Rating: 4.5/5
Sanctus Real’s new album can be summed up in one word: Beautiful. ‘The Face of Love’ is a beautiful, quiet, sensitive alternative rock album that takes listeners out of the chaos of life and places them in a calm peaceful bliss. The lyrics of the album are powerful statements on the state of the world and humanity. However, they are not depressing or angry; instead Sanctus Real have made the songs upbeat and they challenge and encourage humanity to do better.
The first song (and current single) is I’m Not Alright; a powerful, thought-provoking statement on life with lyrics such as “cool is just how far we have to fall” and “can I lose my need to impress?” The next track, Eloquent, continues on the theme of changing ourselves and our perspectives, and it also throws in some very creative rhymes. “I’m as eloquent as an elephant, about as headstrong as the mighty King Kong, on a rampage throwing airplanes…”
Fly and the title track, The Face of Love, are both calm, upbeat tracks that let the listener go deeper into bliss. Following on from these tracks is Don’t Give Up. This is my favourite track on the album. It continues with the upbeat messages of changing ourselves and throws in some awesome guitar riffs and tempo changes.
The next group of tracks cement the listener in their bliss, with calm poetic lyrics and fantastic backing music. It is this group of tracks that defines the beauty of the album and makes it Sanctus Real’s best release to date. The final track, Benjamin, appears to be an elegy to a lost friend and the song essentially sums up the album.
Sanctus Real is back and this new release is their best by far. It is extremely well-polished. Sanctus Real have taken the lessons learned from their previous two album and produced an album that is essentially faultless. If you like the rhymes of Rapture Ruckus, the song writing skills of Mumsdollar, the instrument talent of Moped and the finished polish of Mozelee all mixed into slow rock then Sanctus Real’s ‘The Face of Love’ is for you.
