Rebel Angel’s original. No, really. Punk-metal-rockabilly-funk-pop group plays tonight at the Underground

I’m certainly not naming names, but I don’t know how many times I’ve heard various groups say things like “Oh, yeah, we are, like, totally unique and original and stuff,” and “I couldn’t possibly explain what we sound like, it’s really different.” And yet, they sound exactly like the Grateful Dead or exactly like Fall Out Boy. Outside, I’m nodding my head. Inside, I’m rolling my eyes.

But Rebel Angel actually does live up to that description. The Brewer-based power trio combines a slew of influences into one package – punk, metal, rockabilly, funk, and just a dash of shiny ’60s pop. Think Iron Maiden, the Misfits, AFI, late-period Beatles or the Reverend Horton Heat, with Elvis vocals.

“In the early days, I listened to oldies music. The two-minute pop songs with catchy hooks. They forge quite a foundation,” said Trevor Sentor, lead singer and guitarist for the band. “As I got older, I listened to a lot of heavy metal and death metal. What I try to do with the music I write is I try to convey a sense of a journey or experimentalism within the confines of pop music. I like the Beatles because I consider them to be both an experimental band and a pop band.”

Sentor and bassist Scotty J formed Rebel Angel in 2005, adding drummer Gabe Cyr, formerly of local punk band Dugen, in early 2007. Currently, they have a full-length album that’s a combination of a professionally recorded EP and a bunch of basement tracks that they sell at shows, such as tonight’s gig at the Underground in Bangor. Several of those songs are available on the band’s MySpace page (www.myspace.com/rebelangel), including the Motorhead-esque “616” and the straight-up punkabilly of “Deep Inside.”

“We have clean vocals, but the music moves toward a heavy slant,” said Sentor. “Scott likes to play slap bass, and Gabe has his punk rock background. If I write, like, a black metal riff, he’s so used to playing punk music that he adds that kind of beat in there. It’s like black metal pop punk. It keeps it interesting.”

So if all that didn’t set them apart from the crowd, the fact that they’re pretty smart dudes to boot just adds to it. For starters, they named their band after the main character in John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost.” Which, in case you never read it, happens to be a dude named Lucifer, aka Satan.

“We kinda tone that aspect down a little bit,” explained Sentor. “I’m influenced by the first half of the book, where Lucifer is the protagonist. I think our main theme we like to get across – and the way we guide ourselves – is for the individual to make decisions by themselves. We’re not against a particular religion or part of society, but we feel that only you can make your own decisions. We try to express that in the way we hold ourselves and the way we conceive our music.”

Rebel Angel also has a theatrical edge to its live show, thanks to the influence of Sentor’s heroes: Alice Cooper and Danish metal god King Diamond. Sentor can usually be seen sporting some pretty rad makeup, usually sans shirt.

“Every stage performance I’ve ever had I’ve always worn some kind of face paint,” said Sentor. “It’s an homage to Alice Cooper and King Diamond and their views of music, as well as their stage performances.”

Rebel Angel will play tonight with American Diary and Five Night Fire at the Underground on outer Hammond Street in Bangor. Doors open at 7 p.m., admission is $10, and the show is all ages. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@

bangordailynews.net.