Martyrs Saint // From Strength To Strength // Album Review

This is hands down one of the best EPs I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. Bristol lads Martyrs Saint have done in four songs what many bands struggle to do over two or three albums, and that is, grab your attention, hold it while repeatedly beating the living daylights out of you with their unbelievable hardcore thrash crossover sound.

Raw is one way of describing opener and title track “From Strength To Strength” but blistering assault on the senses is more apt, after a Peter Griffin, Family Guy for the uninitiated, clip we are met with a thunderous drum beat and savage riffs from Hawkes and Hurley respectively, Goodair rips into it with his snarled vocals with Lewis laying down a monster bass line, this joy and madness all rolled into a big ball of fury and it is amazing. With no letting up it is straight into “Enemy Of My Enemy” which is just as brutal; a frenzied drum assault with Goodair jumping straight in and not holding back, there is a serious groove to this with the bouncing riffs and bass line, Hurley gets to open up a bit more on this one showing his chop with both his riffage and solos as Hawkes and Lewis keep the rhythm going, if the first track caught your fancy this will do so and more, it has all the brashness of crossover but with a killer groove that hits the spot. “In Amber” is the longest track on the EP, it’s brooding, it’s the last thing you would expect after the previous two tracks, it’s vicious at times but most of all it is epic in every sense of the word, from the guitar wizardry of Hurley, who really puts a shift in with his solos something to behold, to the monster bass from Lewis that under pins the whole track, to the understated vocals of Goodair, the entire tune is a thing of beauty. The EP closes with “The Divine Art Of War”, an absolute banger that leaves you screaming for more. Lewis and Hurley go at it hammer and tongs while Hawkes keeps things kicking along with his killer drum beat. Goodair leaves nothing behind as he roars his way through the track, a full-on rager and savage way to finish things off.

All I will say is bring on a full-length album as soon as possible, because if this is anything to go by, it will be off the chain!

Review: Conor