Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Praying Mantis
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2015
Running time: 55:06
Rating: 4.5/5
Six years have passed since the last studio outing from British veterans Praying Mantis, a band formed way back in 1974 that burst onto the scene during the explosion known as the N.W.O.B.H.M. in the early eighties. History tells us that Praying Mantis soon steered into the waters of the then-rising AOR sound, and within their hard rock and metal vision they also developed an outstanding level of musicianship, which they nurtured and kept alive through all the years of defiance, ups and downs. And they endured. All the way to the new album »Legacy«.
We waited a long time for it. The single »Metalmorphosis« (2011) softened the long wait a little, but clearly the band has spent recent years outgrowing yet another phase of hunting for a stable lineup, which wrapped up in 2013, when vocalist John Cuijpers and drummer Hans in’t Zandt finally joined the crew. »Legacy« ripened and developed for a solid six years, and Praying Mantis can be more than happy with the fruits it bears. It has all the typical Praying Mantis trademarks and, most importantly, a fresh, hearty batch of instantly infectious, hyper-melodic chorus hooks that crawl under your skin right away. On first contact. John Cuijpers’ vocal approach fits the band’s musical vision like a glove. He brings an exceptional melodic payoff to the compositions, and his voice builds up serious power that he carries with feather-light ease through every register, even the highest ones. Cuijpers’ clean, melodic and authoritative approach is infused with hyper-sensitive passion in how he tackles the verses. In passing comparisons with singers of a similar breed, you could wedge Cuijpers somewhere between former Praying Mantis singer Doogie White (Michael Scehnker’s Temple of Rock, ex-Rainbow, ex-Yingwie J. Malsmteen, etc…) and Europe’s leading voice, Joey Temepst.
None of this highly bombastic impact would carry across the album if the Troy brothers didn’t have a batch of excellent guitar phrases up their sleeves, combining a superb balance of classic (old-school) heavy metal punch and sneer, occasionally crossed with a tangible sense of doom-laden theatrical drama, even the occult (Better Man, Eyes Of A Child, Against the World, Fallen Angel), which shamelessly plays with the hallmarks of the traditional British hard rock principle and AOR. The songs are steeped in bombast!
The songs are masterfully structured. Everything sits in the right place, with every ingredient dosed in just the right amounts. From the vocal harmonies wrapped around the lead vocal in the choruses, to the three-part harmonies and the detailing of transitions with extra guitar ornaments, to fitting »mid-eight« sections with seductive solos. The guitar phrases are also »reinforced« by keyboards. The mood crescendo naturally lives in the choruses, and the band pulls it off masterfully through a gradual build-up of atmosphere across the verses and pre-choruses. That comes not only from rich experience but from that essential feel you, as a songwriter, simply have to be born with. The production is honestly flawless. The building blocks of the sound are subtly contrasted, and the album stirs up nostalgia for the good old eighties while at the same time working in harmony with modern times, organic and ferociously alive! With the new album, Praying Mantis show remarkable creative freshness and drive in their mature years! It’s a good thing the album took six years to make. Its content is polished down to the last nitpicky detail.
Even though Praying Mantis move within the predictable templates of their own musical typology laid down long ago, the new album delivers great variety of ideas and moods that never bores for a second or stirs up even a hint of indifference. »Legacy« is the band’s tenth studio album overall and their second for Frontiers Records, and it stands proudly shoulder to shoulder with their most prominent works, debut studio album »Time Tells No Lies« (1981) included! It knows no stumbling expression and no weak moments, and it brings no filler. Fans of this unjustly overlooked and neglected British outfit will be more than thrilled with the result, and as for Praying Mantis, let’s hope they turn up on some tour of the old European continent, preferably as close to Slovenia as possible! An album like »Legacy« deserves a generous live showcase!
Lineup
John Cuijpers – vocals
Tino Troy – guitar, backing vocals
Chris Troy – bass guitar, backing vocals
Andy Burgess – guitar, backing vocals
Hans in ‘t Zandt – drums
Production
Andrew Riley
Tracklist
1. Fight For Your Honour
2. The One
3. Believable
4. Tokyo
5. Better Man
6. All I See
7. Eyes Of A Child
8. The Runner
9. Against The World
10. Fallen Angel
11. Second Time Around
