St. Madness - 2018 - Bloodlustcapades

(67:21; Nasty Prick Records)

Track list:
1. Day of the Dead 6:15
2. Folsom Prison Blues 3:47
3. Don't Be Like the Blind 7:30
4. The Arrogance of Man 6:13
5. This Is Your Reality 4:17
6. Made in China 2:07
7. Walk Your Own Path 9:10
8. Bloodlustcapades 4:19
9. Can't Help Falling in Love With You 3:44
10. Warnings From the Past 4:40
11. King of the Goddam World 4:26
12. Rigel 4:16
13. He's Riding a Harley in Heaven 5:00
14. Noah Rules 1:37

Line-up:
Prophet - vocals
Sid Ripster - guitars, vocals
Scarlet Rivers - bass
Big Daddy Sug - drums
with:
Dave Cornwall - strings, Rhodes, piano, Moog


US band St. Madness has been around in one form or another since 1997, with an initial phase prior to that operating under the moniker 'Crown of Thorns'. As St. Madness the band have at least seven studio albums to their name, in addition to a couple of live albums and compilations. The album "Bloodlustcapades" dates back to 2018, and was released through the label Nasty Prick Records.

That this is a metal band appears rather crystal clear when looking at the band name and album cover alone, with the album name emphasizing that this is indeed the case. The metal in this case is one that mainly alternates between two forms of what many would describe as old school metal these days I guess, namely heavy metal and thrash metal.

The band know how to churn out both forms of metal, and will rather frequently switch back and forth between them in each individual song, generally opting for a heavy metal approach for the slower paced sections and a thrash metal orientation for the pacier sequences. Which is a natural choice too, given the strengths of each of those styles. Otherwise this is a band fond of using dark, rich and dirty riffs, and mastering the compelling chugging riff cascades just as much as epic, dirty standalone riffs or arrangements relying on impact riffs, impact rhythms or both of these to build and maintain tension. A liberal view on the use of sound effects and atmospheric laden interludes is a characteristic trait for the band too, and one aspect that is a bit more novel is the use and inclusion of folk and world music elements as a part of the total experience. In this case used as additional flavoring rather than as a part of building a folk metal style, mind you.

On the cover tracks here St. Madness also show that they can execute a tighter orientation with closer ties to hardcore, hard rock and punk, and they also showcase a much more experimental style on a couple of sound collages. The latter ones the least interesting creations here from my point of view, my personal preference in that department being the much darker and more grim and expressive creations of an artist such as, for instance, Gridfailure. A bit more successful is the country meets metal landscapes explored on 'Walk Your Own Path', perhaps not quite at the level of what Metallica crafted in a similar vein a few years back but an enjoyable creation still, and one given a striking and novel lift when psychedelic, blues and world music flavoring starts growing into the song around the halfway point.

"Bloodlustcapades" is a solid album on just about all levels, and while the experimental features here may not be for everyone this is a band that comes with high appeal and a compelling sound when they stick to heavy metal and thrash metal. If dirty guitars, tight riff cascades and easy to like groove patterns are seen as positive features of your heavy metal and thrash metal, and the use of sound effects and world music elements in this context is regarded as a positive, then the chances are good that "Bloodlustcapades" is a production you need to get to know just a little bit better.

Olav M. Björnsen, October 2022

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/ST-MADNESS-58739248731
https://www.facebook.com/NastyPrickRecords