VELVET THUNDER

Revolution Saints are the genuine article, writing classy songs that will draw you in, and that you will return to again and again.

Revolution Saints is primarily a vehicle for Deen Castronovo to get out from behind the drum kit and show us he can sing. And it must be said he does it rather well. Castronovo has had a long and varied career, starting out with Wild Dogs back in the early ‘80s and playing drums for countless luminaries including Ozzy Osbourne and Paul Rodgers before settling in for the long haul with Journey. Revolution Saints is not a one-off side-project though – this is their fifth album in nine years. The initial line-up consisted of Castranovo with Jack Blades (Night Ranger) and Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio), before the latter two were replaced by Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Foreigner) and Joel Hoekstra (also of Whitesnake). And while not an official member of the group, the superstar line-up is completed by Alessandro Del Vecchio who adds a few keyboards, does all the production work, and oh yes, writes all the music too.

In Against The Winds, Revolution Saints plough pretty much the same heavy ‘80s-influenced melodic rock furrow that they did with last year’s Eagle Flight. The opening salvo of the title track and Changing My Mind play to the strengths of the band. The title track is the heavier of the two, pounding along with some meaty guitar as the song builds up to Castronovo’s soaring vocal line in the chorus. It’s a genuinely uplifting and epic track and there’s not many melodic rock bands that can reach these heights. Changing My Mind is no less impressive even if the pace slows slightly and the focus is on the sort of long-drawn-out melodies that Castronovo tends to favour. Again, the uplifting chorus is striking and has that epic quality about it, but there’s no obvious hook line and it takes a few listens for the quality to shine through.  

Can’t End It Now is another highlight thanks to its lovely slow-paced chorus which is delivered in a stately manner and supported by surging strings. Divine Wings is another strong song, and this time it’s memorable due to the guitar refrain that interweaves gorgeously with Castronovo’s vocal melody. These two are perhaps the most overtly ‘80s sounding tracks but overall Revolution Saints have a good modern sound which will appeal across the board.

Revolution Saints demonstrate that they can do faster metal songs as well, especially in the excellent Will I See You Again where Hoekstra’s thrilling solo stands out. However, sometimes this style falls a bit flat: Fall On My Knees has a powerful riff and thundering rhythm section but the chorus is nothing to write home about; and Save All That Remains and Been Said And Done lack originality. I think it’s fair to say that Castronovo’s voice is brilliant in the mid-paced material, but he might lack a bit of the grit needed to really carry the heavier songs. It would have been interesting to hear Del Vecchio do the vocal on some of this heavier material.

The artwork in this genre of music rarely inspires but the cover of Against The Winds is quite impressive. They’ve taken their frequently used Eagle imagery, this time looking with the eagle looking distinctly menacing as it flies out of a storm and appearing to be gripping the actual album title. Very nicely done.

There’s an awful lot of bands out there working from the ‘80s AOR Cookbook, busily writing songs that rush through flimsy verses to quickly arrive at a memorable tap-along hook line. Those songs may generate instant appeal, but one also tires easily of them. Instead, Revolution Saints are the genuine article, writing classy songs that will draw you in, and that you will return to again and again. There may be no revolution in their sound from previous albums, but boy, these guys are melodic rock saints!