Album Review: Praying Mantis - Defiance (2024, Frontiers Music) (2024)

Written: 9th April 2024

Formed in 1974, Praying Mantis are one of the original members of the NWOBHM. Having survived two periods of hiatus and now with a settled line up, they have been on a consistent run of form since 2015’s Legacy. To celebrate their fiftieth anniversary, the band are due to release Defiance, their twelfth album, on 19thApril 2024.

Even in their early days, Praying Mantis were always among the more melodic bands of the movement with which they were initially associated. Opener From The Startis a perfect illustration of this as twinkling keyboards flutter through the speakers as the song begins and deep synth notes swell towards the first insistent guitar riffs and the introduction of steady percussion from Hans in’t Zandt. John Cuijpers announces his arrival with a prolonged woooaaaah and the track truly takes off. In a world we won’t stop changing / In a world we just try to carry on / Hang on to those moments in virtual time / Can we begin again for real / Time is the teacher that came too late in life / Times not the healer of our past. On their previous album Karthasis, Praying Mantis opened the album with the mighty Cry For The Nationsand with From The Startthey have produced another track which displays the urgency, melody and power which they so successfully manage.

Give It Upand title track Defianceare both unfaltering mid-tempo rockers with the latter exploring a world in turmoil and our struggle to find meaning or solace in the midst of it. The chorus introduces an element of hope or the possibility of unseen support, which contrast with the otherwise bleak verses. Can you believe in angels? / Can you believe they’re not far behind? Defiance, awash with compelling backing vocals, complements From The Start showing just how capable Praying Mantis are when experimenting with different tempos, and the slower approach found here reflects the gravitas of the austere lyrics. When it was released as a single, Chris Troy felt it was the ideal appetiser for the album. “It sets the tone for what's to come on the album—a perfect blend of classic Praying Mantis with a contemporary twist.”

Feelin’ Lucky - another robust slice of AOR that would not have been out of place in the mid-1980s - is followed by a cover of I Surrender, a track that has been forty years in the making for the band. When recording their debut album, Praying Mantis recorded the track but were scuppered when Rainbow released their own version of the Russ Ballard composition. Here they present a solid cover version of that, while not differing much from the most famous version of the track, it is a chance for some wonderful twin guitar lines and Cuijpers to entrance the listener, once again, with his almighty but elegant vocals. Forever In My Heartis the nearest thing to a power ballad on Defianceand although it contains all the tropes of such songs – harmonised vocal opening, uplifting chorus and soaring guitar solo – it never becomes overly saccharine.

Instrumental Nightswimis an interesting inclusion; going through a number of stages, the track sees the duo combine on dual guitar licks but also taking the lead in turn. It would have been easy to make an instrumental another fast-paced rocker just without vocals. However, by deliberately adopting a slower tempo and a more restrained approach, it allows Andy Burgess and Tino Troy the chance show just what classy guitarists they are and how a considered use of tone, shade and melody can be just as effective as crunching, rapid-fire riffs. Penultimate track Standing Tallbegins with pulsating keyboards (again reminiscent of 1980s AOR) and bass driving the song along at a steady lick and illustrates that Praying Mantis have the ability to produce songs with enticing hooks and that are instantly memorable.

Final track Let’s Seereturns to the vital, energetic feel of From The Start. Revolving around the themes of power, regret and introspection, it presents the narrative of someone grappling with the outcomes of their quest for power and the realisation that their actions have led to a negative and isolating existence. Let’s see / Was it worth you taking the fight to your home / Let’s see / Who holds the chalice, the threat to conquer your throne / Running scared from those chasing your throne / Hide away in your fortress of stone. Twin guitar hooks ignite the track and it does not release its grip on the listener for its entirety. It is a confident and radiant end to the album.

On Defiance, the tracks that bookend the album (From The Start, Defiance, Nightswim, Standing Tall and Let’s See) are the strongest to be found here; however, those that make up the central part of the album are not merely fillers, are worthy of inclusion and contribute towards Praying Mantis releasing another sturdy and dependable album. It could be argued that while the band still know how to produce quality hard rock, they have pursued a melodic AOR direction on some of their recent material. Whether the balance of these two elements of their sound is completing inviting will be down to the individual listener. What cannot be denied is that with an abundance of compelling hooks, searing vocal performances and alluring solos, fans of the band will be more than satisfied that not only are the band still together to release music but that they can produce such a solid album fifty years into their career.

Defiance is released on 19th April via Frontiers Records

Praying Mantis online