Saul Presents This Is It…The End Of Everything

By Phil Hawkins

Saul issues a call for connection in their music. The Iowa quartet—brothers Blake Bedsaul [lead vocals] and Zach Bedsaul [lead guitar, backup vocals], William McIlravy [bass, backup vocals], and Myles Clayborne [drums]—continue to bring audiences together with a one-two punch of precise and pummeling metallic grooves and towering magnetic melodies.

“As a society, we’re so glued to our phones and social media,” notes Blake. “When we finally got out of quarantine, we personally needed to take a mental break from it. If you think about it, we don’t even have to talk anymore, since communication happens online. So, step back from social media, get out there, shake hands, and live a little bit. You don’t have to exist through your phone. Capture the moment in your head and tell the story out loud to someone.”

This Is It…The End Of Everything opens with the anthemic “TOOTH & NAIL” which showcases Saul’s musical ability to orchestrate a solid rock anthem that will get your attention and stick with you beyond the final note. “THE LAST PARADE” follows and oddly feels like it might have been served better as the album opener (this is mainly due to the soundbite used at the beginning of the track). However, the track manages to encompass more of Saul’s musical prowess. “A MILLION MILES” follows suite, and while still a solid rock track, it manages to seamlessly add in some more melodic elements. “THE NEW LOW” has a mildly different vocal aesthetic than its predecessors that feels a bit off at first but rounds out early in the track.

“MORE OF THE SAME” keeps with the overall formula of the album thus far, but does have some fun guitar work laced within. “RUNAWAY” is more mellowly melodic track that showcases [Blake] Bedsaul’s vocal ability as it has a much “cleaner” aspect than the rest of the album up to this point. “NO MERCY” kicks things back in the heavier direction and showcases some additional guitar work that stands out and blends beautifully with the drum work on the track.

“US A.D.” carries a strong aesthetic of losing someone whether it be due to a breakup of sorts or their passing. It is rather melancholy at parts, but manages to be pieced together in an intricately poignant way. “BEHIND THESE EYES” follows and could almost been seen as the follow up to “US A.D.” from a point of struggling to feel again and not let the someone else “in.” “CASTLES IN THE SKY” is fast paced from start to finish and has a strong radio friendly vibe to it, but not in an overly “crafted for radio” way. It just has an energy to it that feels slightly different.

“JACK & JILL” is probably the cheesiest track on the album as it lyrically plays on nursery rhyme variances. While it may be somewhat on the cheesy side it is rather catchy and sticks with you. “BETTER AS A MEMORY” is one of the strongest tracks on the album and is almost lost being so late on the album. It carries a similar energy that is found very early on the album in the anthemic sort of way. “REIGN FIRE” closes out the album and while it is a solid track it feels like a rather lackluster finale as it closes out the album in a rather abrupt way.

This Is It…The End Of Everything is a fun album from start to finish. While it may not really cover any new ground lyrically it still manages to create an atmospheric environment telling a story that if you put your phone down for even a minute, you might just really live.

This Is It…The End Of Everything is out now via Spinefarm and is available on all major streaming and digital platforms or you can order physical copes here.

You can catch Saul on tour supporting Red on the Rated R Tour beginning in September and running through November.