(Heavy) Saintsbleed - The Mighty Monster - 2009, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Housed in a ridiculous cover, it would be easy to dismiss Saintsbleed's debut CD 'The mighty monster'. But that would be a mistake, as this band gets it right musically, with the professionalism and confidence of bands on major metal labels. Featuring the heaviness of contemporary power metal bands like Mystic Prophecy mixed with the traditional metal sounds of mid-80s Accept, watch for Saintsbleed to rise quickly as a fan favorite.

Production-wise, it's hard to believe that the band's main man, Sasch Menschl, was able to get a sound this good independently. While other indie bands struggle (see recent releases from Steel Kingdom and Aspire), Saintsbleed has a production that is truly alive with clarity and heaviness. And it adds so much to the enjoyment of the CD.

My favorite songs are the ones with those patented German melodies, so tracks like "Till we fly" and the great "Revelation 3:12" (Running Wild meets Gamma Ray) are the clear standouts to my ears. "Path of the warrior" is also very good. And the heavier numbers, comparable to Sinner's mid-paced anthems, are also entertaining (while perhaps lacking the catchiness of the more uptempo, melodic numbers). A song like "Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs" (based on the 80s anime series), with its crazy outer space sound effects, is something Lordi or Moahni Moahna would have considered after a late night marathon of 50s sci-fi B movies. I admire Saintsbleed's ability to balance their darker, heavier tunes with something more playful, going from Rage-like seriousness to a Dream Evil-like self awareness of the metal genre.

Areas of concern: vocally multi-instrumentalist Sasch is not going to compete with your Kiskes and Scheepers, being in the range of a slightly coarser Rock N Rolf (Running Wild); and a few more faster songs would have been a plus (but that's always a given with me). And next time let's see some cover art that matches the quality of the music. Please!

So there you have it. A well balanced traditional power metal CD, chock full of that German metal goodness, coupled with some interesting and even unexpected metal ideas to set themselves apart.

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