Kitt Wakeley - Symphony of Sinners And Saints

Kitt Wakeley
Symphony Of Sinners And Saints

7/10

By Decibel Report - May 14, 2021


Renowned Oklahoma composer and orchestral arranger, Kitt Wakeley, once again teams up with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to record an album of impressive cinematic rock music movements at Abbey Road Studios.

This alliteratively titled recording picks up the baton from Wakeley's previous release Midnight In Macedonia. A rarity in modern music, where very few composers mix rock music and orchestra together anymore, the sonic growth spurt of head-spinning dramatic instrumentation on this orchestral opus takes the listener on an epic musical journey. Thunderous drums harmonise and meld with the force ten gale of breath-taking orchestral power reinforcing the widescreen power of this grand production.

Where Wakeley could have fallen into the elephant trap of bombast, like some artists who stumbled attempting to elevate their music with orchestral backing, instead he mostly succeeds with his meticulous arrangements on a self-composed strong range of songs. The coup-de-grace is drafting in Joe Satriani who classily shreds on two songs: Forgive Me and Conflicted that raises the content to elite class levels.

Mixing technology with natural orchestration, there’s a whiff of programming in the production scale on this second album of intense instrumental compositions that challenges the listener’s attention and concentration. Nevertheless, Wakeley helms an unusually rewarding recording that expands rock music's repertoire with little trace of pomposity or pretension.