ST. MADNESS – Vampires In The Church

From Scottsdale, Arizona comes St. Madness, a group of curiously looking gentlemen. They wear Black Metal-esque makeup and their stage names are even more peculiar. However, there is more to these fellows than initially meets the eye. The band is labelled Shock/Thrash Metal, but, although the Thrash element is evident throughout, St. Madness offers more than this on their sixth full-length CD. The pace is often groove-oriented, and laden with hooks.

The spectrum ranges from emotional and atmospheric in “Arizona,” humoristic in “Head,” the tough balls-out Metal found in the title track. The band even has a go at acoustic Blues with the track “Covered In Blood,” a tale of a vampire in search of the human equivalent of a smorgasbord! Meanwhile, troubled relationships matters are addressed in the Punk-ish “I Cut Myself,” a track that is reminiscent of early Suicidal Tendencies, whereas “Expressionless” tells the tale of a woman having a hard time coming to terms with aging. “Kill” features splendid, old-school, Thrash riffage and is one of the highlights on this very impressive release. “Missing Girls Body Found” chugs along heavily at a nice pace.

St. Madness is a band that has a lot to say musically as well as lyrically. “Speaking In Tongues” is pretty much universal, with it’s anti-political message. The ending track, “Just Say Good Bye,” has a spooky feel. It all adds up to great entertainment.

The vocal approach is often rough, which goes well with the band’s down-to-earth, gritty, sound. Singer Prophet, who was once actually contacted to audition for Black Sabbath as a replacement for Tony Martin back in 1997, is also capable of a smooth delivery where needed though, as in “Ever After,” for example; a soulful ballad with an epic feel. A cover of Pantera’s “Walk” is also featured in honor of late guitarist Dimebag Darrell. Said track can also be found on the tribute album This Love: A Tribute To Dimebag

There exists far too much boring music in the world. Every once in a while, though, a band with genuine soul emerges. St. Madness is such a band. The strength of this album lies in it’s varied cohesiveness. St. Madness has their craft pretty much worked out, but that craft has its bag of tricks, which makes Vampires In The Church an enjoyable experience. Hopefully, this album will do well for the band and take them to the next level.

Lineup

Prophet: Lyrics/Vocals
Dark Soul: Drums
Altar Boy: Lead Guitars
Mad Marwin: Rhythm Guitar
Uno Mosh: Bass Guitar