Reviewed by Graeme Crawford

Veteran old school metal band Saint return with their latest album of nostalgic power metal. Sticking to tried and tested formulae with their songwriting, Saint don't break any barriers but produce an album which should keep their fans happy. Summing up their sound perfectly on closer "Lost" with the line "lost in the eighty's" the band then namecheck their influences: Van Halen, Michael Schenker and Judas Priest. The Priest influence is strong, with a cover of "Invader" included in the 10 tracks. Unfortunately for Saint, this proves to be the best track with a different class of songwriting. The musicianship of Saint is strong, with some interesting and technical riffs on offer, but they are let down by the lyrics and the poor vocal performance. The vocals are buried in the mix, which may be an acknowledgement that the vocals are the weak link, although it could just be poor mixing. A record that Saint fans and metal nostalgists will enjoy, but it won't travel much further.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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