Yashin – “The Renegades” [Album Review]

Glasgwegian outfit Yashin burst into the limelight a few years ago, landing high profile gigs with bands like Papa Roach and Limp Bizkit, amongst others. After so much promise offered by the Scots, however, the familiar story of a band fading back into relative obscurity reared its head. Well, after time out to regroup, the group are making their return in 2016 with a new album and the inevitable slog around the live circuit trying to get that elusive break.

Now, looking back to when the buzz around the Glasgow band first started to build, there was one fundamental problem, the lack of real identity. They had all the elements from the image to the ideas but, when it all came together, it didn’t really stick and that is one problem I have with The Renegades. Yes, again, there are some decent ideas floating around inside that mixing pot but rather than blend them together to create something quite potent, The Renegades doesn’t know whether it wants to be one thing or the other.

Whether it is opener “Spreading The Disease” or “Dorothy Gale” you can’t help but get a niggling feeling that there is a real lack of true identity within the Yashin ranks. Don’t get me wrong, there are some decent moments on this album but, just when you get used to the more aggressive direction of songs like “The Beginning Of The End” along comes a poppier track like “Vultures.” It all leads to a bit of a confusing, disjointed end product which is a pity really because there are some ideas worth pursuing.

Looking forward then, you have to wonder where exactly Yashin go with The Renegades and when screamer Kevin Miles screams “will history repeat itself?” early on in the album, the rest of the material doesn’t really do anything to ease those niggling doubts that you have in the back of your mind.

Track Listing:

01. Spreading The Disease
02. The Beginning Of The End
03. Dorothy Gale
04. D.E.A.D. (New Verison)
05. The Renegades
06. Vultures
07. Mocking Bird
08. Stockholm Sinner
09. Long Live Salvation
10. Dead Spells
11. Play Me
12. Circle The Sun

Run Time: 38:35
Release Date: March 4, 2016

Check out the video for “Vultures” here.