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February 2025

• Craig Brooks: Desolation Freeway
• Mantric Momentum: Alienized
• Pattern-Seeking Animals: Friend Of All Creatures
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January 2025

• Wildness: Avenger
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December 2024

• After Lapse: Pathways
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November 2024

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October 2024

• Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
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• Frost*: Life In The Wires
• Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
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• House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
• Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire

[ More Music Reviews ]

The Ragged Saints: Sonic Playground Revisited

Melodic Hard Rock/AOR

4.5/5.0

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AOR Heaven Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 29.01.2020 | Released: 31.01.2020

Here's a band from the Where Have They Been? file. Sweden's The Ragged Saints. Better than six years ago, the group dropped they're debut album, The Sound Of Breaking Free, a better than average album with few flaws. I liked it for its classy album art. Now, six years in the making the quintet delivers their long awaited second album, Sonic Playground Revisited.

The Ragged Saints

Not unlike their first album, The Ragged Saints return to play their style of Eighties melodic hard rock, with a little metal bite, but always served in an AOR wrapper. Being formed by two guitarist the only additional addendum to this description is, quite guitar-driven. Expect to hear fine twin guitar harmony and abundance of thrilling solos.

For some song samples, you'll find some strong melodic rockers with Like A Spinning Wheel, Pretending Diamond, and the radio-friendly Never Let You Down. The Ragged Saints bump up the tempo for the fast paced rocker, Secret In Our Hearts. Some songs turn more upon AOR accessibility and groove like Take Me With You or Always Forever. Songs like Absence Of light or Pretending Diamond reveal The Ragged Saints guitar-forward rock with sharp riffs and big solos. You can't have classic Eighties rock without a ballad, and you get a fine one with Just Believe, with the necessary guitar solo crescendo. While it's been a long wait, Sonic Playground Revisited finds The Ragged Saints in fine form, delivering another entertaining album of AOR influenced classic melodic hard rock. Easily recommended.

Passion: Passion

Melodic Heavy Metal Rock

4.5/5.0

In one sense, Passion is something of a solo project from Night By Night vocalist Lion Ravarez. The UK based musician played most of the instruments and handled production ... [ Read More ]

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

While it's been a long wait, Sonic Playground Revisited finds The Ragged Saints in fine form, delivering another entertaining album of AOR influenced classic melodic hard rock. Easily recommended.

Alphabetical Index

By now it's old news. Everybody in the prog universe knows: Dream Theater got the band back together. Drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy returned to his Dream Theater family to celebrate their 40th ... [ Read More ]