Saints Of The Underground - Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner (2008)
Saints Of The Underground - Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner (2008)
EAC | FLAC IMG+CUE+LOG | Scans | RAR 3% Recovery | 307 MB
Hard Rock | 2008 Warrior Records #02097 01472
EAC | FLAC IMG+CUE+LOG | Scans | RAR 3% Recovery | 307 MB
Hard Rock | 2008 Warrior Records #02097 01472
Formed by Bobby Blotzer (Ratt's drummer) and Keri Kelli (guitarist for Alice Cooper), Saints Of The Underground quickly recruited Jani Lane (Warrant vocalist) and Robbie Crane (Ratt's bassist) to fill out their roster. Separately these accomplished musicians have achieved multi-platinum successes, but together they have pooled their talents into an exciting new sound that fuses killer hooks, big guitars, and rock-n-roll attitude. "With more than six decades of combined experience, S.O.T.U. represents classic hard rock with current elements of today's rock genre," said Keri Kelli.
The formation of Saints Of The Underground happened quite unexpectedly, as the four musicians started out playing cover tunes together for fun during off times from their respective super groups. They so enjoyed their chemistry that the band naturally evolved into a creative partnership through which original songs began to emerge. "For me, S.O.T.U. was like when a Monty Python skit stops abruptly and you hear a voice over say, 'and now for something completely different'," commented Jani Lane. "I was in a very slow and boring rut when I got a call from the guys. It really got the creative juices flowing again…and some other juices too!"
S.O.T.U. decided to capture an array of material entering Bobby Blotzer's Diamond Recording Studios in Texas to track drums and bass, while also overdubbing guitars and vocals at Keri Kelli's studio in California. "We were psyched to start recording together," commented Blotzer, "and we each brought something special to the songs." The result is their debut CD, "Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner," written and produced by Bobby, Keri, and Jani Lane. "We had the opportunity to mix our record with Andy Johns of [The Rolling] Stones and [Led] Zeppelin fame," said Lane. "He was an English prince and we had a blast working together."
Their debut CD has generated buzz from the industry featuring enough heavy grooves, hooks, and memorable melodies to satisfy even the most demanding rock-n-roll aficionados. Tracks like "Dead Man Shoes," "All In How You Wear It," "Signs Of Life," and a mesmerizing version of the Rolling Stones classic, "Moolight Mile," have this debut rocking along to a familiar yet distinctive beat that is sure to please fans, both old and new.
What happens when members of Ratt, Warrant, and Alice Cooper’s band get together? They combine forces and release an album entitled “Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner.” This unlikely venture called Saints of the Underground is composed of former Warrant vocalist Jani Lane, Ratt bassist Robbie Crane and drummer Bobby Blotzer, and Alice Cooper’s newest guitarist Keri Kelli.
After playing cover tunes together for fun, the group decided to release an album that showcases a couple covers, a few early pieces written by Lane, and a handful of new tracks composed by Lane and Kelli. The result is a well-performed mix of pop and hard rock that shows off each member’s individual talents.
Though Alice Cooper fans may find the resulting “Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner” too light for their tastes, Warrant and early Ratt fans should be pleased with the end product. The new songs are primarily pop tunes with some hard rock instrumentals added to give the songs depth. A perfect example of this is the opening track, “Dead Man Shoes,” which sounds nearly identical to Warrant, with the exception of Kelli’s impressive guitar riff. In fact, Warrant fans will recognize the catchy, bluesy tune “Jimmy” because it was a song the band played live, though never put on an album.
“Good Times” and “Exit” also are pop tunes with a decidedly 80’s sound, though the addition of an acoustic guitar in “Good Times” is a nice touch. “Bruised” offers an early 80’s monster rock ballad sound that brings to mind groups like Europe and White Lion. The one fault with “Bruised” is that because it is played primarily in minor chords, there’s a tendency for the vocals to sound flat.
“Signs Of Life” is perhaps the only track that Alice Cooper fans will embrace. The combination of heavy instrumentals and sleaze rock style mixed with a full, throaty bass make this a highlight. The other high points in the album are the covers of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” and the Rolling Stones’ “Moonlight Mile.”
While basically sticking to the original Asian sing song quality of the classic ballad “Moonlight Mile,” Saints of the Underground has managed to cut out the twang in the vocals, and the resulting execution sounds like an early Poison monster ballad. “American Girl” is almost unrecognizable as a Petty song. The steady drumbeat and heavier sound offered by Saints of the Underground make this dated track more modern, and is a big improvement over the original.
The glaringly black moment comes in the chorus of “Tomorrow Never Comes.” The band makes a huge faux pas by repeating the descant from “Pumpin, Blowin,” from the early 80’s satire musical “The Pirate Movie.” Those who are familiar with this farcical comedy will be so distracted by the similarity that they may overlook the rest of an otherwise quality melodic hard rock piece.
“All In How You Wear It” also has diminishing traits in the form of lyrics that verge on ridiculous. It becomes blatantly obvious that more focus was put on rhyming than coming up with smart lyrics. Still, the combination of Mick Mars’ styled southern rock guitar and a killer bass riff make this one grow on you, in spite of its lyrics.
Saints of the Underground’s first album may not be a choice for hardcore metal fans, but for those with a fondness for 80’s inspired hard rock and glam metal, it’s a wise purchase. Warrant fans who favor Jani Lane’s vocals will feel right at home with this album, and many will find themselves impressed by the talents of the upstart Alice Cooper guitarist Keri Kelli.
Highs: Guitar riffs in “Dead Man Shoes” and “Jimmy,” and an inspiring cover of “Moonlight Mile.”
Lows: “The Pirate Movie” inspired chorus in “Tomorrow Never Comes.”
Bottom line: An album geared toward fans of Warrant and other glam metal and hard rock bands. ~ Eccentricity, metalunderground.com
For those who aren't aware of just who Saints Of The Underground are, the band consists of Warrant front-man Jani Lane, Alice Cooper guitarist Keri Kelli, and Ratt's dynamic rhythm section of Robbie Crane on bass and Bobby Blotzer on drums. While most 'supergroups' fall short of delivering what you would expect from their collective talents, this debut album DOES NOT! Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner easily has my vote for 2008's 'Album Of The Year'! I just hope that when schedules permit that the band will tour and record more Saints Of The Underground albums in the future! Time will tell…
The album kicks off with "Dead Man's Shoes", an up-tempo rocker showcasing Jani's killer vocal layering, a solid bass groove, a sweet albeit short solo from Keri, and Blotz' best drumming of the disc (with the exception of "Bruised", but that's a whole different animal that we will touch on later). Some people may remember this song from Blotzer's previous side project Twenty4Seven with John Corabi. While still faithful to the original, some lyrics and melodies were changed by Jani. "Tomorrow Never Comes" sounds vocally as if it could have been on Warrant's Dog Eat Dog with some tastefully aggressive vocals in the verses complimented by Keri's brilliant leads, this is by far my favorite track on this album.
"All In How You Wear It" just smells of attitude, from the lyrics to the playing. "Good Times" is another track from Blotzer's aforementioned Twenty4Seven project, complete with Jani's 'Beatles-esque' harmonies in the choruses and an effects-laden solo from Keri, I could easily picture this track on the radio. "Exit" really showcases the chemistry between Jani and Keri as songwriters and musicians, and judging from this CD and Jani Lane's solo album, the duo can craft some amazing hook-laden pop-rock tunes that should be all over radio (if it wasn't for the fact that most Program Directors are deaf or just plain stupid). S.O.T.U. really take Tom Petty's "American Girl" and make it their own while remaining true to the original, Blotzer's hyper drumming really sets the pace for this track.
"Signs Of Life" starts of with some bludgeoning riffs and powerhouse drums. Yet another one of Jani's vocals that could have been on Dog Eat Dog or Belly To Belly, this track features a really bluesy solo. On "Bruised" the rhythm section really shines, laying down a galloping groove through the verses before the track kicks into high gear during the chorus. My second favorite cut on this album comes by way of S.O.T.U.'s beautiful rendition of The Rolling Stones' "Moonlight Mile". Starting off with some amazing acoustic work weaving together with the keyboards, this track slowly picks up tempo. Jani is at the top of his game vocally while the entire band is right there with him. This track is truly epic and the keys and orchestration really bring it to another level. Interestingly enough, Andy Johns, who mixed this album was also responsible for engineering the original version.
Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner ends with "Jimmy", a track that fans of Warrant have been hearing since at least 1987, yet was never put on an album. It is a straight-ahead rocker featuring harmony laden vocals and my favorite solo of Keri's from this disc blended brilliantly with the solid groove from Crane and Blotzer.
There isn't a dud in this batch of songs and everyone is at the top of their game vocally and musically. I just hope that S.O.T.U. gets together in a year or two and hammers out another album, the chemistry between Jani, Keri, Robbie and Bobby is all-to-evident!! This is what an album should be…all killer, no filler!! ~ Justin 'Crash' Crafton, sleazeroxx.com
After playing cover tunes together for fun, the group decided to release an album that showcases a couple covers, a few early pieces written by Lane, and a handful of new tracks composed by Lane and Kelli. The result is a well-performed mix of pop and hard rock that shows off each member’s individual talents.
Though Alice Cooper fans may find the resulting “Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner” too light for their tastes, Warrant and early Ratt fans should be pleased with the end product. The new songs are primarily pop tunes with some hard rock instrumentals added to give the songs depth. A perfect example of this is the opening track, “Dead Man Shoes,” which sounds nearly identical to Warrant, with the exception of Kelli’s impressive guitar riff. In fact, Warrant fans will recognize the catchy, bluesy tune “Jimmy” because it was a song the band played live, though never put on an album.
“Good Times” and “Exit” also are pop tunes with a decidedly 80’s sound, though the addition of an acoustic guitar in “Good Times” is a nice touch. “Bruised” offers an early 80’s monster rock ballad sound that brings to mind groups like Europe and White Lion. The one fault with “Bruised” is that because it is played primarily in minor chords, there’s a tendency for the vocals to sound flat.
“Signs Of Life” is perhaps the only track that Alice Cooper fans will embrace. The combination of heavy instrumentals and sleaze rock style mixed with a full, throaty bass make this a highlight. The other high points in the album are the covers of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” and the Rolling Stones’ “Moonlight Mile.”
While basically sticking to the original Asian sing song quality of the classic ballad “Moonlight Mile,” Saints of the Underground has managed to cut out the twang in the vocals, and the resulting execution sounds like an early Poison monster ballad. “American Girl” is almost unrecognizable as a Petty song. The steady drumbeat and heavier sound offered by Saints of the Underground make this dated track more modern, and is a big improvement over the original.
The glaringly black moment comes in the chorus of “Tomorrow Never Comes.” The band makes a huge faux pas by repeating the descant from “Pumpin, Blowin,” from the early 80’s satire musical “The Pirate Movie.” Those who are familiar with this farcical comedy will be so distracted by the similarity that they may overlook the rest of an otherwise quality melodic hard rock piece.
“All In How You Wear It” also has diminishing traits in the form of lyrics that verge on ridiculous. It becomes blatantly obvious that more focus was put on rhyming than coming up with smart lyrics. Still, the combination of Mick Mars’ styled southern rock guitar and a killer bass riff make this one grow on you, in spite of its lyrics.
Saints of the Underground’s first album may not be a choice for hardcore metal fans, but for those with a fondness for 80’s inspired hard rock and glam metal, it’s a wise purchase. Warrant fans who favor Jani Lane’s vocals will feel right at home with this album, and many will find themselves impressed by the talents of the upstart Alice Cooper guitarist Keri Kelli.
Highs: Guitar riffs in “Dead Man Shoes” and “Jimmy,” and an inspiring cover of “Moonlight Mile.”
Lows: “The Pirate Movie” inspired chorus in “Tomorrow Never Comes.”
Bottom line: An album geared toward fans of Warrant and other glam metal and hard rock bands. ~ Eccentricity, metalunderground.com
For those who aren't aware of just who Saints Of The Underground are, the band consists of Warrant front-man Jani Lane, Alice Cooper guitarist Keri Kelli, and Ratt's dynamic rhythm section of Robbie Crane on bass and Bobby Blotzer on drums. While most 'supergroups' fall short of delivering what you would expect from their collective talents, this debut album DOES NOT! Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner easily has my vote for 2008's 'Album Of The Year'! I just hope that when schedules permit that the band will tour and record more Saints Of The Underground albums in the future! Time will tell…
The album kicks off with "Dead Man's Shoes", an up-tempo rocker showcasing Jani's killer vocal layering, a solid bass groove, a sweet albeit short solo from Keri, and Blotz' best drumming of the disc (with the exception of "Bruised", but that's a whole different animal that we will touch on later). Some people may remember this song from Blotzer's previous side project Twenty4Seven with John Corabi. While still faithful to the original, some lyrics and melodies were changed by Jani. "Tomorrow Never Comes" sounds vocally as if it could have been on Warrant's Dog Eat Dog with some tastefully aggressive vocals in the verses complimented by Keri's brilliant leads, this is by far my favorite track on this album.
"All In How You Wear It" just smells of attitude, from the lyrics to the playing. "Good Times" is another track from Blotzer's aforementioned Twenty4Seven project, complete with Jani's 'Beatles-esque' harmonies in the choruses and an effects-laden solo from Keri, I could easily picture this track on the radio. "Exit" really showcases the chemistry between Jani and Keri as songwriters and musicians, and judging from this CD and Jani Lane's solo album, the duo can craft some amazing hook-laden pop-rock tunes that should be all over radio (if it wasn't for the fact that most Program Directors are deaf or just plain stupid). S.O.T.U. really take Tom Petty's "American Girl" and make it their own while remaining true to the original, Blotzer's hyper drumming really sets the pace for this track.
"Signs Of Life" starts of with some bludgeoning riffs and powerhouse drums. Yet another one of Jani's vocals that could have been on Dog Eat Dog or Belly To Belly, this track features a really bluesy solo. On "Bruised" the rhythm section really shines, laying down a galloping groove through the verses before the track kicks into high gear during the chorus. My second favorite cut on this album comes by way of S.O.T.U.'s beautiful rendition of The Rolling Stones' "Moonlight Mile". Starting off with some amazing acoustic work weaving together with the keyboards, this track slowly picks up tempo. Jani is at the top of his game vocally while the entire band is right there with him. This track is truly epic and the keys and orchestration really bring it to another level. Interestingly enough, Andy Johns, who mixed this album was also responsible for engineering the original version.
Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner ends with "Jimmy", a track that fans of Warrant have been hearing since at least 1987, yet was never put on an album. It is a straight-ahead rocker featuring harmony laden vocals and my favorite solo of Keri's from this disc blended brilliantly with the solid groove from Crane and Blotzer.
There isn't a dud in this batch of songs and everyone is at the top of their game vocally and musically. I just hope that S.O.T.U. gets together in a year or two and hammers out another album, the chemistry between Jani, Keri, Robbie and Bobby is all-to-evident!! This is what an album should be…all killer, no filler!! ~ Justin 'Crash' Crafton, sleazeroxx.com
Samples @ Amazon
Tracklist:
1. Dead Man Shoes
2. Tomorrow Never Comes
3. All In How You Wear It
4. Good Times
5. Exit
6. American Girl (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
7. Signs Of Life
8. Bruised
9. Moonlight Mile (The Rolling Stones)
10. Jimmy
Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 3 from 29. August 2011
EAC extraction logfile from 23. October 2011, 16:10
Saints Of The Underground / Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner
Used drive : TDK CDRW4800B Adapter: 2 ID: 1
Read mode : Secure
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Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
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==== Log checksum 91EAEFEB2382E1730551315DD0697DAF8D6D2D3C8A8C366A89FEBE03BA245FE6 ====
EAC extraction logfile from 23. October 2011, 16:10
Saints Of The Underground / Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner
Used drive : TDK CDRW4800B Adapter: 2 ID: 1
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Used output format : Internal WAV Routines
Sample format : 44.100 Hz; 16 Bit; Stereo
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.00 | 2:44.64 | 0 | 12363
2 | 2:44.64 | 3:16.06 | 12364 | 27069
3 | 6:00.70 | 4:25.12 | 27070 | 46956
4 | 10:26.07 | 3:58.24 | 46957 | 64830
5 | 14:24.31 | 2:44.53 | 64831 | 77183
6 | 17:09.09 | 3:46.32 | 77184 | 94165
7 | 20:55.41 | 2:59.01 | 94166 | 107591
8 | 23:54.42 | 3:37.46 | 107592 | 123912
9 | 27:32.13 | 5:14.42 | 123913 | 147504
10 | 32:46.55 | 3:53.69 | 147505 | 165048
Range status and errors
Selected range
Filename E:\[# AvaxHome #]\Saints Of The Underground - Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner.wav
Peak level 100.0 %
Extraction speed 6.2 X
Range quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 30AFBA77
Copy CRC 30AFBA77
Copy OK
No errors occurred
AccurateRip summary
Track 1 accurately ripped (confidence 2) [FE35B18B] (AR v1)
Track 2 accurately ripped (confidence 2) [64AB58E6] (AR v1)
Track 3 accurately ripped (confidence 2) [CE39AA9A] (AR v1)
Track 4 accurately ripped (confidence 2) [3A4A9668] (AR v1)
Track 5 accurately ripped (confidence 2) [6AD10FBF] (AR v1)
Track 6 accurately ripped (confidence 2) [9BEA12CE] (AR v1)
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Track 8 accurately ripped (confidence 2) [4849278F] (AR v1)
Track 9 accurately ripped (confidence 2) [9279519C] (AR v1)
Track 10 accurately ripped (confidence 2) [4F4F35AA] (AR v1)
All tracks accurately ripped
End of status report
==== Log checksum 91EAEFEB2382E1730551315DD0697DAF8D6D2D3C8A8C366A89FEBE03BA245FE6 ====