Sacred Reich - Awakening review
| Band: | Sacred Reich |
| Album: | Awakening |
| Style: | Thrash metal |
| Release date: | August 23, 2019 |
| Guest review by: | omne metallum |
01. Awakening
02. Divide And Conquer
03. Salvation
04. Manifest Reality
05. Killing Machine
06. Death Valley
07. Revolution
08. Something To Believe
23 years is a long time by any measure; the last time Sacred Reich released a new studio album, Limp Bizkit were a year shy of releasing their debut, people were complaining about the length of Metallica's hair and Max Cavalera was still fronting Sepultura. A lot has come and gone since Heal hit record shelves (oh yes, record stores were still very much a thing too) and Sacred Reich find themselves releasing an album in a very different world to the one they last dropped one into.
Awakening sees Sacred Reich remind their fans that they still have it; they also show fans who were not alive or aware of them back in their heyday that they were a band to be reckoned with. From the exhortations of "Awakening" through the calls of "Salvation" to the ending of a plea for hope in "Something To Believe", Sacred Reich are not afraid to poke the bear that is modern life that all these fans inhabit.
The album is the follow up to the groove of The American Way that you didn't know you wanted, with the occasional drive towards Ignorance in tracks like "Revolution" and "Manifest Destiny". Every track has purpose and power that was missing on albums like Heal and show the band aren't leaning on old glories for one more go around the sun.
The instrumentation is tight and catchy; memorable riffs and solos are scattered throughout this record. Phil Rind's voice has aged well and still has the depth that set him apart in the 80s thrash scene. Trading his hard and fast approach for a slower but no less impactful style, he lets his voice play to its strengths and shows a maturity rather than retreading the past. Taken apart, each element stands on it's own, with each aspect pulling its own weight to a create the strong piece of metal that is Awakening.
Sacred Reich have shown they are still a viable force after all these years, a band who still have something to say and give you one hell of a reason to sit up and pay attention. Though a bit more grey than you remember them, they prove the adage that form is temporary while class is permanent.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written by omne metallum | 09.04.2020
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
N/A
N/A
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Rating: N/A |
Another thrash band from the '80s decides to unleash a new album in 2019 after decades of musical drought. It's officially becoming an epidemic and I have to ask myself: is it really necessary? Well, in this case it is. Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments: 4
Visited by: 18 users
| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62020  |
And in those days MetallicA had no tattooes. Old good days
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| omne metallum Contributor Posts: 509  |
Lars actually had hair too haha
---- Just because I'm not listening doesn't mean I don't care
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62020 |
Written by omne metallum on 10.04.2020 at 14:59 It was Jason who cut first imo 1992 when he had tired, in those days majority of metalheads has long hair, so it was unusual move
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| JoHn Doe Posts: 5101  |
Written by Bad English on 10.04.2020 at 11:13 yeah, but Lars and Kirk had piercings  , don't you remember? I for one cringed TBH.
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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