Saints Trade - Time To Be Heroes (Album Review)

Saints Trade is an Italian melodic rock band from Bologna, Italy. Their album is called Time To Be Heroes. The band is living just a few miles from the epicenter of a global pandemic. The title of the album may be mere coincidence or perhaps fate. There are three members of this band listed. They are Santi Libra on vocals, Andrea Sangermano on bass and Claus on guitars. Obviously there is a drummer not listed playing some solid fills on this record. On first listen there is a Quiet Riot meets Toto thing going on. I know those are two bands that typically don't go together. The rock and holler style meets melodic and precise excursions. Fans of heavier stuff and AOR oriented material can kinda hang in for the same song. "Livin' To Rock" opens with a catchy riff coupled with some sprawling keyboards and well placed call and answer vocals. At first listen this could be a number of different bands. Kiss, Van Halen, Journey, Firehouse...These Italians have gleaned from the best.

"Night Children" leans on another big riff and then some fine noodling. Libra's vocals are reliable and carry enough weight to keep the party going. The high harmonies have a Damn Yankees thing going on. "Destiny" is more Toto than Quiet Riot except for the big blasting chorus of vocals. Like a sophisticated metal party without the bleeding nostrils. "Higher" employs a bluesy riff that settles into a chord that feels very Twisted Sister or Survivor. It's a killer music bed to sing over and the band makes the most of it. "Two As One" is a slow building power ballad; something XYZ or Vandenberg could have written. The guitar tone is perfect for the emotion in the song. So far, so good. Oftentimes when I write about bands from Italy there is something lost in the translation. Not so with Saints Trade. They truly get how to do this. "Queen of Love" is a straight ahead rocker that finds a nice little power hook. The band glides over it, but surprisingly they change tempo hard and then revert back to the punkish melodic groove. "Born Hunter" is an instant radio classic, with a ginormous riff and some sweet chord changes along with huge choruses.

"Hills of Sarajevo" has a different feel to it. More progressive and serious in nature. There are still some epic chord combinations and a wonderful guitar solo. "Twist In The Tail"is an attempt at a dramatic story line. Not sure it works as intended, but it gets points for the attempt. "The Rose" returns to a more straight forward hard rock sound. Not quite as many hooks as the previous material. "Middle of Nowhere" is a hybrid rocker with ballad like tendencies. A bit repetitive. The band is still hitting on all cylinders musically speaking but might be running a bit thin on lyrical ideas. Still a strong record that will make any melodic rock collection better.

Album Rating 8.8