Blood Red Saints' second album by the English, a "Love Hate Conspiracies" released last year, had seen the combo evolve from a very harmless AOR to a more punchy melodic hard rock turned towards Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. Today his little brother is coming out, and we wonder if this "Pulse" will give us another evolutionary surprise.
Since there is no change in the line-up and the cover of the work still gives as much desire to test the product as a Mexican is tempted to make a donation to Trump to build his personal Berlin Wall, one can, at first glance, doubt the band's intentions of progress. And yet.... "Pulse" is not, this time, an album that sometimes looks like Def Leppard, but an opus that brings back almost non-stop to the guys from Sheffield, while putting a little more foot on the energetic pedal and turning simultaneously, and resolutely, towards a more modern approach to its melodic hard rock.
So you have to wait for the third piece of the work and the excellently melodious "Cross To Bear" to recognize the Blood Red Saints. Before that, you will listen to two new tracks by Def Leppard...
Certainly, the perfect "Invincible" and "I'm Your Devil", a power pop/hair metal/punkisant track that Cheap Trick would not have denied, keeps us away from the Deaf Leppards, but it is to better immerse us in their den afterwards. Thus, from the very promising ballad "Crash Into Me", which could be the sequel to "Love Bites", to the heavy and girond "Message To God", from the grand-tempo "Warrior" which deserves the royal crown of the opus, to the little brother of "Pour Some Sugar On Me" called here "What Have We Become", everything here reminds us of the Sheffield's army.
So, if you don't like Joe Elliot's gang, a word of advice: go on your way and leave this third part of Blood Red Saints' adventures on the roadside. On the other hand, if Def Lep's most modern work has worn out your speakers, take a look at the product, it will take you twenty-four seconds to get your head back in the dust bag.