FIFTH ANGEL is extremely proud to announce our partnership with the incredible Nuclear Blast Records family!
Says drummer Ken Mary, "Over the years, we have worked with some amazing record companies, such as RoadRunner Records, Shrapnel Records, and one of the biggest labels in the world, Epic Records. However, we are even more excited to be working with the Nuclear Blast family for one simple reason: the incredible people that run this company really love the music itself, and are themselves fans of great metal music. This indeed is a unique and astounding situation, and we could not be more excited to make this announcement of making Nuclear Blast our home! We also want to thank all of the metal warriors that have kept the spirit of FIFTH ANGEL alive and well for over three decades, and we are so very excited to finally...finally...finally announce the release of our long awaited new album »The Third Secret«."
Adds vocalist and guitarist Kendall Bechtel, "We also want to say a special thank you to Nuclear Blast for giving us the musical freedom to create the art that we feel best represents FIFTH ANGEL! We had an incredible and very long journey creating this record and we hope the fans love it as much as we loved making it for them. In the end, it is the fans of the music that keep it alive, and without you this record would not be possible!"
States Nuclear Blast A&R manager Jaap Wagemaker, "Nuclear Blast is very proud to reveal the secret about the signing of legendary US metal band FIFTH ANGEL! Last year when I was at the Keep It True Festival I was blown away by the live performance of FIFTH ANGEL! I have always been a big fan of the two albums they released, and seeing them play these songs live with such an ease was a real joy for the ears! Before and after the show, I had the pleasure of meeting John Macko and Kendall Bechtel and they played me some new music. Although it was still in the demo-stages and sounding rough, you could hear that it had that iconic FIFTH ANGEL signature! We remained in contact and a couple of months later I received the first of three completed demo songs. These songs captured the sound and the spirit of the old classics perfectly! I listened to those songs in rotation for days! It is with great pride that we welcome FIFTH ANGEL to the Nuclear Blast Family!"
The Seattle music scene in the mid 1980’s was a breeding ground of exceptional talent. “Heavy Metal” was a new wave of music that was beginning to sweep the globe, and FIFTH ANGEL was one of the forefathers of the legendary Seattle music scene that also produced iconic bands such as QUEENSRYCHE and METAL CHURCH. In 1984, high school friends Ted Pilot (vocalist) and Ed Archer (guitarist) teamed up with lead guitarist James Byrd. They filled out the lineup with drummer Ken Mary (ALICE COOPER, HOUSE OF LORDS) and bassist John Macko. Inspired by the success of QUEENSRYCHE, who shunned playing clubs for the sake of writing, recording and releasing their own music independently, FIFTH ANGEL followed a similar path.
Concentrating on honing their writing and recording skills, FIFTH ANGEL crafted the incredible debut album »Fifth Angel«. This recording was initially an independent release funded and produced by the band, and co-produced by the famed Terry Date. »Fifth Angel« was Date’s first ever production, and Date later went on to produce platinum artists such as PANTERA, SOUNDGARDEN, WHITE ZOMBIE and THE DEFTONES. The album was first released in Europe through a fledgling label named Roadrunner Records based in the Netherlands and instantly became a cult classic in the European metal community. Roadrunner Records is currently one of the largest rock labels in the world, with bands such as SLIPKNOT and NICKELBACK.
