Back in the eighties there were a lot of rock bands who almost made it big. Of all of them, the ones who most deserved it were Saracen. Their debut album, Heroes, Saints and Fools was a masterpiece, which should have become one of the most ground breaking albums of the decade but was sadly passed over. The band split up shortly afterwards.

Red Sky is the result, twelve songs of which four are from the original two Saracen albums, a fifth is an old Saracen standard recorded for the first time, and two appeared on Rob's solo album. Five are completely new - though one will be recognisable as a re-write of an older song.

It's a very clever way to open a comeback album, with an old song re-written. It stamps a mark, it says, "this is Saracen, we are back, we have arrived but we have moved on."

The other three older songs re-recorded are much more faithful to the originals. All of them feature backing vocals that are more prominent and choral. Horsement of the Apocalypse is otherwise very true to the original. Heroes, Saints and Fools, the title track of their first, classic album, is probably the most eagerly awaited re-recording and again is faithful, except for a more complex - and sometimes heavy - backing passage during the conversations between the boy, the gatekeeper and the hero, saint and fool. Jekyll and Hyde, from the second album, is also quite true to the original, except that the drumming is slightly less frantic. However it is an important re-recording as, although Rob wrote the song, he didn't play on the second album. So we hear it with his guitar for the first time, and he doesn't disappoint!

Flame of Youth is a pretty straightforward rocker, built around a fun, ballsy riff, which gives Rob a chance to let rip a little during the play out at the end. Ride Shotgun with the Wind is the other new song, somewhat slower, centred around a simple riff, almost plodding, a real road song in every sense.

Menage a trois is an instrumental, introduced with some beautiful, layered keyboards. It builds around a duet - triet? - between guitar and two saxophones, before speeding up to let the guitar carry the lead for a while, then slowin back down to let the saxes play it out.

There are two songs from Rob's "Templar" solo project. Faith is a nice song, which is growing on me; it is a softer, more commercial rock song, with a catchy chorus and some lovely instrumental work going on in the background. However, it is far surpassed by Angel Eyes, also originally Templar. This is another mid tempo rock song, sung as a duet between Steve and Dagi Kaletsch. It is rapidly becoming one of my favourite songs of the year, simple but quite stunning, with a beautiful, emotional chorus. Dagi's vocals are softer, less raunchy than Lori, who sang the original, but she gives it a more innocent feel and really brings out some wonderful emotion from Steve. Absolutely stunning.
"So touch me, angel eyes,
So much to see, I realise
Caress me...possess me
Now you're here I feel so alive"