Ostura - 'The Room' Album Review

OSTURA – THE ROOM

Six years is a long time between album releases. A lot can happen in that time, the biggest issue being the fan-base. In today's throwaway music era, where songs are disposed for having a 20 second intro by the ‘millennials’, but thankfully us rock fans are of a more discerning disposition and made of sterner stuff.  Six years is nothing in the scale of rock bands, but I had to admit that even I was a bit worried that this album would never see the light of day. It was written immediately after the debut ‘Ashes Of The Reborn) from 2013 up and through to 2016…..and here it is (finally) in 2018! Top marks to Ostura for not losing faith and getting ‘The Room’ out there. I for one am bloody glad that they have persevered.

They probably feel like a cat with 10 lives, as it has been picked up by Universal Music MENA, when it could have literally gone south and not got released at all.  There have been some Ostura casualties along the way. Gone are Tony Ghanem (vocals) and Chris Naimeh (drums), and in comes Alain Ibrahim (guitars), and Alexander Abi Chaker (drums – live, and additional percussions, and he wrote all the drum parts for The Room’). For the album, Thomas Lang is behind the kit and has quite an extensive CV; and I have to say, he IS ON FIRE here.  

The 12 songs were written in chronological order and work as a score for an equally cinematic storyline about a social recluse girl who takes refuge in a room. Locked in with her thoughts, fears and ambitions, the girl’s imagination turns the room into an endless universe where she is the creator. Soon after, the creation gains the ability to create and ask the right questions. The story tackles the notions of fear, perfection, social anxiety, ambitions, rage, power, and the struggle between the creator and the creation.

'The Room' is a massive production with performers from 12 countries, alongside the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and the core band. The premise has a lot to live up to. So, do Ostura live up to this high bar they have set for themselves?

Emphatically, yes! Where the debut was more ‘Metal’, and a mix between something like Avantasia and Kamelot, ‘The Room’ is a different experience entirely. The sound now is more cinematic and falls partly on the side of Ayreon. The sound (track) is like that of a film, it’s filled out and sounds huge, partly due to the involvement of The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, a choir, string quartet, and an electric triangle (one of these isn't true). The whole concept has been so carefully constructed that the Orchestra and band are not overwhelming each other or jockeying for position. It’s a perfect balance of band and orchestra coming together for probably THE release of the year.

After a very long wait, I can wholeheartedly, 100% state that ‘The Room’ is worth it, and then some! Opening track ‘The Room’ starts with this pulsating and growing riff that explodes into action. The contrast in vocals between Erosion (Monsef) and The Girl (Jreissata) works a treat, you have the roughness/industrial vs. the angelic, its light vs. dark, and they also have the wonderfully melodic metal vocals of Utopia (Michael Mills, Toehider). ‘Escape’ has hall the hallmarks of symphonic metal that you could wish for. Mills proves to be the Ace in the pack as his vocals are ear-splittingly phenomenal. The Room is more than just Within Temptation with a couple of extra sets of balls, as Ostura throw everything into the mix, both vocally and musically, there is even the daddy of them all, a Hammond organ.

In case you are worried, the three-pronged (trident) vocal assault that was seen on the debut is still here. Only this time, Monsef and Jreissata have seriously upped their game, and have in Mills a singer of the highest quality. Mills is immense, his vocals are up there with early Queesnryche’s Geoff Tate. Its not just the Mills show - Monsef glides from low to high with ease, and Jreissati' vocals are just simply divine. The three together are pure perfection.

‘Beyond’ is where the cinematic soundtrack comes to the fore.  Alan Ibrahim’s and Marco Sfogli’s guitar playing collides with the PSO – electric vs. an orchestra, industrial riffs dueling against violins  (An orchestra is just the heavy metal of the 1600s to the present day, without a Marshall), all coming together for this huge soundscape of noise.  ‘Erosion’ is one of those songs that I wish I could play through a PA. It’s a track that you just can’t play loud enough. It mixes the brutality of guitars that Dream Theater used to do so well, with a male baritone choir! Ostura have so much faith in what they are doing that the orchestra parts come to the fore and throw in a choir for good measure adding further to the already pomp-tastic sound.

‘Mourning Light’ is the first chance to catch your breath as its just The Girl, and a small accompaniment in comparison. We have just witnessed the beautiful calm and serenity of The Girl, you know there’s something sinister just around the corner.  It doesn’t half deliver with ‘Deathless’. It’s the kind of intro that you would see on a film like Godzilla, or Cloverfield, dark and looming with a sense of impending danger. The final third of ‘The Room’ has two of the biggest songs in both ‘Darker Shape Of Black’ in which Ostura have roped in Arjen Lucassen, and his style is instantly recognisable, making it just like an Ayreon track. His DNA is all over it. The song has everything – huge riffs, against a Middle Eastern backdrop, and with the orchestra adding an overall massive sound.The other being a 12-minute magnum opus ‘Duality’.  The filling in the middle of these two monsters is ‘The Surge’ and is solely a vehicle for ‘Erosion’ and Monsef to take centre stage.

In fact I’m going to leave it right there. It would be a poor read if all I did was wax lyrical about every song in a similar manner. I blame Danny Bou-Maroun and Elia Monsef. Its their bloody fault that the ‘The Room’ is so damn good!

I simply cannot fully express in words how good ‘The Room’ is. If you’re a fan of Ayreon, and I know there are quite a few of you out there, you absolutely positively need this in your collection. There’s a lot to absorb here, as ‘The Room’ will require several listens as its like being bombarded with a wall of sound. You will pick up on things you didn't hear the first time, and so on. The end result though is seriously worth the wait. In the world of cinematic rock, Ostura stand-alone, no one can touch them. Purely as an album it is up there with Ayreon’s ‘01011001’ and possibly Dream Theater’s ‘Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory’. I'm not kidding.

Credit also needs to go to Jens Bogren. Ostura have a hell of a lot going on here, and to get the production so ‘right’ has taken one huge effort. To mix the sound and multiple layers are not an easy task to make it sound as good as this, and he has done a superb job, where others could easily have failed.

Honestly, very few albums hit my inbox that are this good.  If anything peaks this in 2018 whether it be metal, prog, AOR and everything in between, I will be very surprised indeed. This is without doubt, awesome!

NOTE – Universal are not releasing this on CD as it’s a dying format. This is a shocking decision considering they have a potential ‘Ostura’ of an album in their possession. Criminal. Here’s hoping the band can offer up something via a Pledge campaign.

Score – Awesome!

Please follow my good friend Hedgy on his YouTube site, 'Pictures, Noise & Words. This is his first album review 

Tracklisting –

The Room

Escape

Beyond (The New World)

Let There Be

Erosion

Mourning Light

Deathless

Darker Shade Of Black

The Surge

Duality

Exit The Room

Ostura

Youmna Jreissati – Vocals as ‘The Girl’

Elia Monsef – Vocals as ‘Erosion’ Charango, Additional Acoustic Guitar, Programming, Engineering, Media

Danny Bou-Maroun – Piano, Keyboards, Orchestration, Programming, Cubase Operation, Additional Percussions

Alain Ibrahim – Acoustic guitar, Rhythm Guitars, Guitar Co-arrangements

Alexander Abi Chaker –Additional percussions, Drums Co-arrangements on tracks (1,2,4,5,8)

Guest Musicians

Michael Mills – Vocals as ‘Utopia’

Thomas Lang – Drums

Dan Veall – Bass

Marco Sfogli – Lead Guitar on tracks (1.2.3.5.8.11)

Arjen Anthony Lucassen – Lead Guitar on Track 9

Ōzgūr Abbak – Lead Guitar on Track 6

The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted by Danny Bou-Maroun

The Lebanese Filmscoring  Ensemble – Choirs, String Quartet

Yamane Al Hage – Violin Solo on Tracks (3,8,9)

Jokine Solban – Violin Solo on Track 2

Nobuko Miyazaki – Flutes on Tracks (9,11)

Mohannad Nassar -  Oud on Tracks (5,10)

Roger Smith – Cello on Tracks (1,10,12)

Mixed, mastered and re-amped by Jens Bogren at fascination Street Studio, Sweden

Alexandre Moreira – Editing

All vocals, piano, violins, percussions, recorded at the Citadel, Dlebta, Lebanon

Twitter - @Ostruraband

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/osturaband/

Soundstate - 'The Face Of Rock N' Roll'

Soundstate - 'The Face Of Rock N' Roll'

Soundstate are a 4 x piece alternative rock group from the North Wales / Neston area.
 

Formed in 2004, the band gigged and recorded up until 2009 when they eventually dis-banded. Most likely to the dreaded 'musical differences!'. The band consists of - Ste Daintree (Vocals & Guitar), Carl Ashton (lead Guitar), Jez Taylor (Drums), and Sty (Bass & BVs)

After 8 years apart, they re-united in July 2017 for a ‘bit of fun’. But, six months down the line the 'bit of fun' has morphed into the recording a new mini album/EP. The band now realise that their potential is still there. Not being aware of their original output, Soundstate describe their new music as 'the most aggressive thing we've ever done'.

For a demo, and made at a low cost, the production is pretty damn good. It's hard to define them, which isn't a bad thing, as too many bands get pigeonholed into a specific genre that they don't fit in. The opening and title track  'The Face Of Rock N' Roll' is the best on offer here, Sty's pulsating bass intro sets you up for a enjoyable ride. Its the combined rhythm section of bass and drum line that really drives this song forward. The chorus reminds me of the early grunge bands like Mother Love Bone, and Temple Of The Dog. That is a good comparison in my book. 'Blackmail' follows in a very similar vein. Its a bit of slow burner for me, and improves with a couple of listens. In the end it turns out to be one of those songs that gets right under your skin - in a good way!!. Vocalist Ste Daintree has his distinctive own style, and uses his style to the advantage of Soundstate's music. 'Backstabber's' riff is similar to that of Iggy Pop's 'Passenger' and scurries along. 'My Friend' is recorded twice, firstly as an electric, and also as an acoustic re-titled as 'My Friend (Alwena's Song). For me, the acoustic version wins hands down as it has more emotion in this version and this highlights Daintree's vocals. 'Bees' is the first song to have what I would call a proper guitar solo, and this gets heavier as it progresses. All in all its good stuff, and considering it was recorded on a shoestring, its all come out really well 'in the mix' as the phrase goes.

You can get hold of the CD from the guys themselves, or via Bandcamp for the price of a pint. (£3). (Links below). Go on, you know you want to.

Facebook - @thesoundstateband

Twitter – @Soundstate1

Bandcamp – soundstateband1.bandcamp.com

Soundstate are playing a benefit gig on the 31st march at the esteemed 'The Tiv' in Buckley.
Flintshire’s favourite legendary rockers B4 Time reform for this one-off fundraiser in aid of their drummer Andy Jones, who has been bravely battling a Grade 4 brain tumour for a number of years. Andy has undergone numerous operations and still shows incredible strength and resilience to carry on regardless. Following his latest operation at Christmas, he will need specialist treatment for a better quality of life, a treatment not available on the NHS. All his family and hundreds of friends are collectively aiming to raise £30,000 so Andy can obtain the help he needs - http://tivolivenue.com/events/b4-time-present-charity-rock-night-saturday-31st-march-2018/

You can also donate here - https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/andy-jones-fightinggbm4

Sainted Sinners - 'Back With A Vengeance' Album Review

Sainted Sinners – ‘Back With A Vengeance’

Just one year after their highly praised, self-titled debut album, SAINTED SINNERS return with their second effort ‘Back With A Vengeance’. Like other bands that were born in the 70’s Sainted Sinners have wasted no time whatsoever in releasing ‘BWAV’.

Their debut really took me by surprise. It was a full-blown rock album following in the style of some of the greats. I’m here again, less than 12 months later, with some very high expectations.

Fronted by the soul-driven voice of American born vocalist David Reece (ex-ACCEPT) and guitarist Frank Pané (BONFIRE), SAINTED SINNERS are completed by the rhythm section of the two former PURPENDICULAR members Malte Frederik Burkert (bass) and the Hungarian drum maestro Berci Hirleman.

‘Opening track ‘Rise Like A Phoenix’ has a repetitive and lackluster opening, and takes over a minute to get to the riff. When it does happen, ‘RLAP’ paces along with an Iron Maiden rhythm. The only thing is, Maiden does it better. The saving grace here is David Reece’s vocals. The bloke has still clearly ‘got it’. Burning the Candle’ is in itself is straight out of the iSpy ‘Rock and Roll’ music by numbers (£12.99 from all good bookshops). ‘left out in the cold’, ‘turned over every stone’, ‘too hot to handle’, ‘down in flames’. Yup, they are all here folks.  Title track ‘Back With A Vengeance’ kicks off like a Van Halen track. In fact, I am so sure that its Van Halen that I expect Mr Roth wit the lyric… "Oh wow, man !" "Wait a second man. Whaddaya think the teacher's gonna look like this year ?" The guitar riff, and drum pattern are so close to Hot For Teacher its unreal. I am half expecting Sainted Sinners to receive a ‘cease and desist’ letter.

‘Tell me I Was Wrong’ is the first song on the album that I’ve liked for being themselves. The BVs add to the song, with its bluesy tone. It’s here that Reece shines brightly. ‘Nothin Left To Lose’ goes back to the reference book. Its got a Middle Eastern sound. Following behind the likes of Rainbow’s ‘Stargazer’, Dio’s ‘Egypt’, and Blue Murders ‘Valley Of The Kings’ it falls short in comparison to these three songs. The guys do up the ante with ‘Waitin’ ‘till the Countdown Begins’ –I’m a sucker for a Hammond Organ. Oo-er!

‘Let It Go’ follows on nicely. NOW the guys are in their classic rock groove with guitars, keys, vocals and backing vocals all coming together to great effect. ‘When The Hammer Falls’ falls on Dio territory. ‘Pretty Little Lies’ and ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’ both have a nice bluesy Whitesnake vibe. Both are songs that sit firmly alongside anything on the debut.

Clearly, Frank pane is a talented guitarist. He tries to be Eddie Van Halen on a lot of the songs here, when all I want him to do is to be Frank Pané. With their Debut, SS weren’t trying to be anyone, here they are trying too hard to sound like other bands.

For me, the second half is a lot stronger than the first as there are too many similarities to other bands songs in that first 25 minutes. Looking at other comments around the web, I’m clearly missing something here, as there’s some really positive comments regarding ‘BWAV’ .

I’m not saying its crap, it just that the guys set the bar really high with their debut. However, there are some positives to be had. Pané’s guitar playing when he isn’t trying to be EVH is excellent, the use of the classic Hammond sound is here in abundance once again, and Reece still has a bloody great voice. I just think I’ve been expecting too much.

70/100

Tracklisting

Rise Like A Phoenix

Burnin’ The Candle

Back With A Vengeance

Tell Me I was Wrong

Nothin’ Left to Lose

Waitin’ Till The Countdown Begins

Let It Go

When The Hammer Falls
Pretty Little Lies

Gone But Not Forgotten

Mike Milan Dedic 'Escape' 360 degree Video

This isn't new tech, but its quite cool. Just control with your mouse (or tilt if on a tablet) for a 360 band 'in the round'. Only it is 'you' that is centre to proceedings.

CRR's Top 10 Melodic Rock AOR Albums of 2017

Top 10 AOR / melodic Rock Albums of 2017

Another year, another list to compile.....but one thing is certain to me, and that is that for every decent AOR album this year, there seems to be at least 10 average ones, or even shite ones.  The market is full of Melodic Rock/AOR bands vying for our attention.

So....'whats brite, and whats shite?' For this list, its all 'brite'

10. Styx - The Mission
Do Styx still need to be making albums? Probably not. Are we glad that they still wanna? Oh yes. Is it just like many others from that era that who are making albums in the 21st Century and settling for 'meh'? Not on your nelly. One of the very nice surprises of the year

9. Tony Mills - Streets Of Chance
When you have such luminaries as Paul Sabu and the Vega twins wading in with songs, then your starting point is a good one. Couple this with musicians such as Joel Hoekstra and Tommy Denander. Theres some good stuff to be had on here. If I were Craig Joiner (Romeos Daughter), Id check my back pocket to see if any riffs have gone missing as the chorus to 'Battleground' is basically Tony singing a Romeos Daughter track!

8. Raintimes - S/T
Those pesky Italians are trying to corner the market in AOR. They make no bones about it either. Pierpaolo wanted an album that sits alongside the first two of The Storm albums, and to be fair to the bloke, with songs like 'Forever Gone' and 'Together As Friends' he's not far wrong.

7. Midnite City -S/T
Basically a vehicle for Rob Wylde to take on the Italians, Swedish and Americans and beat them at their own game. Do you know what? He hasn't half succeeded. Similar to Vega, hes gone for the 'anthem' route when writing his songs, and with killers like 'We Belong', 'Last Beat Of My Heart' and 'One Step Away' this debut makes for a cracking album.

6. The Radio Sun - Unstoppable
The Radio Sun seem to live by the mantra 'if it aint broke, dont fix it'. 'Unstoppable' is  basically a succession of the previous three albums. If you are a fan of pop-rock, great harmonies, great riffs and instantly hummable choruses then look no further than Australia. There is a good reason these guys are 3 for 3 with the good people at HRH AOR and its with albums like this. They are that prolific I expect a album No.5 from them before the aforementioned HRH AOR in March 18!

5. H.E.A.T. - Into The Great Unknown
This album has divided many H.E.A.T. fans. In fact, its fair to say that its a Marmite album. Me? I cant stand the stuff, but I loved 'ITGU'. They locked themselves away, old skool (for 18 months) - halfway around the World. The title track, along with 'Bastard Of Society' and 'Time On Our Side' are good examples of a band on the up.
P.S. I won a years supply of Marmite once.....one jar!

4. Eclipse - Momentum
I was expecting great things of this album, and they almost did it. Dont get me wrong, its a bloody good album, but so was Armaggedonize. I was expecting Mr Martensson to go one step further and become the Whitesnake 87 for the 21st century. It was very close. Songs like 'Born To Lead' and 'Black Rain' are just devine. The next big step is surely just around the corner

=2. Moritz - About Time Too
Theres been a bit of a personnel change for 'ATT' and it hasnt done them any harm. Peter Scallan has removed the reins and the bluesier sound is a perfect fit. 'Moon And Back' is catchier than a wicketkeepers glove dipped in treacle, 'Chance Of A Lifetime' was born straight out of the 1980s, and the killer song for me is 'You Dont Know What Love Is'.

=2. Tokyo Motor Fist - ST
Its a vehicle for Ted Poley, and bugger me, he hasnt half put a band together - Greg Smith, Chuck Burgi and Steve brown, and the result is brilliant. Hardly a shite song to be found, with 'Shameless', and 'Put Me To Shame' are killers. (he likes the word 'shame'). I just hope that there will be a second album on the cards, and not just this, as it really would be a 'shame'

1. Lionheart - Second Nature
Ok, so its not exactly 'AOR', more 'classic rock'. The fact that its on AOR Heaven makes it on the list for me. Lionheart have made a comeback of massive proportions (30 yrs in the wilderness, it obviously made them hungry). They came back for a festival appearance and it was that good, they thought they would write an album. With founding fathers Dennis Stratton, Steve Mann, Rocky Newton and Clive Edwards, they went for THE 'go to' guy for quality vocals, one Lee Small, the Aldi version of Glenn Hughes ('Aldi' in a very good way. Lets face it, Glenn is Glenn). '30 Years' is instantly memorable, 'Angels With Dirty Faces' is melodic rock at its finest, and they even throw in a cover of 'Dont Pay The Ferryman'. I keep stating on reviews the past few years that Lee Small has eclipsed himself with his performances. He's done it yet again with Lionheart.

I never thought that a Chris De Burgh cover would sound as good as this....!

CRRs Top 10 Albums of 2017

Chesyrockreviews Top 10 Albums of 2017

Its that time of year again where lists are coming out of everyone's blog, website, twitter polls, etc etc etc

What I have here is a list of my favourite albums of 2017. One thing that I stand by is that all of these albums have been bought. Over 50% were from labels in stream format, but as I enjoyed them so much, they were purchased, with the remainder being bought without the request to review.

Here goes the Top 10

10. Inglorious - 'II'
I sware that someday soon, Nathan James and Inglorious (hopefully) will be a household name. They are building up momentum and I feel that their next album could be make or break for them. The big league is beckoning guys. Stand out songs are 'High Class Woman', 'Making Me Pay', 'I Dont need No Loving' and 'Taking the Blame'. If the next album (probably called 'III') can consistently match or pass these four songs then huge rewards await them.

9. Black Star Riders - Heavy Fire
The guys have truly laid the Thin Lizzy jibes to rest. This third album which hit the heady heights of No 6 proves that there more in them than just a glorified tribute band. The first three songs alone are worth the fee alone. 'When The Night Comes In' is one of the anthems of the year.

8. Thunder - Rip It Up
Considering a few years back I witnessed them on their farewell tour, Thunder have since gone from strength to strength. 'Wonder Days' was good, this on the other hand is great, and second only to their debut.

7. Daniel Cavanagh - Monochrome
Anathema have been around for donkeys, and its taken all this time for main man Daniel Cavanagh to bring out his first solo album. It's an album that is just delightful, emotional, deep and upbeat. He brings in one of his best mates Anneka Van Giersbergen on three tracks and in its entirety Monochrome is simply a beautiful album.


 




6.Steven Wilson - To The Bone
I don't think that there's many people as prolific as SW. When he's not remastering iconic bands back catalogues, he churns out music for fun. I just can't believe that this is only his fourth solo release. The Independent stated he was 'The most successful British musician most people have never heard of'. True, but those who know his work will follow him to the edges of the world. 'Permanating' is an Abba style song dedicated to his mum, there's the moody 'People Who Eat Darkness', and the wonderful duet with Ninet Tayeb, 'Pariah'. Brilliant stuff.

5. Black Country Communion - BCCIV
I never thought these guys would get back together after their Twitter spat a couple of years back. Last year Hughes made the best album since his Purple days and I was not exactly expecting another morsel out of BCC. Thankfully they did, and the result is one to weep over. 'Collide' is akin to Zep's 'Black Dog', and 'Over My Head' is a calling card to all the young guns that BCC are one of the bands to beat. Not bad for a combined age of 208! Bands don't make albums like this any more! Of course they do. Its only BCC though.

4. Anathema - The Optimist
Remember when Anathema were a Doom band? I do. Their breakthough for me came with 2010's 'We're Here Because We're Here', and since then they have gotten bigger and better which is something you cannot say of a lot of bands from the early 90s. I could run out of adjectives describing Anathema. So I will settle for just the one...beautiful. The following statement is easily banded about, but I really do believe Anathema deserve to be huge. Songs such as 'The Optimist', 'Springfield' and 'Back To The Start' are wonderful.

3. Chris Stapleton - From A Room - Vol 2 (and Vol 1) !!
If you haven't heard of Chris Stapleton before, stop reading, and check out the pipes on this fella. He is well known within country rock circles penning tunes for big hitters such as Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker, and songs of his have appeared on albums by Brad Paisley, Tim Mc Graw, Dierks Bentley and Adele. A master of his work he is bridging the gap between country and Southern Rock with ease. Along with his wife on songs like 'Millionaire' its pure ear candy.

2. Lionheart - Second Nature
Lionheart have made a comeback of massive proportions. They came back for a festival appearance and it was that good, they thought they would write an album. In comes the 'go to' guy for vocals, one Lee Small, the Aldi version of Glenn Hughes (in a very good way. Lets face it, Glenn is Glenn). '30 Years' is instantly memorable, 'Angels With Dirty Faces' is melodic rock at its finest, and they even throw in a cover of 'Dont Pay The Ferryman'. I keep stating on reviews the past few years that Lee Small has eclipsed himself. He's done it yet again with Lionheart.

1. Ayreon - The Source
The brainchild of one Arjen Lucassen, Ayreon has been around for some 22 years now, building momentum with every passing release. He has an address book (or a blackmail book) to die for - Simone Simons, Floor Jansen, Tommy Karevik, Hansi Kürsh, Russell Allen, Tobias Sammet, and James LaBrie (and more!). It's a proggers wet dream I tell ya. The album that Dream Theater should have made instead of 'The Astonishing' one we got! Epic stuff from start to finish. I dont tend to follow the story (many will), but I just like a good foot tapper/headbanger/air guitar & drums kind of song. If you like the opening track, the rest is like feeding candy to a baby.

Blood Red Saints - 'Love Hate Conspiracies' Album Review

Blood Red Saints – Love Hate Conspiracies

Do ya believe in fate? Nah, me neither! But I write this up on the second anniversary of Blood Red Saint’s debut album launch. Spooky!

Now then, this may put the cat amongst the pigeons, but BRS are no longer a nice pink and fluffy melodic rock/AOR band. With ‘Love Hate Conspiracies’, it brings a new direction for them, and I have to say….. It’s a bloody good one! In fact it’s not good, it’s fantastic!!

The new album also sees two new Saints baptised to join original members Pete Godfrey, Rob Naylor (bass) and Lee Revill (guitars). Neil Hibbs (formerly of Arkhams Razor, Shy) joins to add a harder edge with crunching guitars for a tougher approach for both live and studio work. Andy Chemney (drums) was an obvious choice having worked with Rob in their previous band 'Angels Or Kings'.

Rob Naylor takes up the story. "I've known Andy nearly all my life, he was the guy I wanted for our band and we are so pleased to have finally got our man"
So, what can we expect from 'Love Hate Conspiracies?' Lee Revill …"it's musically in a heavier direction than Speedway. We still wanted big melodic choruses but we wanted to toughen them up a bit too. We've got such a strong set of songs here and we are all excited to finally let people hear them, on the album and also live, these songs are gonna kick ass"

This collection of songs certainly does live up to its Ronseal guarantee….the songs kick ass. Opening song ‘Another Freak’ it is more US than UK as its style sits somewhere between Shinedown and Red Sun Rising  with the verse modeling itself on Nickleback’s’ ‘Burn It To The Ground’, and is heavier and metal(er) than anything they did on their debut. There’s still a lot of melody to be found here and its the type of song that would get major play on US rock radio, especially if the guys were from Manchester NH, than Manchester, UK.

‘Live & Die’ also follows suit with its heavy groove, and they have made the correct decision in going for the jugular, as Pete Godfrey has never sounded better. ‘Wake Up’ sounds just like a companion piece to ‘Dangerous’ from the debut. ‘Exit Wounds’ is all about the harmonies, and had it been 1985, the lads would be onto a sure-fire winner. ‘Something In Your Kiss’ is a song that has seen BRS take snippets from the 80s and Def Leppard in particular and uses them to great effect. In fact, it’s more Leppard than Leppard! ‘Love Hate Conspiracies’ is wonderfully executed with its multi-layered harmonies and newsreel action in the mid section. ‘Arms Wide Open’ you’ll be please to know, isn’t a Creed cover, it’s a full on ballad. It’s a good one, don’t get me wrong, but I’d have loved an album full of rockers, but as a live song I can really see it ‘Kickin’ Up Dust’ (see what I did there? No? Oh well!).

‘It Is Over’ sees one of our Antipodean singers take the mic (and co-wrote), and that’s one Paul Laine. Both Paul and Pete’s vocals sit very well together for the chorus and side by side for a duet of sorts, and is definitely one of the bigger songs on LHC. The guitar and keyboard riff is as infectious as it is to music, as Ebola is to humans. ‘Sometimes’ is a song that is the closest they get to anything on their debut, and ‘Rise Again’ is a bit darker and moodier before resetting the dial back to ‘melodic’ for the chorus. We are quickly to the sharp end for the final track ‘Turn On The Night’ a song written by Steve Brown of Trixter and Tokyo Motor Fist. It’s probably the most positive and ‘happy’ song on the whole album. A definite summertime listen with the top down anthem and the closest they come to a Bon Jovi sound.

 If it were me, I would grab the audience at next years HRH by the balls and play this in its entirety. Its that good, and worthy.

I’ve noticed there’s a bit of Pete talking on this album, I don’t know if he is subliminally putting himself out there as a voice over artiste?

Final verdict, it’s a little firecracker of an album. So, dig out your denims, leg warmers, Union Jack tee shirt, layered wig and rock out to one of the best rock albums of 2018. Harder IS better.

Score 90/100

Tracklisting -

Another Freak

Live & Die

Wake Up

Exit Wounds

Something In Your Kiss

Love Hate Conspiracies

Arms Wide Open

It Is Over

Sometimes

Rise Again

Turn On The Night

Blood Red Saints –

Pete Godfrey – Vocals

Rob Naylor – Bass

Lee Revill – Guitars

Neil Hibbs – Guitars

Andy Chemney – Drums

The album is released Jan 26 2018  through AOR Heaven and there is also an album launch at Manchester Academy 3, Friday 9^th Feb 2018. Tickets £8 ADV/£10 OTD

https://www.facebook.com/bloodredsaints/