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TWELVE NOON
Saints And Sinners
Eclipse Records, 2017

Wise men say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and the same is certainly true for album titles. This is easily said but it is in fact quite difficult not to think of WHITESNAKE's 1982 release when you come across an album entitled Saints And Sinners.

However, the connotation evaporates in an instant when you just listen to the short drum intro to the mighty “Change My Ways”, the opening track to TWELVE NOON's debut album, which will be out on Eclipse Records on June 9. Founded in 2015, the five-piece from Pittsburgh, PA (Michael Loew – vocals, Rob Heil - guitar, Tim Clark - bass, John Devlin - guitar and Justin Runkel – drums) play bona fide alternative metal with a sound as sharp as a razor's edge. Saints And Sinners bursts with unbridled energy and a host of ideas. The album runs the gamut of emotions - albeit mostly frustration, anger, melancholy and depression, which is not entirely untypical for this genre - with each track being a musical as well as emotional roller coaster ride of its own. There are finger-picked acoustic guitars as well as grinding axe sounds, piano touches and ultra melodic hooks as well as shouts, growls and up-tempo double-bass drum onslaughts.

There is not a single song on Saints And Sinners that I don't like and the more often I play the album, the more difficult it gets to put on something else. One of the songs that needs to be singled out, though, is the ballad-esque “Hope In Tragedy” with its sophisticated arrangement, melodic bass line and uplifting vocal line in the chorus.

“Carry On” has a nice country sound to it and, as ever so often on this album, I find myself following the melodic bass line, which sets an effective counterpoint to the vocal line.

Another track that deserves a special mention is the heavy “No Way Out”, a promise to their fans that TWELVE NOON are there to stay. Don't be misled by another acoustic guitar intro – the song takes you through a variety of different moods – one moment rhythmically complex and sophisticated, then relentlessly powerful and aggressive, melodic and laid-back in the next and finally everything at once.

All in all, TWELVE NOON's debut album is excellent one that will leave you wanting more. There is nothing to complain about, so go and buy the album and support a promising new band that is meant to stay – you won't regret it.

5.0 Out Of 5.0