I had a lot of fun reviewing this one. CWN ANNWN have a strange name, but a great take on traditional/Thrash Metal. The riffing is straight out of the old-school JUDAS PRIEST playbook, maybe with slightly more aggression, and the vocals remind me of a clean Jill Janus, which means resonant and powerful without having to scream.

The band makes great use of this too; the title track "Patron Saint" boasts an incredibly catchy chorus, and the longevity of her voice allows for dramatic fade out endings. Vocals are not the only thing that can be melodic; on "Outlander", the band starts with a KALMAH-sounding melodic riff, even though the style they play is definitely not Melodic Death Metal. Once again the vocals are clear and precise, but none the weaker because of it, and they sound just as good over more direct galloping drumming and rhythms. After a brief solo, everything cuts out, lending the closing chorus(es) extra heft as a climatic moment.

More aggressive fare is found in songs like "It Will Come From The Sea", which forays into thrash territory instrumentally, while keeping the infectiously clean and strangely upbeat female vocals as they always were. The solo (after she sings 'it will come from the sea') is a bit longer than previous leads, and features a little more shred, but not too much. The palm muted chugging and strident, on-target drumming gives the song an anthemic bent to it. "God of Needles" also bristles with thrashy energy, boasting a galloping guitar attack that makes great use of pedal-tone riffs. Despite the 80s Metal roots this band has, they throw in occasional surprises, like the bass break that heralds what could be called the breakdown in "God of Needles" (although I don't like calling it that, because that brings to mind metalcore, and this is not metalcore). Between solos, the song shifts into a groovier metal feel before returning to its Thrash Metal baseline.

Any associations with 'lighter' acts like JUDAS PRIEST (which is a comparison I made earlier) dissipate by the time "Brita's Vale" comes on. By then, you've heard enough to know the band is really more like a Thrash Metal band with a few melodic twists. The aforementioned song throws in some guitar harmonies to class up the driving riffage, but retains an unmistakable bite-neoclassical solo and all. Like I said before, even though this is heavily thrash-inspired, the songs themselves are shockingly uplifting.

More of the same (not in a bad way, exactly the opposite) pounding riffs greet the listener in "Course of Obliteration", but the harmonized guitar attack at around the 2:30 mark is particularly satisfying. The buildup that is the first :45 of "Salient Ground" is a change of pace that brings to mind CIRITH UNGOL. The song is slower than most of the rest of the album, and features more wailing guitar melodies. There are also brief flashes of clean guitar after the solo that lend a nice atmospheric touch, before the explosion of frantic rhythmic ecstasy that closes out the song.

Fittingly, "Ice From the Sky" is the most in-your-face song here. Not only does it immediately pummel with infectious, acrobatic riffs, but gone are the galvanizing clean vocals, replaced instead with twisted shouts of searing agony. The more conventional- especially in modern Thrash Metal-vocals are a bit muffled, but well-done. It's nice to know the band has versatility. The only ground not covered here is the metal ballad, but given the operatic female vocals and the talent of the other musicians, I see no reason they couldn't pull one of those off too. The bottom line is that I will be buying this album, as should you all.