Santa Cruz is back with album number three, entitled Bad Blood Rising. After being a little underwhelmed with their previous self-titled offering, Bad Blood Rising is a much more mature bit of work which showcases a lot of growth and improvement for the band. Santa Cruz have definitely improved with this album and it’s great to see such a great progression between this one and the last.
Bad Blood Rising is a catchy and well-constructed piece, with a good amount of momentum, and really draws you into the album. There’s a lot that will get stuck in your head and a particular highlight of the album is fourth track Drag Me Out Of The Darkness. There’s a lot of emotion in the performance, especially in the vocals, and it’s one of those songs that will give you goosebumps every time you listen. It’s a massive-sounding number and will be stuck in your head for a long time after listening.
Another great inclusion is later track Bad Habits Die Hard. One of the harder-hitting tracks of the album, it has a magnificent pace and drive to it, and really helps to keep things moving. The energy and momentum in this one is tremendous, and gives the album an extra bit of power, whilst simultaneously giving the listener a good insight into what can be expected from the band in a live environment.
As a whole, Bad Blood Rising is an excellent piece and a definite step up from Santa Cruz’s previous effort. Make sure you don’t miss this album!
9/10?
