Santa Ana, CA rockers Saint Blasphemer formed just a year ago, but they sound like they’ve already been together for years on their great new EP Theotokos.
“Collapse” kicks off the EP, and it sounds like a modern alternative rock Led Zeppelin track. It sounds a bit like Wolfmother and other retro rock bands, but with a much rawer sound. The lyrics are defiant: ‘Fuck your opinions!’ The main riff that drives the track is one of the most memorable I’ve heard in recent memory.
The riff on “Low” is reminiscent of Tom Morello’s work in Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave. Lyrically the song is about somebody living on the edge, with no regard for their life: ‘Your mother is an addict/your father is a freak.’ ‘I’ve seen this all before and you deserve so much more.’
“She” has some guitar work that sounds like Dave Navarro’s work in Jane’s Addiction, especially with the song’s structure, where it is driven by a heavy riff but breaks down into more melodic breakdowns.
“Road To Nowhere” is the Grungiest track on the EP, with some shades of Alice In Chains during the chorus. It features the line: ‘Isolation is what freedom brings.’ The frenetic vocals also sound a bit like Maynard James Keenan’s in Tool and A Perfect Circle.
The title track “Theotokos’ continues the Grungy vibe after “Road To Nowhere” with a Jerry Cantrellesque guitar solo.
