Hardbeat - Unleashing The Underground - Album Review: Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz – Bad Blood Rising

Release Date: 10th November 2017

Label: M-Theory Audio

Genre: Glam Metal

Santa Cruz are a Finnish glam metal/ hard rock band who released their debut album, ‘Screaming for Adrenaline’, in 2013 and have been on the rise since. This album is no exception to this rise and contains a set of the eleven best songs the band has written to date.

‘Young Blood Rising’ opens with a gentle introduction before progressing into a hard and heavy beat which is sustained throughout the song. With its catchy chorus and remarkable riffs Johnny and Archie bang out seamlessly, this song has a real kick and is a phenomenal introductory track to the album.

The second song, ‘River Phoenix’ begins with a more traditionally metal sound before progressing into a hard rock chorus which is almost reminiscent of A Day To Remember before fluctuating back between the shredding and the lighter and more upbeat vocals.

It is in the introduction to ‘Fire Running Through Our Veins’ though where Archie’s vocal power becomes truly evident and intertwined with the backing vocals and subsequent instrumental makes this anthemic track one you could never imagine skipping. However, it is ‘Breathe’ where the vocals become the prominent layer in the music in the more stripped-back track. This song is where the lyrics truly begin to sink in and resonate to their fullest when listening through the album before ‘Voice Of The New Generation’ brings back the emphasis on the remarkable instrumental, Middy’s baseline and Tazzy’s drum beat in particular.

In the seventh track ‘Back From The Dead’, this becomes much more political with the line ‘fuck Donald Trump, give me Bernie Sanders’. The powerful vocals on this track are suited to the heavier metal sound with its strong melody and the backing vocals provide the extra depth which make this song so engaging to listen to.

The album concludes with the track ‘River Phoenix (Part 2)’. This song is slow and pure in providing an excellent round-off to a brilliant album.

Overall, ‘Bad Blood Rising’ is a phenomenal album which demonstrates the tremendous talent of this band and is not one to be missed. This album is power-packed to the max but also has the perfect balance of slower songs too to give the album the dept it needs. All in all, it’s an absolutely faultless album which you cannot miss.

Rating: 10/10

Recommended Track: Back From The Dead

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/santacruzband

Twitter: https://twitter.com/santacruzband

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ZP10xzJoQljzTHiaU2Gri

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SantaCruzVEVO

Want to see more? Catch Santa Cruz on tour in the UK!

05.12 Nottingham – Rescue Rooms

06.12 Milton Keynes – Craufurd Arms

07.12 Grimsby – Yardbirds

08.12 Sheffield – Corporation

09.12 Birmingham – The Flapper