REVIEW : Saints Trade / Robbed In Paradise (2015)

Saints Trade are hailing from Bologna, Italy, and since their creation the band's dream was, and still is, to play the music that all the group members love. After some line-up changes, Saints Trade started to record, in 2010, songs and they played in several gigs in their homeland.

 The band grabbed the great opportunity to play at Fleetwoodstock Festival (Fleetwood, UK) in November 2011, as the opening act for the famous British hard-rockers Ten. The enthusiastic response of the audience to the songs gave Saints Trade an encouragement to enter the studio in April 2012 and record “A Matter Of Dreams”, their first mini-album produced by the legendary Roberto Priori at his Pri Studio.

Nowadays, the band is back with album  number two, "Robbed In Paradise". In this new release Saints Trade teamed up with Roberto Priori and achieved to release a solid record all the way. The album features various special guests - Roberto Priori (Danger Zone) himself, the talented keyboard player Pier Mazzini (Perfect View) and the virtuoso Tommy Denander (Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Toto, Robin Beck, House Of Lords…).

The music here is a great mix of the late 80's hard rock scene along with some more 'modern' heavy rock pinches. The guitar work is sharp enough with some clever riffs and solos, the performances are very good and the rhythm section is tight. There are some really strong moments in "Robbed In Paradise" such as the great rocker tune of "Inside", the fast-paced "Like A Woman", the 'moodier' "Dreams Running Wild" and "Into Your Eyes" that make this album a very enjoyable ride in the Saints Trade world. Very recommended!

Rating : 7/10

Track Listing :

01. To The Light  4:33
02. Feel The Fire  5:19
03. Inside  4:44
04. Allied  5:01
05. Like A Woman  3:47
06. California  4:18
07. Dreams Running Wild  4:02
08. Siria (Dawn Breaks In)  4:47
09. Rock 'n' Roll Man  4:03
10. Into Your Eyes  3:23
11.The Game  4:29

Line-up:

Santi Libra - Vocals

Claus - Guitars

Matteo Angelini - Bass

Joana - Drums

Additional musicians:

Tommy Denander - Guitar on “Inside”

Roberto Priori - Guitar on “The Game”

Pier Mazzini - Keyboards