Italy's Frontiers Records continues its increased emphasis on heavier music with metal releases from the likes of Primal Fear, Pathosray and Saint Deamon. The latter, an unrelenting Swedish/Norwegian collective that takes its name from a fictitious ghost rider named S. Deamon, proves that the band deserves a spot on the label known for its melodic rock.
In fact, Saint Deamon's second release, Pandeamonium, is notable not only for how fast it arrives — less than a year after last year's debut, In Shadows Lost from the Brave — but for its soaring choruses that anchor dark, chugging verses. That sonic dichotomy is most evident on "Eyes of the Devil" and "Fallen Angel", while the snazzy keyboard-driven "Way Home" is the album's strongest example of Saint Deamon's ability to color both in and out of metal's conventional lines. The title track is as close as this quartet comes to a ballad and the album's first true metal anthem. Then there's "A Day to Come", which sounds like Hammerfall in its prime. The only real dud is "The Deamon Within," a generic power-metal thumper that fails to take off and feels rather out of place with the nine other songs here.
Production by Roy Z (Judas Priest, Helloween) and Jens Bogren (Opeth, Amon Amarth) ensure that this thing sounds as good as it should.
Track Listing:
1) Deception
2) The Only One Sane
3) Pandeamonium
4) Eyes of the Devil (Pyramid)
5) A Day to Come
6) Way Home
7) Fallen Angel
8) The Deamon Within
9) Oceans of Glory
10) Fear In A Fragile Mind
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