There’s a certain art and technique to old school metal. When your father sat you down and told you about bands like Van Halen, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, UFO and Rainbow you rolled your eyes because you thought they weren’t heavy enough. You went back into your room and blasted some of that sweet Nu-Metal thinking you’re so hardcore. Fast-forward ten-fifteen years and you’ve clearly seen who have stood the test of time. But what about bands that sound like the late 70s and early 80s, how viable are they in this day and age? It’s a bit debatable.
Sainted Sinners put out their debut record in 2017 to favourable reviews and are back with a sophomore effort. They kick things off with a harmonized guitar lick painting the soundscape of “Rise like a Phoenix” and break into a fast paced verse, reminding you of Deep Purple. The chorus does have an “Eye of the Tiger” feel to it.
The second track off this record, which also happens to be the lead single – “Burnin the Candle” has a Whitesnake vibe to it and I personally like the song sonically, but the lyrics are pretty cringe worthy. The title track “Back with a Vengeance” opens with a Queen like vocal harmony and then some out-of-place guitar-virtuosity before coming back to the familiar palm-muted routine. “Tell Me I Was Wrong” is a fun little song, pretty straightforward and oddly enough, it reminded me of Simple Plan in some sections. Don’t get me wrong, I think that’s a good thing, it’s a solid pop song.
Changing gears, we get “Nothing Left to Lose”, which plays around with Egyptian scales and builds a solid Rainbow like aesthetic. I’m a big fan of “When The Hammer Falls” for its groovy feel and tasty guitar riffs.
The last track off this record titled “Gone But Not Forgotten” is pretty good as well and takes a minimalist approach while the Hungarian drum maestro Berci Hirleman keeps a solid groove throughout the song and bassist Malte Frederik Burkert locks in with him.
A huge shout-out to guitar player Frank Pané and keyboardist Ferdy Doernberg of AXEL RUDI PELL to keep everything so interesting and dynamic. The keyboards on this record are lush and vibrant. The guitar riffs and solos are top-notch. All in all, the line up is fantastic and the songs are brilliant. There isn’t really anything absolutely wrong with record. The production is modern and credit goes to the engineering team.
The issue that I seemed to have with ‘Back With A Vengeance’ is the lyricism and thematic approach. Some places, the words seemed forced and unnecessary. Now, let me say this – I haven’t been exposed to a whole lot of this kind of music so my opinions may be coloured and not entirely accurate so I hope everyone of you goes out, buys this record and makes their own mind about it. Overall this record is solid and very enjoyable.
