According to this site’s handy dandy search archive, I spent my 23rd birthday reviewing the last Praying Mantis album, Katharsis, which is pretty cool if you ask me. Time Tells No Lies is one of my favorite albums of all time and their later output is pretty solid as well. Taking this into consideration, I welcomed the announcement of yet another Praying Mantis album, Defiance, with open arms. Sure, some albums are better than others, but they have yet to let me down. Furthermore, this current lineup has been absolutely killing it since the release of 2015’s Legacy.
Now admittedly, Defiance feels less like its own beast and more a glorified continuation of Katharsis, which was essentially confirmed in our interview with founding guitarist Tino Troy. This latest collection of tunes very much follows the euro tinged AOR of past releases, blurring the lines between mega hooks, pomp atmosphere, and good ol’ ’80s arena rock accessibility. Matter of fact, Defiance might be PM’s most straightforward AOR affair yet, and by no means is that a bad thing.
The drama and tension of the opening “From the Start” is one of the heavier moments on this affair, very much in line with fellow brits Magnum’s (RIP) latter day output. From there, we’re treated to an array of rockers and ballads in the grand Praying Mantis tradition, and in a larger sense, the Frontiers tradition as well. Cuts like “Never Can Say Goodbye”, “One Heart”, and “Let’s See” are unabashed slabs of euro AOR majesty, boasting punchy guitar riffs and soaring vocals, while “Forever in My Heart” and the title track serve as the obligatory power ballads that are a mainstay for a release of this nature.
For as straightforward as Defiance is, its strongest moments arrive in the form of its outliers. There’s a no frills rendition of Russ Ballard’s AOR classic, “I Surrender”, which could’ve been Praying Mantis’ hit instead of Rainbow (Check out our aforementioned interview with Tino for more on that). Speaking of Tino, he delivers a beautiful soft guitar instrumental in the form of “Nightswim”, before we’re bombarded with the biggest surprise of all, “Standing Tall”. Ever wonder what Praying Mantis would sound like if they hopped upon the Night Flight Orchestra-core bandwagon? Look no further. Fusing synthwave and AOR ever so effortlessly, PM have conjured an infectious “dance metal” banger for the ages!
50 years into their storied career and Praying Mantis stand deadly and defiant as ever. The lineup sure has changed since those NWOBHM glory days, but the spirit remains the same. I gotta hand it to the brothers Troy, Tino and Chris, for holding down this melodic hard rock fort for half a century. With this much gas in the tank, there’s no reason they can’t do so for another half century! Perhaps I’m asking for too much? Nah. These “Children of the Universe” will keep “Running for Tomorrow” until they can’t anymore. The hard and heavy world is better off because of it!
7 out of 10
Label: Frontiers Records
Genre: AOR
For fans of: Magnum, Rainbow, FM
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