Back From the Dead

Back From the Dead, indeed. Siren started back in 1981 and recorded No Place Like Home in '86, but after the aptly named Financial Suicide, their prog-power blend met its end as the bottom fell out of the metal market. A 2018 reunion at Keep It True with a ton of free publicity convinced the band that the time was right for a new album. The songs might be new, but they're not precisely modern anymore; more as if the band got into the sound of 80s thrash bands in their late 90s phase and never left it. They've given up on most of their progressive leanings in favor of simpler, heavier songs with less of the offbeat wildness of their reverb-filled 80s days. S-Blade Serenade, a pure speed-metal headbanger obviously crafted for maximum reunion pump-up, makes for one of the best-written songs on here. Doug Lee's voice, always a little thin, has become a good deal more nasal over the past thirty years, almost into Billy Corgan territory. He nonetheless performs well on here, and he sounds enthusiastic no matter how hokey the lyrics get. The next few tracks are a lot more boring on the verses, but Siren has a gift for writing heavy-chugging choruses that redeem more than a few of them. With 15 tracks it almost seems as if the band has thrown everything they possibly can at the listener, knowing it may be their only chance. The results are mixed; like many older bands, Siren can't quite reclaim its lost youth, and far too many songs are a little tired-sounding even if the band playing them is willing to through their effort. For fans, this might not be as big a deal, especially since they have a few good ones in the pile, like the extraterrestrial-themed Watch Us Fly. It's a brave attempt at a reunion album, and while not incredibly inspiring, is far from the worst a band that's been split up for the past thirty years has made. Bandcamp: https://sirenbandus.bandcamp.com/releases.