An entire generation looks at the 80s as the heyday of hard rock and heavy metal, often times bemoaning the abrupt ending of the golden era that took place in the early 90s. Thanks to Frontiers Records in Italy, there has been a revival of 80s-style hard rock. In some cases, they have brought us new music by the bands who defined the generation, while in other cases, they have put together inspired combinations to form “supergroups.” Such is the case with Revolution Saints.
It seems fitting that the band – featuring Deen Castronovo (Journey/Bad English), Jack Blades (Night Ranger/Damn Yankees) and Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake/Dio) – released a single entitled “Turn Back Time” to introduce themselves to the world.
You might not expect “Turn Back Time” to have such a classic Journey sound, given the fact that Castronovo is the drummer in the band. While he also plays drums in Revolution Saints, this project was formed in large part as a way of showcasing his brilliant vocals, which resemble Steve Perry at least as much as current Journey frontman, Arnel Pineda. If you are a Journey fan, then “Turn Back Time” will be right in your wheelhouse.
Just as Blades did with Tommy Shaw in Damn Yankees, he provides the perfect complement to Castronovo with Revolution Saints, and Alrich’s beautifully melodic shredding guitar solos serve as a reminder that the days of guitar gods are still alive and well today.
This past week, Revolution Saints released “Way To The Sun” – the follow-up single to “Turn Back Time.” The song opens with the classic, acoustic guitar sound of the power ballads of yesteryear. Like most power ballads, the song builds to a crescendo and kicks into high gear, but before the explosion into the big, arena sound takes place, Revolution Saints tease you with a quick burst and continue with the slower verse. As the song progresses towards the guitar solo, there is a distinct Journey feel, courtesy of a guest appearance by Castronovo’s bandmate, Neal Schon.
For the most part, supergroups aren’t built for longevity, and Revolution Saints is probably no exception, but the first two singles are proof positive that this could be a band with tremendous staying power if they chose to commit to it full-time.
If you are a fan of Journey, Night Ranger, Damn Yankees, Whitesnake and the like, Revolution Saints is a band that you must check out!
WOW AWESOME BAND!!!!!!!!!! IT’S GOOD TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE STILL BANDS THAT POUND OUT THE POWER WITH GREAT VOCALS EXCELLENT MUSIC THAT ROCKS ……….. THANKS REVOLUTION SAINTS —” THERES ONLY ONE WAY TO ROCK”