Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Rustbeltrockreview.com

Volume #213: Saints of Lorain, Hardway Saints & Bessemer Saints

November 1st, 2025

The Hydrant Pub & Grill, 786 Front Street, Berea, Ohio

Well, well, well… What do we have here. It appears as if I am back. Back once again from the underground, with a tale to tell. I, Z.M. Delgado, your chronicler of Cleveland Rock, has returned to you and this weeks show was a good one to say the least. It all went down on November 1st aka All Saints Day. I arrived at The Hydrant shortly after 8pm and was surprised to find the bar already bustling with activity. It seems that either The Hydrant has a nice built in audience, or this “Oops, All Saints” show was drawing very well. Whatever the reason, the bar was packed. I maneuvered my way through the room, until I arrived at the merch table where I met with members of Bessemer Saints and Saints of Lorain. I hung out here for a while, chatting with some of Cleveland’s most talented musicians. Before too long my cohort Jimmy “The Dook” Fedor of Roxxxstarradio arrived and we quickly adjourned to the patio to smoke a doobie.

Doobie burned and highs heightened, we returned to the bar and positioned ourselves before the stage. This “stage” area was separated from the floor by a low wall, with the PA speakers on the floor. Behind that wall stood one of my favorite acts in our Scene. One of the most entertaining bands out there. Four seriously righteous dudes… Ladies and gentlemen its the Bessemer Saints! With Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums in their arsenal they stood poised to Rock. And Rock they did as they exploded into form with a classic Punk intro. With instruments slamming out notes, their frontman woke up the room with a raucous introduction. Then it was straight into their perfect opening song, “Like I Care.” Their Ax man came out shredding, his Guitar skills unmatched. At center stage the Vocals were served up smooth as barrel aged booze. Next they broke into the ultra slick jam, “Find a Way.” The Bassist was animated on the stage and lively on the strings as he grooved his way along. Behind the kit the percussion was on point, with excellent Drum action powered by a cowbell infusion. Third in the setlist we received a real treat: a brand new song! I believe it was titled “Fade to Red” and it was a Rocker. Upbeat, with a bitchin riff, it was a killer blast of Rock N’ Roll. By this point people were dancing and moving as the crowd response was simply excellent. Next was “Firetested,” a bad ass song with a powerful message about the strength of friendship. Truly nasty guitar work appeared complete with a smoking solo, which inspired continued motion on the floor. “Come Find Me,” one of my favorite BS songs, was delivered with slick precision. During this one our Home Girl, Laura of the Blunts, arrived. Similarly did Eddie and Marco of After the Apocalypse appear on the Scene. Finally, it was time to close out the set. With a proclamation that it was “Time to Boogie!” from the Bassman, BS broke into “Another Night with Whiskey.” All around me shots were being downed, both on and off the stage. The room went wild with people dancing and grooving and simply getting down. The crowd joined in a singalong as the familiar chorus filled the room. It was most excellent. The song concluded and the applause was long and loud. The fans started chanting “Bessemer Saints! Bessemer Saints!” begging for more, alas, all good things must come to an end. Bessemer Saints took a bow and the crowd dispersed. The Dook was eating chicken for a long time. A really long time. I wanted to smoke down with Laura of the Blunts, but Nooooo! We had to wait for The Dook to finish his chicken. So we waited, and in eventually he did in fact finish his wings and we did adjourn to the patio for a Blunt.

The blunt got smoked, unfortunately it made us late of the second set. On the plus side we could still hear the Hardway Saints through the door, so it wasn’t a total loss. While we blazed I was delighted to hear them open up with a cover of “Hopeless Romantic” by the Bouncing Souls. They blasted through the cover with precision and then proceeded on into original material, which I have to say sounded pretty good. I believe it was the third or fourth song of the set when we finally finished the blunt, fought our way through the crowd and found a spot in front of the stage. Once there I learned the Hardway Saints were built from Guitar/Vocals, Bass/Vocals, Guitar/Vocals and Drums. I also quickly discovered that they were producing some seriously great Rockin’ Punk. The Vocals were clear and melodic yet they held a certain grit that I dug. There were also strong Backing Vocals with some solid “Whoas!” which I always love. I also made a note that I was impressed by the Drum Work which was fast and tight. They had amazing energy, good melodies and it was clear that the crowd was digging them. I was really enjoying their music, and I was wondering how I had never come across them before in my travels. Well the answer was that this was their first gig together in around a decade. Apparently the Hardway Saints have been on some sort of a hiatus for a while. Well now they’re back and I am glad to say I got to check them out. I may be wrong but I believe they played a total of 10 songs before calling it a night. They closed out with a cover of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” which had the whole room singing along. The set came to a close and the crowd sent them off with a mighty cheer. Hardway Saints Rocked, no doubt, and set the stage for our final performers. However before we could get to that, it was back to the patio for another round of joints and some ridiculous conversation.

Once the smoke down was complete, we returned to the stage and strapped in for the main event. The evening’s organizer and our headlining act, the Saints of Lorain. This is a five man Punk act made up of Vocals, two Guitars, Bass and Drums. They were celebrating the release of their new EP, “Before We Were Saints.” Kicking things off with “Nothing to Lose” the singer moved across the floor toasting the fans as the band broke into some slamming fast Rock N’ Roll. The lyrics came high speed and furious and the crowd loved every second of it. Saints of Lorain deliver clean Vocals with a sharp edge. Their Guitars are hard Rocking yet melodic and their Drum style is driving, yet danceable. Perhaps most impressive are their bad ass Bass Lines, which are always exciting and intricate. They have strong stage presence, particularly their Vocalist. He was seen climbing the wall, and moving across the floor among the people.

The fans loved everything they were doing and they reacted in time. Every song began with a cheer and each one ended with strong applause. Singing along, dancing and moshing the crowd responded to Saints of Lorain with fervor. They took us through classic jams like “I.O.,” “Running Out of Time,” and “West Blvd.” Then hit us with cuts from the new tape like “Pen in your Jugular,” “Drunk & Dangerous” and “Ozztoads.” I lost count midway through the affair, but I would say they played at least 21 songs, if not more. I seriously don’t know. What I do know is this: Saints of Lorain are one hell of a band. They play hard, fast and with heart. They pack a lot of balls and a certain swagger into every performance and they never disappoint. They tore the roof off The Hydrant and impressed the hell out of me along the way. They closed out with a song I think might have been called “Baptized in Fire,” but again, I’m not sure. Whatever it was called it was a killer and it brought the house down. SoL provided a big finish and the crowd applied big applause to match. And then it was over. The amps went silent, the house music came back on. The crowd dispersed and the show ended.

Eric Stevenson: The Official Tattoo Artist of the Rustbelt Rock Review

I said my good nights and made my way to my car with haste. It is a long ride home for me from The Hydrant and I wanted to put it behind me. I drove and Rocked “Before We Were Saints” along the way. The highway was mine and I rolled with my tunes turned up. It had been a good night and I had a lot to think about. Bessemer Saints had started the night off right, with their trademark brand of Bluesy Rock N’ Roll. Hardway Saints were really good and I am glad I got to check them out. Their melodic Punk style was solid and I am glad to see them reemerge on the Scene. Saints of Lorain were excellent, as always. They ripped it up and blasted their way through a long a strong set of Punk Rock. I arrived home safely and hit the sack with much anticipation. I was spent, but it had been worth it. Another night of Rock N’ Roll. Another article for your perusal. I think that’s all for this week. As always, bang your heads, hoist your horns and always wear your earplugs.

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

11/2/2025

Links:

Saints of Lorain

https://saintsoflorain.com/

Hardway Saints

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576053538922#

Bessemer Saints

https://www.facebook.com/BessemerSaints/

Volume #213: Saints of Lorain, Hardway Saints & Bessemer Saints

Vol. #211: Gluttons, Whatever & The A-10s