Santa Cruz have had a lot of hype since their 2013 debut ‘Screaming For Adrenaline’ and rightly so, it was an album that put this Finnish band squarely on the map for those that liked their vintage hair metal with a modern twist. By the time the self titled follow up hit in 2015 the style had changed rather dramatically bringing in far more modern sounds and ideas and that progression seems to have been pulled back a little here and we end up with something sat on the fence between the two. Now some I’m sure some will find that fresh and exciting whilst others will find it a little disconcerting that Santa Cruz like so many bands, have strayed from what made them so initially memorable,pushed a little two far and ow seem to be hedging their bets and keeping both camps happy.
To be honest I’m in two minds as to where I sit, to me its logical that younger bands would want to bring something new to the party but like many readers I also favour the old school style of the debut. My immediate issue with this release is the songs , not in their quality necessarily, more so in their homogeneity. To be honest the three openers here: ‘Young Blood Rising’ (the title track, lead single and video); ”River Phoenix’ and ‘Fire Running Through are Veins’ are pretty interchangeable – the first two storming out of the box before hitting that melodic gang-vocal chorus, the third staring out a little slower before doing pretty much the same. It’s one of those cases that if you loved the first you’ll love what follows but you can’t hide the obvious similarities.
That aside and ignoring further echoes later on, there are some great moments here too. Surprisingly its the numbers with the pace taken off that take the prize. The slower ‘Drag Me Out of the Darkness’ taps some real emotion and sports a killer solo, it’s one that’s easy to see them playing live later on in a set. And of course the whistled intro the the acoustic-weaned ‘Breathe’ is going to draw the Gunners comparisons when in reality it’s more of A Hinder-like moment and a very decent song. The other slow track that really connects is ‘Get Me Out of California’ which again really manages to gently sink its teeth in and not let go. Elsewhere the almost spoken ‘Voice of the New Generation’ might just be the best rocker.
This album is certainly better than their previous release and it’s an album with more than a few killer moments. For me tough it just lacks variety especially in the harder numbers maybe its just the feeling that all the choruses on those tracks are pretty much interchangeable? It just doesn’t quite get there.Looking at the slower numbers it’s an entirely different ball game – there they’ve nailed it. Next time out if they get it right these guys could be astonishing but they’re not quite there yet.
