Hailing from Oklahoma, Kitt Wakeley is a largely self-taught musician, who consistently challenges his own horizons. Working under the AudioKaoz banner, Kitt has made a name for himself in the EDM scene, but his interests would pull him in a more orchestral direction over time. This resulted in the multiple Grammy-nominated Midnight In Macedonia album (recorded with the Macedonian Orchestra and Choir), which drew people’s attention in 2018. Now back with Symphony Of Sinners And Saints, Kitt has once again recruited only the very best for the album, including guitar legend Joe Satriani on two tracks, Andy Timmons (Danger Danger, Pink), Grammy-nominated pianist Paul Loomis and London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Meanwhile behind the desk, three-time Grammy Award winner Tre Nagella worked the controls. The result is a dynamic album that draws as much on the cinematic work of Hans Zimmer and the late Michael Kamen as it does on the guitar histrionics of Joe Satriani and the heavy metal thunder of Metallica.
Opening with Wicked Ways, we’re led into the record on a heavy EDM trip, with stuttering synthesisers and a propulsive beat giving way to metallic riffing and cinematic strings. An instrumental piece that pulses with energy, it features some dizzying lead work, and it provides quite the entrance. A darker sound emerges on Sinners And Saints, the sanguine pulse of the brass section set against shimmering strings to create a sense of tension that only partially abates when the guitars kick in. There’s a sense of high drama, heightened by whispered vocals that shoot through the mix, a feeling that carries through into Forgive Me (the first of two tracks to feature the mighty Joe Satriani). A multi-hued piece that makes fantastic use of a choir to add a touch of light to the bombastic shade found elsewhere. Joe’s guitar work is, of course, superlative, but the choir and orchestra hold their own amidst the electronic wizardry, and it makes for an adrenalin-infused listen. To be honest, after so high octane a start, the listener is in need of some respite, and the piano-led Hello Again offers a more pastoral approach and, although there’s still plenty of action as the piece progresses, the lengthier run time allows more space for digressions along the way. Joe Satriani reappears on Conflicted, a piece that recalls Albion, the music Kevin Shirley created to score the Joe Bonamassa Tour De Force credits.
Opening the second half, No Apologies is a gentle overture that offers something of a palette cleanser in the wake of the sonic fireworks deployed in the album’s first half. Whilst Kitt can’t resist bringing in a taut beat, there’s a sense of space that helps to give greater weight to the eerie Requiem Of The Fallen. An atmospheric piece that makes good use of the choir, Requiem Of The Fallen is very much a powerful piece of music that stands as an album highlight. In contrast, End Of My Journey sits uneasily amidst its surroundings, proving to be the sort of overly-sentimental piece you’d expect at the end of a movie like Dirty Dancing, for all the bruising guitar that is deployed in the second half. It’s followed by another piano led piece in the form of You Gave Me Wings. A track in the Jim Steinman mould, it is not helped by a synth beat that lacks punch, and it ultimately feels a touch too generic to really capture the emotions the title implies. Fortunately, the album redeems itself with the crunchy Echoes Of Amadeus. With soaring strings and elastic bass grooves the track returns to the theatrical thrust of the album’s first act and is all the better for it.
Music this unashamedly over-the-top is surely not for everyone. Bombastic, even grandiose, the album is, for the most part, a gorgeously produced explosion of orchestral pomp, guitar histrionics and EDM punch delivered with panache by exceptional musicians. As such, for those looking for a bruising score to an imaginary movie or, perhaps, for symphonic metal fans looking for something less vocal, Symphony Of Sinners And Saints is a suitably electrifying alternative. Nevertheless, its full-on collision of styles can become draining by the end, and the second half loses its way somewhat, with both End Of My Journey and You Gave me Wings shading too close to Hollywood Schmaltz for comfort. Overall, despite being a tad uneven, Symphony Of Sinners And Saints is an impressive project that will undoubtedly thrill audiences when Kitt is finally able to take it out on the road. 7.5/10
