Saint Rebel

Saint Rebel

Written by: PP on 25/09/2014 20:56:52

What struck me straight away as interesting about Copenhagen-based five-piece Saint Rebel on their debut album three years ago was their defiance of the norm within the Danish rock scene. Where most of their local contemporaries were busy trying to unsuccessfully clone the generic 80s hard rock / rock'n'roll sound, they went straight after the late 90s post-grunge sound, interpreted through modern, hard-hitting ideals enshrined on records by Audioslave and Velvet Revolver in particular. It gave them a notable edge and elevated them within the consciousness of most rock fans in the country, so it only makes sense they are pursuing a similar soundscape on their sophomore album "Saint Rebel".

Basically, they continue to source from the post-grunge soundscapes of Audioslave and Velvet Revolver, but add their own twist to the sound through heavy guitars that wouldn't feel out-of-place on a metal album at least on a couple of occasions. These primarily fall in the category of standard fare alternative rock / post-grunge instrumentation with the exception of a few good grooves and a couple of notable solos here and there, but that's fine, because such a large part of their expression revolves around their very capable vocalist Jonas Kaas. It's no secret his delivery has been inspired by Chris Cornell, given how powerfully his scratchy and halfway smoky pipes dominate their soundscape. On key tracks "Feeling Good INC." and "Now You Know" it is inevitable that such comparisons will be brought about, even through he isn't a clear-cut clone by any means. Either way, it is more of a compliment to the far-reaching capability of his vocals than anything else.

But just like their debut album, "Saint Rebel" contains a number of decent tracks but not really any highlights as such, at least none capable of standing even in comparison to the international names in the genre. The tracks sound good - thanks to Kaas' impressive range as a vocalist - but fail to leave a lasting impression on the listener even after multiple active listening sessions. It's a case of "I've heard similar stuff before played much better" - where the band finds themselves in a crowded genre of many decent to average bands but only a handful that elevate themselves above the pack. "Saint Rebel" is a fine post-grunge album, but it's not much more than that.

Download: Feeling Good INC., Now You Know, The New Guy
For the fans of: Audioslave, Velvet Revolver, Powderhog, Papa Roach
Listen: Facebook

Release date 29.09.2014
Mighty Music

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