{"id":11943,"date":"2024-08-09T14:26:55","date_gmt":"2024-08-09T18:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/?p=11943"},"modified":"2024-08-09T15:56:26","modified_gmt":"2024-08-09T19:56:26","slug":"saint-immortalizer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/09\/saint-immortalizer\/","title":{"rendered":"SAINT – Immortalizer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While the history of Saint dates back to the early 1980s, when Richard Lynch and company recorded songs under the band name The Gentiles<\/strong> (some of those songs making making it to the debut Saint EP), we can’t help but point out that this year marks the 40th Anniversary since that first official Saint release, Warriors of the Son<\/em><\/strong>, hit the world in 1984. I discovered that release within a year of it’s initial appearance, but find it hard to believe it has been that long (after all, I’m not even that old).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forty years later, the band appears stronger than even, dropping into the world their 14th recorded effort (counting the 2004 re-record of W.O.S.<\/em> as a separate release), and what a release this is. While the band struggled a bit with member changes ten years ago, especially the loss of long time vocalist Josh Kramer, Immortalizer<\/em><\/strong> marks the third album in a row with the same solid line-up. Hopefully by now, fans have come to fully accept the modern Saint 2020’s sound with David Nelson at the helm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Saint<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The previous two releases featuring David, 2020’s The Calf<\/a><\/em><\/strong> and 2022’s Heaven Fell<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, are indeed top-notch and some of the band’s strongest material, yet this time around, the band has given us, dare I say, yet a stronger release. Maybe it is just because this material is so fresh with me at this time, but from the first listen, I felt somewhat wowed from song to song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, the band does not break any real new ground or make any radical changes in their sound direction like some bands have done from album to album, but their consistency is a strong point, especially when it doesn’t leave the listener bored with more of the same straight forward metal. This is 100% the Saint sound, but stepping it up time and time again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The album opens with the title track Immortalizer<\/em>. A real scorcher, and the first promotional video to drop from this release. Coming out of the gates with full guns blazing, the killer riff and high octane scream harkens back to excitement, energy and feel of when we first heard the opening track In the Night<\/em> from 1986’s Times End<\/em><\/strong>, building the thrill for that is about to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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