Jt’s Indie Christian Music Podcast

CD review - Saints never surrender cd title brutus
Website: http://www.myspace.com/saintsneversurrender
Genre: Hardcore
Release date: July 15th 2008
Blood and Ink Records : http://www.bloodandinkrecords.com/
Rating 3.5 out of 5.0 stars

Read the Review after the Jump

Playlist
01 - Swan
02 - This Moment
03 - Companion
04 - Protector
05 - The Last Defender
06 - Lost to Time
07 - The end to the Epic
08 - Gathering the Forces
09 - Mapping the Years
10 - The Quest

Well I got home today to a surprise, music in my email box (its like Christmas only without the wrapping paper and relatives). Today I was lucky enough to get the new CD by Saints Never Surrender titled Brutus sent to me by the good people at Blood & Ink Records and Invisible Youth PR. Before I get onto the CD review I want to say a quick word about how these people are getting the Promo CDs out to us in the press world. I got an email with a link to a website with a user name and password. once in I could listen to the cd on a streaming flash player. This is a great Idea for several reasons. One only needs to look at my work desk piled high with CDs on every surface to figure out why I might appreciate the music without the bulk of a CD. Another reason why this is a great idea is, as Sean from invisible Youth PR states, it is not only Eco Friendly but it also lets them send the music out to many more people than they could afford to normally. The only difference I would make is to allow downloading of the music since as it stands now I can only listen to the music when I am near a computer and I usually listen to a CD 4-5 times before I start writing the review, and the idea of sitting here at my computer for that long isn’t one I am relishing. Also a set of Lyrics for the songs would be rather helpful as well.

Well enough of that and on with the review.

The CD starts with a mellow and almost lyrical instrumental piece titled Swan that threw me completely off guard. Saints Never surrender is without a doubt a true Hardcore band that holds nothing back in their musical performances. The drums are pounding, the Guitar is driving, and the vocals are harsh but still understandable, for the most part. I did lose the vocals at different times during the cd but I think that is more from only hearing it once than anything else. One thing I am sure of is that I would really like to see Saints Never Surrender in a live show. I will say this this CD suffers less from the stigma that seems to follow hardcore than many of the other CDs I have heard in the past. That being the problem on when you get loud guitars, screaming vocals and banging and thumping drums it becomes a challenge to get your message across and to keep every song from sounding like every other song on the CD. I was pleasantly surprised to hear just how The boys (and that is how I think of them, yes I am finally starting to get old) managed to make the songs sound seperate, not with music but with silence. I can remember hearing that it wasn’t the notes that made the music but the little bits of silence between them. This use of negative space is what gives this CD the texture that it has and what makes each of the songs as individual as a fingerprint.
The song I like the most was the final song on the CD titled “The Quest” and in actuality it is the use of what I would consider Non-Hardcore Elements that really make this song stand head and shoulders above the other songs on the CD. The use of background vocals on this CD are very well done. As is the mixing and use of effects. Over all the CD is very well balanced. The talents of Kim Rosen at West West Side Music (Lifetime, Mastodon), where the CD was Mastered and Studiotte (Comeback Kid, Still Remains, Brothers) where the music was recorded can really be heard as they allow the talents of band to show thru.

I had a really tough time trying to decide on the rating for this CD. I wavered between 3.5 and 4.0 stars out of 5.0 stars. In the end I decided on the 4.0 stars out of 5.0 The only real problem I saw with the CD was the times when I wasn’t able to understand the words. This is a CD full of texture, from the screaming vocals to the pounding music, this CD is hard core thru and thru. Be sure to keep your eyes open and mark your calendars for July 15th 2008 when this Loud and rocking CD drops, and don’t forget to head on over to the bands Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/saintsneversurrender and let ‘em know that you heard about here.

this is J to the T 
Bidding you Faith Hope and Love