Praying Mantis' 'Gravity' - Album Review

Despite initially making a name for themselves as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) movement in the early 1980s, Praying Mantis sadly never truly got the recognition that they deserved. There are probably many reasons for this, one of which almost-certainly being the huge over-saturation of the market when it came to heavier bands at the time, but the reality is that Praying Mantis came and went in the early 1980s - along with many of their peers. Despite carrying the 'metal' tag around with them, due to their association with the NWOBHM movement, Praying Mantis were never a true metal band. Listening back to 1980s seminal NWOBHM compilation, Praying Mantis' single Captured City sticks out like a sore thumb. The offerings from Iron Maiden, Angel Witch, and Samson found on that LP are packed with brooding riffs and punky attitude, while Captured City oozes with smooth melodies and crisp guitar harmonies - having more in common with hard rock legends like Thin Lizzy than Black Sabbath or Judas Priest. The band's debut album, 1981's Time Tells No Lies, was a minor hit; but it was to be all that anyone heard from Praying Mantis for a decade. Guitarist Tino Troy and bassist Chris Troy, brothers and the band's founding members, reactivated Praying Mantis in 1990 for a tour of Japan, and there has been a version of the band active ever since. Members have come and gone, and numerous albums have been released, but the Troy brothers have been keeping their brand of melodic, AOR-influenced metal alive. While many of the band's albums are quite hard to find these days, as they were released primarily for the Japanese market, this changed around a decade ago when the band joined forces with Italian rock label Frontiers Records for 2009's Sanctuary - a well-received album that reminded many European rock and metal fans that Praying Mantis still existed. That was followed up in 2015 by Legacy (which I reviewed here), a real melodic feast of an album that contains some of my favourite Praying Mantis songs to date. It was also the band's first album with the current line-up, which saw the Troy brothers joined by guitarist Andy Burgess (who has been a part of the band for around a decade now), along newcomers John Cuijpers and drummer Hans in 't Zandt (who sing and play the drums respectively). Keeping the same five together who wrote and recorded Legacy was key for the band, and thankfully all five have returned for Gravity, which sounds like the natural continuation of the previous album. The band's trademark melodic sound is still present here, and there seems to be a bigger dose of AOR here than usual with keyboards taking on a more prominent role than usual. There is still plenty of bite however, thanks to Tino Troy and Burgess' riffs and dual guitar leads, but the strong melodies are likely to appeal more to a melodic rock aficionado than your average metalhead.

Opening the album is the single Keep it Alive, a melodic track that slowly builds up with some spacey harmony vocals, before a Thin Lizzy-esque main riff kicks in atop Zandt's groove-filled drumming. Cuijpers is easily the best permanent vocalist the band have (discounting singer like Doogie White and John Sloman who have contributed to Praying Mantis albums over the years) and he demonstrates this immediately with a gritty verse delivery. Praying Mantis have often suffered from having sub-par vocalists, but in Cuijpers they have found the man with the pipes to suit their bombastic sound. The tough verses and the soaring choruses here, with plenty of smooth harmony vocals from the band, shows what Praying Mantis have been missing all these years - but it seems Cuijpers is in for the long haul now. Mantis Anthem follows and lowers the pace somewhat, opening with a cheesy synth melody that sounds like it would have been the theme tune for a 1980s sci-fi TV show. While not a ballad the song moves along at a fairly slow pace, allowing the booming drums and bass to create a strong groove while the keyboards provide much of the song's musical meat. The keyboards throughout the album are handled by the Troy bothers and Burgess and sometimes, like during parts of this song, almost replace the guitars entirely. The song toughens up for the chorus, which is certainly attempting something of an anthemic sound (unsurprising given the song's title). Subtle gang vocals are mixed into the chorus, which certainly helps it to hit home, but I feel this chorus does not have quite the effect that it is intended to do. It is a little slow to be a true 'fists in the air' moment, but the melody still manages to find its way into your brain. While many of Praying Mantis' songs are written by the Troy brothers, either together or individually, Time Can Heal was put together by Cuijpers and Burgess. There is a real 1980s AOR vibe here, with a subtle, chugging guitar rhythm throughout and sparkly keyboards that create a sugary atmosphere. Being a big AOR fan, this song really appeals to me and showcases the band's current line-up playing to their strength. While it is probably fair to say that Cuijpers is more at home singing the band's heavier material, his voice is still suited to singing these poppier offerings. The song also shows how well-produced this album is, as all of the elements clearly stand out. Chris Troy's bass cuts through the mix when required, and the keyboards add another layer without drowning out the guitar rhythms. Tino Troy and Burgess were responsible for producing the album, so they should be congratulated on their efforts to make such a well-rounded sound for Gravity. 39 Years, despite a juddering synth intro, is a bit more of a rocker, with strong guitar rhythms and a snaking bassline that really dominates the verses and provides a countermelody to Cuijpers' vocals. The chorus is a strong, and has more than a hint of John Payne-era Asia about it, with Cuijpers' rich vocals really standing out. There are a lot of harmony guitars here too, a cornerstone of Praying Mantis' sound, which sound as good now as they did in the early 1980s.

The album's title track also has a tougher sound, with Chris Troy's bass intro setting the tone before some big harmony guitar melodies kick in. Despite the big production that dominates much of the album, this song feels more stripped-back on the whole. The verses are mostly free of any fuss, with the bass and drums providing a rock solid backing for the vocals. The chorus is a fairly slow one, but one that really grows over time. This was the first song from the album that was made available online prior to the album's release, and on first listen I was not impressed at all. I have had many subsequent listens to the song since however, and it has grown on me since. The guitar solo section stands out too, and features lots of excellent melodies from the band's two guitarists. Tino Troy or Burgess rarely rely on speed for their solos, but instead pack plenty of melody in their playing which often makes the band's instrumental sections stand out. Ghosts of the Past is a song put together by Burgess and some of the band's former members, and it has a bit of a darker feel throughout - despite opening with a melodic piano line. The keyboards here give the song a slightly symphonic quality, often backing up the Deep Purple-esque guitar arpeggios for a snaking, slightly gothic feel. Cuijpers channels his inner Dio here, and shows a slightly rougher side of his voice, which is perfectly suited to the vibe created throughout the song. The darker feel does make Ghosts of the Past stand out somewhat, especially when much of the rest of the album is fairly upbeat, but it provides an interesting change of mood which helps the album to remain interesting. Destiny in Motion opens with an aching guitar melody, and it seems as if the song will be the album's first ballad. This is not the case however, as the song slowly builds up during the dense verses to explode into a bouncy, upbeat chorus that is possibly one of the album's best. The mix of the slower verses with the anthemic choruses is a classic AOR trope, but it still works well despite being done to death over the years. It also features a dramatic guitar solo section, which opens with some bombastic rhythmic blasts before the emotionally-charged solo starts. Sadly the album's booklet does not credit each individual solo, so I am not sure whether Tino Troy or Burgess were responsible for this particular offering, but either way it proves to be a winner. The Last Summer is another slower offering, with an acoustic guitar providing the main body of the verse, with the band's classic guitar harmonies surfacing during the intro, and occasionally elsewhere, to add a touch of class when required. While not a true ballad, the song feels like one at times, and it is good to see the band lowering the pace here and allowing the acoustic guitar to be so prominent. It is present throughout, including throughout the chorus which builds upon the song's simplicity to create a melodic passage of gorgeous harmony vocals.

Foreign Affair is a very keyboard-heavy piece, and is dominated by a synth riff that the song is then built around. Sadly however, the riff is extremely similar to Foreigner's Waiting for a Girl Like You which does end up distracting me while listening to it as all I can hear is Foreigner! This aside however, the song is enjoyable and seems to be the only real ballad of the album. Chiming clean guitars and rhythmic bass make up the rest of the song, and Cuijpers lays down an emotional vocal performance which is akin to many of the mega hits of the 1980s. It does feel a bit like a pastiche of the soaring power ballads of the 1980s however, relying too heavily on the tropes of the genre and a riff that sounds far too similar to something else to establish its own identity. Shadow of Love is a real winner however, and easily my favourite song on the album. It is the only song on the album that is credited to all five band members, showing that more collaboration between the five might be fruitful going forward. The 1980s AIR vibe is still extremely strong here, but this time taking the form of a more upbeat rocker with plenty of synth backing alongside tougher riffs. If this song was released back in 1986 it would have been a huge hit, but sadly that is not the case today. AOR fans like me will lap it up however, and will drawn in by the epic chorus - which is dripping with layers of harmony vocals and sure to prove to be real winner live. Electric piano melodies help to add to the verses, and the toughening up of the guitars as it moves towards the chorus only makes the melodies hit harder when they arrive. The soaring guitar solo really befits the piece, and is the icing on the cake on what is already a really great song. I would love to see the band putting out more songs like this one in the future, and I feel it really brings out the best of the five Praying Mantis members. Final Destination is the album's closing number, and it takes on a heavier feel than most of the rest of the album - more akin to Ghosts of the Past than anything else here. The synths again take on more of a symphonic feel, with the guitar riffs and melodies certainly more metallic than anything else on the album. Zandt even throws in some occasional bursts of double bass drumming which helps to add extra bite and punch to the piece, without ever going overboard and turning the song into a power metal anthem. Despite being quite different to much of the rest of the album, Final Destination works well as a closing number, as the relative urgency in the riffing and drumming builds towards a crescendo which helps to end the album on a high. Overall, Gravity is another really strong album from Praying Mantis and one that adds some more highly-polished melodic rock to their discography. Long-time fans of the band are sure to really enjoy this offering, and any AOR fans who are not already versed with Praying Mantis' work should pick this up for an exciting discovery.

The album was released on 11th May 2018 via Frontiers Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Keep it Alive.