Forgotten Scroll Magazine 'Sanctuary' Review – Greece

Tracklist: 01. In Time 02. Restless Heart 03. Tears In The Rain 04. So High 05. Turn The Tide/lonely Way Home 06. Touch The Rainbow 07. Threshold Of A Dream 08. Playing God 09. Broken Chains (japanese Release Only) 10. Highway 11. Sanctuary

Lineup: Tino Troy Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards Chris Troy Bass, Vocals, Keyboards Mike Freeland Lead Vocals Benjy Reid Drums And Percussion Andy Burgess Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards

Mantis did it again man. Yes I would expect nothing by those British pioneers of electric Rocking melody than another catchy, hard as a rock and melodic masterpiece. Sanctuary is already on my top ten list with the albums of the year. Why? Because is one of those albums that you are listening from the beginning to the end without skipping any track, because it is full of inspired melodic Hard Rock songs, enforced by beautiful leads and crystal clear vocals, because all the songs has this magic Praying Mantis touch, because one of the best songs of the album (In Time) is the album opening track (following this little Praying Mantis Tradition) and because Praying Mantis are still offering MUSIC to our ears, nothing more and nothing less.

I already pointed the leads and the vocals as the powerful picks of the album nut I got to add the keyboards and their secret melodies that add more beauty to the songs and of course the solid rythim section that offers this heavy basis to all the music of the latest Mantis album. All these brought to you under a loud and clear production.

Well I really was in the need of such an album lately and it seems that there are many more people out there that have fed up with the noisy crap and need some good hard rocking melodies. I got a good example in here as in the first day of latest Hermoupolis Indie Rock Festival –a local fest that I organize in my home island in Greece-, I used the latest Mantis CD as a music filler between the live bands, after the show finished I went back on the sound board to get my CD only to find the sound engineer –who do not really know Mantis- commenting at me: “hey Chris, this was a nice CD”. You see…? It is not only me! Well if this album has the power to attract someone not into Mantis, imagine what it would do to you that are already addicted to their magic!
A must.

https://www.praying-mantis.com/

Review by: Countraven