REVIEW: Saving Abel – Blood Stained Revolution

“Blood Stained Revolution” marks Saving Abel’s first record with new vocalist, Scotty Austin, and new drummer, Steven Pulley. This album is a definite departure of Saving Abel of yesteryear, so fans are in for something completely different. “Blood Stained Revolution” certainly creates the atmosphere of a straight and to-the-point, hard-hitting, southern rock effort. Saving Abel are well known for supporting our troops, with a percentage of digital pre-orders via Rokbiz going straight to military veteran organizations. Their passion for our country and our troops shine through in “Blood Stained Revolution,” making it a great candidate to be the soundtrack for the U.S. military.

“Blood Stained Revolution” is a perfect example of what a southern hard rock album should be. Every single power chorus and lyric that Austin sings is right there, ready to punch you in the face. Unfortunately, that’s the funny thing about this record…Those very same elements which make “Blood Stained Revolution” what it is, are exactly what begin to work against it at times. While the instrumentals and vocal melodies are fantastically performed, the tracks themselves tend to run together; much like some other bands within the southern rock genre. “Blood Stained Revolution” becomes quite predictable in that sense. On first listen, I found myself being able to picture the direction in which each song was heading, where the solos were going to be placed, and how each chorus was going to pick up, simply because those elements were repetitively harnessed throughout the tracks.

That being said, the stand out track on this album for me is “Side Roads.” “Side Roads,” the final track on “Blood Stained Revolution” is a piano, violin, and vocal ballad which stands out because of how different it is from the rest of the record. It shows risk. It shows Saving Abel breaking the mold…and it pays off. By saying that, I do not mean that there had to be any other ballads on the album. I just personally believe that “Blood Stained Revolution” would have benefited from a bit more risk taking. A couple of different sounding tracks strategically placed within could have changed the entire feel of this album, while still maintaining the driving sonic force that Saving Abel are going for.

At the same time, there is a lot to admire about “Blood Stained Revolution.” The guitar solos from Jason Null are incredibly emotional. His guitar playing style is proof that you do not need to sweep pick or be the ‘fastest note swinger in the west’ to write some killer leads. Scotty Austin has some great vocal range and rasp to his voice, which he is not afraid to use. I found myself bobbing my head along to quite a few of the tracks that Saving Abel offer up here. Although predictable at times, the production and song-writing themselves are solid, making the “Blood Stained Revolution” well worth it for fans of the southern hard rock genre.

Support Saving Abel and our troops by pre-ordering “Blood Stained Revolution” on sale for only $5.00 via Rokbiz which drops on Veteran’s Day – 11/11/14:

http://shop.rokbiz.com/shop/saving-abel/blood-stained-revolution-entire-album-digital-download

– MelodicEnmity