PRAYING MANTIS
PRAYING MANTIS “Defiance”
By Colonel Angus
PRAYING MANTIS was an odd band for me because by the time I was introduced to this English band, I was already craving heavier music. I was already a BLACK SABBATH, JUDAS PRIEST, and RAINBOW fan so I was already looking for the next new thing. Like most of my early discoveries, I relied on the pages of Kerrang! magazine to tell me what to check out and “Time Tells No Lies” was something that caught my attention. Not only did I like the Rodney Matthews cover artwork but they band was being spoken about in the same circles as IRON MAIDEN and DEF LEPPARD both of which were part of the NWOBHM. Well, upon getting that record home, I was bit startled to hear that PRAYING MANTIS was hard rock but very melodic and pretty far removed from MAIDEN was doing. It wasn’t bad but certainly not what I was expecting.
Well, fast forward to 2024, the band has just released their latest record “Defiance” but this time I know what to expect. This time, I’m already well versed in the melodic rock stylings of PRAYING MANTIS and can enjoy the album without any preconceived notion of what kind of music the band will deliver. One thing that I’m happy to report is that John Cuijpers is still the lead vocalist and with him, they have found someone that can deliver the perfect blend of melody and power to the lyrics. Hans in't Zandt is also back on drums, who along with guitarist Andy Burgess complete the line-up with the ever present Troy brothers. I truly believe that having a stable line-up helps with the creation of music and this particular formation has been going for over a decade.
PRAYING MANTIS has changed very little over the years since their comeback in the 90s and I have to say, any remnants of the NWOBHM are pretty much gone at this point. That is not to be meant a negative as what we have are great melodic rock tunes that capture that 80s vibe perfectly. “Defiance” is a collection of eleven songs that stay in a certain lane but swerve ever so slightly in that lane to give the album a bit of variety. There are plenty of catchy choruses throughout but none more so than “Feelin’ Lucky” and “Give It Up”. Both of these tracks are perfectly crafted tunes that will have you humming them for days. Cuijpers’ vocal performance on these pieces (along with the rest of the material) really makes them stand out and would be far less effective by a lesser singer.
The title track is a slightly moody song that is a prime example of staying true to your sound but still veering ever so slightly to make the record interesting. Each day I spin this album, I come up with a new favorite and as I write this review, “Defiance” is my go-to from this disk. The band have also done a great job with sequencing the record and it is even throughout. What I mean by that is that the record is not front loaded with all the best songs. I’m sure we all have those disks where after the first five or six tracks, the quality wavers. “Defiance” doesn’t suffer from that as the latter material is just as strong. From the instrumental “Nightswim”, through the thumping “”Standing Tall”, and the fast paced rocker “Let’s See”, PRAYING MANTIS have delivered an album without filler material.
While I was caught off guard in the early 80s with “Time Tells No Lies”, over more recent years, I have come to expect a certain type of material from PRAYING MANTIS – and it wasn’t heavy metal. Praying Mantis has delivered a great melodic rock record in “Defiance” and, dare I say, one of the best in their career. Even though I still love my heavy metal, there are times I want to give my eardrums a break and in 2024, “Defiance” is just the kind of record to give my eardrums some rest. This is definitely a contender for my top 10 of 2024.