Year : 2019
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + front
Size : 105 mb
Bio:
Praying Mantis are an English rock band. Although a part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene, they pursued a musical direction more melodic and AOR-sounding than their contemporaries.Their formation considerably pre-dated the NWOBHM movement. They were formed in 1974 by the Troy brothers, Tino and Chris, both college students. Like several NWOBHM bands they made their first available recording at Neal Kay's Soundhouse recording studio, which was released as the Soundhouse Tapes EP in 1979.1980 saw their profile considerably raised with support slots for Iron Maiden and Ronnie Montrose's Gamma. The attention won them a recording contract with Arista Records and they released their best-known work Time Tells No Lies in 1981.Management and line-up instability undermined their success and Arista dropped them. The following year they signed for Jet Records, but two subsequent singles flopped and the band folded. They had recorded a version of the Russ Ballard penned track "I Surrender", but ran into conflict with Rainbow, who went on to release their version, and had a Top 10 worldwide hit. Instead, Praying Mantis recorded another single,"Cheated". It reached No. 69 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1981.The band maintained a strong fan base in Japan, and when the Troys temporarily reformed Praying Mantis for a NWOBHM nostalgia tour in 1990, they were encouraged by the response to resurrect the band full-time. Their live work was released as Live at Last, and a follow-up studio album Predator in Disguise was released the following year, and the band soldiered on into the new century. A compilation album, The Best of Praying Mantis, was released in 2004. Following further line-up changes, a new album, Sanctuary, was released in the spring of 2009 and has gained worldwide media acclaim.In 2013 the band announced they are to release a new single in October 2013. The single is to officially introduce new members, [John Cuijpers] (vocals) and [Hans in’t Zandt] (drums) to the bands fanbase after playing Colchester, Ipswich (with support from MGR Records band Kaine) and Cambridge Rock Festival with the brand new line up.A new album called Legacy is due for release early June 2015.
Album:
Only a few years from their 50th anniversary since forming in London by brothers Chris and Tino Troy, melodic hard rockers PRAYING MANTIS prove they are still a force to be reckoned with judging by this performance for the “Keep It Alive” album, due for release on Dec. 6th via Frontiers Music.Recorded at the Frontiers Rock Festival V last year on their Gravity tour, it kicks off strongly as it heads way back to 1979 for ‘Captured City’, originally released as a single. The riffs still enthrall after all these years, while ‘Panic In The Streets’ from their 1981 debut album Time Tells No Lies that influenced the NWOBHM genre is another age defying blast from the past with gritty riffs and luxurious backing vocals as all of the band have fine voices. A neat twin guitar/vocal interplay and pounding drum outro make it an early highlight.‘Highway’ has a touch of ‘Hysteria’ in the melodies and this number is a sumptuous slice of AOR at its very best. ‘Believable’, my favourite track from the 2015 The Legacy album see massive verses and choruses belted out by the band. It’s an emotional tour de force of a number that I didn’t want to end.A brace from the Gravity album sees ‘Keep It Alive’ being a full blooded foot to the floor headbanger and ‘Mantis Anthem’ is all slow, pounding grooves with stadium filling choruses and a majestic lead guitar solo midway.‘Dream On’ is a spine tingling ballad with backing vocals that flew around my headphones as lead singer John ‘Jaycee’ Cuipers soars with aplomb. ‘Fight For Your Honour’, another big song from the Legacy album has call to arms lyrics in this heavy rocker and once again the backing vocals are breathtaking.The heaviness ante is upped by ‘Predator In Disguise’ as the band lock in hungrily for some destructive dynamics and their set closes all too soon with a welcome return to the Time Tells No Lies album for ‘Children Of The Earth’. It’s a one last blast from the past of bruising riffs that add muscle as it gradually builds to a guitar laden outro.With an excellent set list covering all the Praying Mantis catalog, “Keep It Alive” clearly shows a band in full form, energetic, tight, and melodic as ever.
Line-Up:
Tino Troy – Guitar, vocals
Chris Troy – Bass, vocals
John ‘Jaycee’ Cuipers – Lead vocals
Andy Burgess – Guitar, vocals
Hans In ‘tZandt – Drums, vocals
Tracklist:
01. Captured City (Live)
02. Panic in the Streets (Live)
03. Highway (Live)
04. Believable (Live)
05. Keep It Alive (Live)
06. Mantis Anthem (Live)
07. Dream On (Live)
08. Fight for Your Honour (Live)
09. Time Slipping Away (Live)
10. Children of the Earth (Live)
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