For many years, metal band SAZ have remained at the top of the Dundee rock scene,their knack of finding red hot female vocalists the stuff of legend. But they've saved the best for latest - enter new lead vocalist Amy to join the ranks of Nicola on Harmony and co-lead vocals, Marina on bass, Kev on guitar and Ritchie on drums. Along with that comes four recently recorded tracks that show why this band are the pinnacle of metal and commercial, pop, punk and rock combined in one gloriously wild brew.
Things kick off with "Get A Grip", currently one of the most played rock tracks on Tay-FM's morning show, as Kev's scything guitar riff gets things off to a rousing start, the rhythm section bursting in with an adrenaline rush as Amy's powerful lead vocal erupts and Nicola just soars on the choruses, the sheer depth and strength of the dual-female lead vocal dive-bombing its way to armageddon as the song positively flies, its mix of metallic riffing, insistent hooks and downright force, a thing of wonderment and the strongest studio version to date.
Then comes the surprise in the form of one of the band's best and long-forgotten songs that is "Pictures" - the song that turned me onto the band in the first place. Introduced by Amy's tension-rising vocal taken at a right old pace, Nicola's breathtaking spot-on timing provides rifle-fire harmonies that give the song its added depth and expansive qualities. The band play as one, a mix of sizzling rifing and driving rhythms that allow the fullmajesty of the song to burst iinto life and rampage yet still retaining all the elements that make it so insanely catchy and a steaming metal anthem, while the Nicola and Amy carry off the vocal with seemingly effortless and spellbinding qualities, Amy just flying along on a track that you just can't wait for them to resurrect in a live set - stunning!! "Metal Attack" begins with a searing solo guitar lead as the rhythm section erupts briefly, the guitar rises, the rhythms ection re-appear, a moment of calm and then - kerboooommm!!!! - Amy delivers this insanely fast vocal, almost snarling the lyrics over the band's urgent arrangement, Marina's bass runs pounding away as the drums knock the song into shape and Kev's guitar drives as though the devil's on its tail, a red-hot guitar break being the icing on the cake as this raging metal-pop anthem sparks into life. Here Nicola provides just the choruses with the extra depth and sparkle that makes this band so unique. Again, sounding more urgent, confident and vibrant than any previously recorded version, this is SAZ at their best, but still promising that this is just the beginning for this line-up.
Finally, the cascading guitar riffing that introduces "Suck Bruise Me" is but the start of a song that has a similar atmosphere and flavour to "Pictures" only slower, if "slower" could be said to be a word in this band's vocabulary. Once more Nicola provides the depth of harmony vocals and more sizzling timing on the in-out hooks while Amy sounds a mix of menace, passion and power, ooozing evil and sex at the same time. The band deliver a crashing slice of driving, gliding metal, fuelled by the phenomenal propulsive bass, crunching drums and a river of guitar riffing and rising leads that surface every so often. More harmonious in its effect, more commercial in its qualoity, it nonetheless remains a consummate piece of metalli-punk-pop that can't fail to have you leaping about the place.
By any rock standards, this is sensational stuff and, for demo tracks, superbly recorded and played, from one of the UK's finest female-fronted rock bands around today.
