Released by: Frontiers Records
Release date: 4 December 2015
Genre: AOR
Links: Facebook , bloodredsaints.com
Lineup:
Pete Godfrey – Vocals
Lee Revill – Guitar
Rob Naylor – Bass
Pete Newdeck – Drums
Track Listing:
o1. Kickin’ Up Dust
02. Mercy
03. Best Of Me
04. Dangerous
05. Love Set Me Up Again
06. Better Days
07. The Best Thing
08. Unbreakable
09. Wrapped Up In These Arms
10. Cgrnr
11. Feels A Lot Like Love
12. Faith
Melodic Rock gets such a bum rap sometimes. Maligned by metal heads on both sides of the extreme as not heavy enough to be associated with them, yet bands that play melodic rock/AOR stuff tend to be the best writers around. There isn’t a thing wrong with writing music that is catchy. Sure, some bands of this genre play it too safe, but some of the others happen to be some of my absolute top favorite bands around like Pretty Maids, Harem Scarem, Jeff Scott Soto and Jaded Heart just to name a few. I love heavy music, but sometimes I need something a little on the softer side, and AOR music fits the bill every time.
New bands on the scene, Blood Red Saints, are going above and beyond fitting the bill. A nice blend of Harem Scarem, Def Leppard, and Hardline, they have created a sound with their debut, Speedway, that is exactly what melodic rock needed: an album that harkens back to when it was more acceptable to be catchy while at the same time updating hard rock with a more modern sound and adding a bit more punch to it. I was instantly taken by their sound as soon as the track “Kickin’ Up Dust” started. It’s a nice up-tempo rocker with good sing-along lyrics, memorable hooks, and the perfect way to start the album. As comes with the melodic territory there are rockers and power ballads, heartfelt lyrics delivered with the excellent voice of Pete Godfrey, blazing guitar solos without being too busy from Lee Revill, and a solid rhythm section of Rob Naylor on bass and Pete Newdeck on drums. Other standout tracks are: “Dangerous,” “Mercy,” “Better Days,” and “Wrapped Up In These Arms,” but honestly the whole album is a great listen.
I can see Blood Red Saints making a tremendous impact on the melodic rock world with this fantastic debut Speedway. There have been some great AOR debuts over the last few years that when it came time to making another one those bands fell short. This is a pretty strong debut for this band, and hopefully they’ll stay on the same trajectory and be around a long time. Give this band a shot; I don’t think you’ll be let down.
Written by: Chris Martin
Ratings: Chris 8/10