SAINT AGNES: Bloodsuckers (GRUNGE): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Saint Agnes made a name for himself with the release of his debut album in 2019, "Welcome To Silvertown", which featured energetic, dark and somewhat schizophrenic Rock driven by the voice of Kitty Arabella Austen. After several EPs (which formed the backbone of 2021's second album, "Vampire"), it's time to welcome back the self-proclaimed "most disgusting band in England" with a new album, "Bloodsuckers".

This qualifier is obviously no more than a marketing ploy: on the covers, the band amuses themselves with excessive make-up and horrific postures reminiscent of B-movies, and you could doubt the seriousness of their music before hearing the first note. Fortunately, the content is far better than the appearance. Saint Agnes preaches a dynamic Rock that borrows its energetic from all genre (punk, indus, grunge, metal). The guitars are razor-sharp, the drums supercharged, the bass provides a funereal sound, and the keyboards hammer in the final nails of the coffin.

Saint Agnes is above all a voice. Kitty Arabella Austen, the singer, gives us a demonstration of her vocal talents: slimy ('Animal', 'At War With Myself'), deceptively innocent, even childlike ('Outsider'), raging ('Middle Finger'). This effective rage (especially on 'Animal') is, however, the least of her qualities, and we would have liked to hear more of her in less aggressive registers.

Not necessarily very subtle or original, Saint Agnes' music hits straight to the point. These include the ballad 'This Is Not The End', which gives us a breath of fresh air before descending into the maelstrom, and the final track, which happily plays on the two contradictory moods (calmness from the piano and rage from the guitars), as well as 'Animal', which adds a stale atmosphere to the overall heaviness. Some tracks prove redundant, such as the short 'Body Bag', which could have been merged with 'Middle Finger' which precedes it, as well as some purely angry tracks. But above all, we can deplore the absence of the cinematic aspect reminiscent of urban western atmospheres.

"Bloodsuckers" is an explosive cocktail of heaviness, energy and macabre charm. Don't hesitate to throw yourself into the arms of this great sonic reaper, who borrows from several styles to offer us dynamic music that never tires, despite a few imperfections. - Official website

SAINT AGNES

BLOODSUCKERS

SPINEFARM RECORDS

GRUNGE