strong, carried by Ted's convincing vocal abilities. Add the guitar-wizardry from James Byrd and Ed Archer, and a strong rhythm section, and you've got a debut album to be proud of. I can't even imagine why these guys didn't get more recognition. today only a few strong fans know who they were, and appreciate their music. If you like strong, melodic metal from the 80's, you can't do much better than to check out Fifth Angel.

Killer tracks: I love 'em all!

 TIME WILL TELL (1989) EPIC

  1. Cathedral

  2. Midnight Love

  3. Seven Hours

  4. Broken Dreams

  5. Time Will Tell

  6. Lights Out

  7. Wait For Me

  8. Angel Of Mercy

  9. We Rule

  10. So Long

  11. Feel The Heat

Line-up:

Ted Pilot - vocals
Kendall Bechtel -  lead guitar
Ed Archer - rhythm guitar, keyboards
John Macko - bass, keyboards

Additional musician:
Ken Mary - All drum tracks

This is Fifth Angel's second album. I can totally understand why Epic singed these guys. Today they aren't exactly the most known act in their genre. But the fact is that they enjoy a cult following that are constantly waiting for them to reform. These guys play excellent melodic metal, and they did it better then most contemporaries. The songs are catchy, and will make you sing a long instantly! Too bad their albums are so darn hard to get a hold of. Ratt and Whitecross are bands to compare them with.

Killer tracks: Cathedral, Seven Hours, Broken Dreams, We Rule

Fifth Angel also appear on:  

V/A - 'Megahurtz'

 

Ken Mary guest appearances:  

Ken Tamplin - 'An Axe To Grind'

 

Related artists:

Alice Cooper, Impellitteri