[review] Saint - Desperate Night (Armor Records) 2012

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Review by Scott Waters | http://www.nolifetilmetal.com/

. The Crucible (1:14)
2. Crucified (3:18)
3. The Key (3:35)
4. End Of The World (4:13)
5. Let It Rock (3:02)
6. The Frey (3:23)
7. Inside Out (4:19)
8. Desperate Night (4:24)
9. Zombie Shuffle (2:41)
10. Judgment Day (4:23)
11. To Live Forever (4:41)
12. Escape From The Fire (3:19)
13. The Crucible (Reprise) (:29) 

Christian metal diehard, Saint, return in 2012 with yet another platter of traditional heavy metal. This time around the band features the siren wails of Josh Kramer on vocals, guitarist Jerry Johnson and the rhythm section of Richard Lynch (bass) and Jared Knowland (drums). As on the original "Crime Scene Earth" CD, Lynch also handles lead vocal duties, though only on one song this time around. For a years now Saint has been a revolving door of musicians with Lynch and Kramer being the constant and their drummers spontaneously combusting and disappearing in bizarre gardening accidents. But aside from drummers, there was the departure of long-time guitarist Dee Harrington, then Josh Kramer relocated to a different part of the country. Despite the distance between the band and Kramer, the band continued to record together, but now wants to tour and have a local vocalist. Enter new vocalist Brian Phyll Miller who premiers his vocals on the titled cut for the album.

"Desperate Night" opens with a short intro and a song titled "Crucified" that could easily have been on the classic 80's releases from Saint. It's a straight-forward, traditional heavy metal romp with Kramer's signature voice bringing it all home. "The Key" follows up with bassist Richard Lynch taking a turn at lead vox. The song is another Priest-inspired heavy, mid-paced heavy metal number. I'm not sure why Kramer or Miller weren't used on this song, but regardless Lynch does an adequate job. For the most part, all the songs are exactly what anyone would expect from Saint. There are a few exceptions. "Zombie Shuffle" steps away from the typical Saint sound is a bit more groove oriented and blues based. "To Live Forever" was originally recorded for the band 1999 album "The Perfect Live", which most fans hold to as the band's worst album. This version of the song isn't bad and fits in with the overall vibe of the album. It's a more melodic and mellow song, though I hesitate to call it a ballad. The title cut is worth mentioning as it features new 'future' vocalist Brian Phyll Miller. Again, I'm not sure why Josh wasn't used on this song, but it's a nice introduction to the new vocalist who does a fantastic job, ending the song with some high-pitched falsetto style vocals. Album closer "Escape From The Fire" is a great way to end this album. It is an upbeat, crunchy, metal number with a "Painkiller" vibe.

If this is the last Saint album for Josh Kramer, it will be a landmark album. With nearly three decades behind their belt and Josh singing on most of their releases, he is the voice of Saint. Brian has big shoes to fill.

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