When a long-running band loses its original singer of 30 years, it's something big.
The Human Condition is
Saga's first album without
Michael Sadler in the front seat, so its release was met with anticipation. Fans should fear not: new singer Rob Moratti, drafted from the Toronto group
Final Frontier, does a more than competent job, although liking or disliking him will depend on your attachment to
Sadler and your willingness to accept change. Does he fit
Saga's sound? Definitely. Is he a good singer? No doubt. Is he
Sadler? No. Moratti has a medium-high hard rock voice (where
Sadler's range was medium-low), and he likes to push it. The band has reacted to this new range and youthful energy with a harder-edged sound that pushes the guitars up front, and a newfound level of complexity in the songwriting, something that archs almost back to
Generation 13. Fans will detect the subtler artistic changes, while more casual listeners will simply feel that
Saga is rocking out more. Otherwise,
The Human Condition is a typical
Saga album, with a loose and self-explanatory unifying theme (speaking of "concept album" would be pushing it), some pretty strong and uplifting tracks, a couple of dreadful ones, the rest falling in between. The opening seven-minute title track is as close to epic prog rock as
Saga ever got. It has powerful riffs, a good melody, and inventive arrangements, all tied down by the square-as-ever rhythm section, the one element that keeps reminding you that
Saga is an arena rock band, not a prog rock one. "A Number with a Name" and "Crown of Thorns" are other highlights, two tracks with better, sharper writing than anything found on
Trust or
Network. Sadly, these strong moments are counterbalanced by clunkers like "Now Is Now" and the closing "You Look Good to Me," terribly insignificant. Overall though,
The Human Condition displays a band in sound shape, a band reacting healthily to what constitutes a major change.