  
Frontiers/Playground
PRAYING MANTIS has been around since the NWOBHM, starting out with a Soundhouse Tape as did fellow runners IRON MAIDEN. Almost immediately the similarities ended as the brothers Troy wanted a much more melodic journey. After the eighties ended in label and managerial turmoil (in spite of the bands effort to rename themselves as STRATUS in the mid-eighties) they rebooted with “Predator in Disguise” in 1991. From then on the name of the vocalist seems less important as they mostly have the same kind of melodic clean voice. Many have come and gone, e.g. PAUL DI´ANNO, MARK THOMPON SMITH, GARY BARDEN, TONY O`HORA, JOHN SLOMAN etc. You get the picture, and there´s no doubt to the quality of their output.
Today the band still consists of the ubiquitous brothers, Chris, bass and Tino, guitars, aided by guitarist Andy Burgess and new boys drummer Hans In´ Zandt and vocalist John Cuijpers. The brothers go Dutch this time, and the result is preciously similar to their latter day output in general.
Opener “Fight for Your Honour” is a real monster of a track. The refrain has been with me ever since I first heard it. Next upo is a more U2-like track, “The One”. It might be a bit anonymous to me but still well done, only medium. First up this unit rarely fails. The average track is above average, apart from “The One”, and at the other end... Tracks with “Tokyo” in the name seems surefire hits, this is no exception as the guitar pattern dominates a well balanced mid-pace hit. “Believable” is almost up to that standard, but “Eyes of a Child” surpasses it with ease. The pace quickens but the all-important refrain aims for mid-pace with a bang. To make sure no one is disappointed they bow out with “Second Time Around”. The pace quickens again and it´s almost MAIDEN-esque. The refrain? Pheew, I know a good many bands that would kill for this.
All in all PRAYING MANTIS has metamorphosed again. Into something new yet not. Who cares as long as they keep churning out this kind of material!
Track List
Fight for Your Honour
The One
Believeable
Tokyo
Better Man
All I See
Eyes of a Child
The Runner
Against the World
Fallen Angel
Second Time Around
www.frontiers.it www.praying-mantis.com
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