I just checked out some song samples from the James Byrd project with Kendall Bechtel singing. Really good singer, I think he will fit in well with the Fifth Angel sound.
There is definitely a chance this will be weak, but I'm leaning towards betting that it will be better than expected. I'm a big fan of Fifth Angel's two albums, and I'm quite surprised that a third album is coming out. For me, I'm sure I'll like it a lot more than others (not including Brian lol).
Fifth Angel's first album is still one of my all-time, top-5 favorite records. I won't deny that. The love for that record, for me, is up there with Mindcrime. I love Time Will Tell, but skip around a lot, including the ballads. It hasn't aged as well for me, but I still dig on Cathedral, Seven Hours, and We Rule quite a bit. I dig the record, just not quite at the uber level of the first one.
As for the new record, I have a huge bias. I've known these guys personally for almost 15 years now. With the exception of one guy (who is a close friend and unfortunately isn't on this project), I've backed away a bit, because I just want to enjoy the tunes for what they are. But if you have Kendall Bechtel, Ken Mary, and John Macko working on a project, I am pretty sure it will sound good. It really is a shame Ed isn't a part of it, because he was the main music writer in the band (those are 95 percent his riffs and arrangements on those first two Fifth Angel albums). Ed gave those records their sound. And I noted that they sidestepped talking about it in the press announcement. I am sure when they get closer to release, they'll do interviews and address it.
But with the high level of musicianship and songwriting of the three guys who wrote and recorded The Third Secret, I can't imagine it not being pretty good. Maybe not as brilliant as the self-titled first album, but I am sure they stripped away the poppier vibe of Time Will Tell. (Gut feeling, by choice I have not heard anything other than a couple of early demos that have since been re-worked.)
I'm just happy for John, Kendall, and Ken that they got their record deal and now will put something out. They've wanted to for a long time.