Blood Red Saints - Live Review, Manchester Academy 3, Sat 2nd April 2016

The latest and ongoing roadshow that is Blood Red Saints rode into town, the town being their 'local', Manchester. On arrival I was a tad worried as there were very few people there, what with it being T minus thirty. Thankfully the room (Academy 3) filled as they took the stage.

I'm a tad biased towards BRS are they are a great modern epitome of Melodic Rock. A lot of bands try to emulate some of the 'classic' bands of the 80s/early 90s, but not many do it as good, or as well, or as honest as BRS. Shit dudes, no one out there does with half the fun as these guys. Right from the off, the audience is brought along for the ride. Because what you get here are some great songs, played extremely well, and a bit of a comedy show thrown in for good measure

Tonight's gig was brought to you by its sponsors 'Covonia', and 'TW&SSC' (The Wheeltappers & Shunters Social Club). Why? Well, erstwhile singer/stand up comedian Pete Godfrey was suffering with a cold/dodgy throat, and secondly, I think he could be on a mission to convert BRS into The Grumbleweeds/Barron Knights (ok my references are as old as Petes humour, so we're on a par, and hopefully you are).

The set was quite short, just 30 mins, but with BRS being 'home', rebellion was just around the
corner with a proposed '32 minute' set planned. Romeos Daughter would allow them 45, but fuck it, they are at home and there was some serious drinking to be had later!

We were treated to a quite edited set from the recent HRH gig, but resplendent all the same. The BRS staple faves were in attendance, from Kicking Up Dust, the harmonious Mercy, with Pete Newdeck filling in some of the vocals. Let's face it, they can all fill in as few bands can offer you 5 part harmonies. Only the likes of Van Canto could do it better! Guitarist Lee Revill was a cross between Indiana (Jones) and Croc Dundee, and shines on the 80s influenced numbers as he channels his inner George Lynch. The new song 'Tragedy' sees Godfrey dig into his Steps DVD collection and mimic the same moves. If there isn't a Steps tribute band, I nominate 'G' to be a front runner should one ever be on the cards. Rob Naylor seems to get the most grief from Godfrey during the gig, but the jibes wash off him easily due to the slickness of his style!

If you're lucky enough  to get your asses down to Cardiff, or over to Milan, then you're in for a treat. Many can mimic, but few stand heads above the crowd like Blood Red Saints. A triumphant show of hook laden, catchy songs, and also a great laugh. What more could you want?

Nordic Union - ST Album Review

That great sage Myles Kennedy one sang, “The sun always sets, the moon always falls”, as does Serafino Perugino’s desire for a nice little earner of a ‘project’. This tine, for the first time in 2016, it’s a joint venture, or in this case a Union (make that a Nordic Union) between WETs/Eclipse/Ammunitions Erik Martensson, and Pretty Maids’ Ronny Atkins.

Unlike some of the others that have appeared on Frontiers (other label projects also available), Atkins isn’t a well-travelled performer. What I mean is, apart from the odd Avantasia stint, he is 100% Pretty Maids man. If it were a marriage, he’s is the equivalent of cheating on his missus by looking at a porn mag!

Martensson in comparison is a bit of a slapper - a man of many bands, and now projects, but a man of immense talent. That said, the bloke is constantly on fire and improving with every release he as done to date.

After just one listen I felt like a kid at Disney theme park. I had to do back and do it all again. The production is huge and Martensson has a style to his writing that screams ‘quality’. You can tell as the sound of NU is a blend of Eclipse and WET. Think W.E.clipse and you’ll see where I’m coming from

‘The War Has Begun’ takes its lead from Eclipse’s ‘Bleed and Scream’ and is a power anthem for the modern age, a battle cry for the disenfranchised and underdogs of the world, and Magnus Henriksson adds his considerable talents to a cracking guitar solo. I have a confession, and that is that I’ve never been a Pretty Maids fan really, but that could change as Atkins sings his Nordic arse off. ‘Hypocrisy’ is a prime example of this. Mash it with the killer opening riff and a chorus that is injected straight into your brain for immediate repeat.

It could be an obvious choice to point the finger at Martensson and suggest that these songs are Eclipse cast offs. But that, dear reader, couldn’t be farther from the truth. The frenetic pace is knocked back with ‘Every Heartbeat’ a song that highlights Atkins’ vocals. Actually both this and ‘True Love Awaits You’ both err on the side of power pop/rock and could see NU appealing to a wider audience than the typical Frontiers roster. ‘When Death Is Calling’ shows the heavier side (and much better side) of Nordic Union. When Atkins sings the title line, its like the modern version of Blackie Lawless.

Its proven to be a great choice for Frontiers in putting Martensson and Atkins together. In Martensson you have a great songwriter, producer (and singer in his own right) and in Atkins a perfect foil to deliver the melody and lyrics.

2015 was a hit and miss year for Frontiers, with some quite average releases but they (Frontiers) have hit 2016 with a huge bang. Let the high consistency continue!!

It’s quite an essential purchase for melodic rock fans.

Score 90/100

Tracklisting

The War Has Begun

Hypocrisy

Wide Awake

Every Heartbeat

When Death Is Calling

21 Guns

Falling

The Other Side

Point Of No Return

True Love Awaits You

Go

AORzones top 10 albums of 2015

10. Room Experience
Italian Gianluca Firmo and friends are trying to Eclipse (pun intended) Sweden and become the new hub of melodic rock. Its full of tinkly, parpy keyboards and more parmeggiano reggiano than Italy can muster. Its AOR at its purest and an absolute delight

9. Stryper - Fallen
Stryper continue their rich vein of form and their heavier direction thankfully. Mushy ballads have all but disappeared, and in comes power, strength, positivity and most of all, heaviness!

8. Gronholm - Relativity Code For Love

Another surprise for me in 2015. Id never heard of them until this, and boy, is it a cracking album. Lee Small has NEVER sounded better than this.

7. Revolution Saints - ST

I know, lets get 3 giants of rock (ok one is a real short arse) to come together for an album, and lets make the not regarded as as a singer the singer! Castronovo IS one hell of a singer. This was the album that the current Journey should be striving to make

6. Newman - The Elegance Machine

I am a late arrival to the Newman party, and I'm ashamed to admit it. The last 2 albums Ive had to review have been an absolute pleasure. Its more on the heavier side of melodic, but who gives a shit. This bloke is one of Britain's finest exponents of melodic rock, long may he continue

=4. Age Sten Nilsen's Ammunition - Shanghaied

Age does a 'Dio', and ditched Wig Wam for a new life. He basically forms Eclipse MKII for one of the BEST melodic rock albums of 2015. Massive choruses, not a dud on the album, it could easily be my No.1. From here on in the results are that close.

=4. FM - Heroes and Villains

I am a tad biased when it comes to my beloved FM, but they wouldn't be in here if it wasn't any good (my proof - the disappointing Overland Ousey album). FM are in a very rich vein of form and this is one of their best pieces of work and sits close behind Indiscreet and Tough It Out, its that good!

3. Romeos Daughter - Spin

OK its not exactly an AOR album as such, its a defining album for Romeos Daughter. They could have given up the ghost since reforming , but like their friends FM, they choose to plough through the field and make new music that is probably their most consistent and best work to date. They should be the darlings of Radio 2, but for some reason are overlooked, and that is a huge travesty.

=1. Blood Red Saints - Speedway

Its a contrast to the joint winner of my 2015 list, but BRS are more 'classic' 80s AOR than anyone else on this list and they are a brand new band. Thanks to the dulcet tones of Pete Godfrey, and the superb songs (no fillers here folks) they deserve to be No.1 on their own

=1. Eclipse - Armageddonize

Erik Martensson's Eclipse are at the other end of the melodic rock spectrum to Blood Red Saints. More raw power and edge to their music, they are the 2015 Oxford Dictionary meaning of 'anthemic rock'. Not a shit song on the album, its slayed me from the off. My best album of 2015 despite the aggro it took to get me the album on vinyl. A HUGE album!

Blood Red Saints - Live Review, Railway venue Bolton 4.12.15

Blood Red Saints are one of the many melodic rock bands on Perugino Serafino’s Frontiers Label. Its where most of the decent melodic rock bands are gathered nowadays. Some are greats, some not so, and there’s also some indifferents, with the odd turkey thrown in! Hey you cant be 100% consistent in your approach.  I would like to predict that Blood Red Saints, on the basis of their new album, and this gig, could soon be up there with the ‘greats’.

The album review can be read here – http://aorzone.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/blood-red-saints-speedway-album-review.html 

Although other reviews are available, terms and conditions apply.

It wasn’t exactly a sold out show as it was a ‘free’ ticketed event. I suppose it was a ‘free-out’ show!

I learned three things from last nights gig….

a. The bloke working the controls is a Catholic (I’ve seen less smoke when a Pope is being elected!). At various points, Pete Newdeck disappeared.

b. Pete Godfrey is funny as fuck!

c. Blood Red Saints were on fire, and are definitely going places (OK it should be 4 points)

Anywho, by the time they took the stage, the room, and adjoining rooms were packed to the gills. The Railway Venue is a cracking little set up, but for a short-arse like me, you have 2 options. Either get great sound near the middle to back and see bugger all, or get down the front and sacrifice some of the sound quality. I went for the latter and chose well.

Immediately you can tell that Godfrey is a good singer and also a funny frontman, engaging, and I imagine a top bloke. They have dragged a keyboard player off the streets of Lancashire - one Invin Parratt (Arabia / Rage of Angels)

BRS kicked off with the opener from 'Speedway', in the very powerful ‘Kicking Up Dust‘. Its part Dokken, thanks to Lee Revill’s Lynch-esque guitar playing. Right from the off, they look as if they are a band that are professional but are not taking life seriously which immediately rubs off on their audience. The songs are tight, with lots of in-between banter. ‘Mercy’ live is what makes BRS stand out from the crowd of AOR wannabees. Led by Godfrey, the other 4 guys all weigh in with a heavy wall of sound. FFS they even have a singer in his own right playing the drums (Pete Newdeck, he of many, many bands).  Its 5 part harmonies on a huge scale. ‘Best Of Me’ is one of the best ballads that you will here this side of Xmas, smooth as velvet, it also has the now patented ‘BRS 5xH’ sound!

A curve-ball is thrown into the mix where they play one of their fave bands songs. That is Signal’s ‘Does It Feel Like Love’ which is setting up their show for later on. Not all the songs from ‘Speedway' are played tonight which is a little strange, but the highlight for me is my fave from the album, and that is the menacing ‘Dangerous’

More of the BRS influences come to the fore for the last quarter of their blistering set. First, Godfrey called this guy a ‘God’, and he is spot-on, certainly in ref to his or should I say, THE voice, and its FMs ‘Face To Face’. A song that FM have dropped the last couple of years, it makes a surprise and welcome return here. Pete Godfrey does a great job. Barrie Jackson (he of Rob Naylors last outfit, Angels Or Kings)  gets beckoned to the stage with a certain apprehension, to sing Bon Jovis ‘Runaway’. Considering both bands have the same approach to their music, both singers couldn’t be further apart. For the finale, BRS also call upon Steve Kenny (AoK) for Whitesnake's version of the classic ‘Here I Go Again’, the proper version!

‘Twas all soon over, and everyone in attendance witnessed a band in the ascendency. Those who attend HRH AOR in March will witness one of the bands of the festival, of that I’m very certain

(Pics courtesy of Jeff Price)