Sentinel Steel
2007
1. Words Upon the Stone
2. Battle Cry
3. Queen of the Night
4. Darkness Visible
5. Prophecy
6. Calm Before the Storm
7. Unholy Man
8. Death Is Inevitable
9. Beyond the Edge of the Flame
10. The Golden Dawn
Sacred Oath is a name with which I am familiar but I would not be surprised to hear that many are not. The band's stay in the metal scene was brief with only one album released via a small record label before they called it a day. Being that I am a resident of Connecticut myself, this CT based band is no stranger to me and I was intrigued when I heard they would be coming back to give it another go. It's always hard to know what to expect from a band after a good 20 year absence, but I was definitely curious. The parallels between this return and fellow CT band Obsession are fairly obvious.
Well here's another parallel for you... this one kills too. Sacred Oath has come back even better than before with a more polished production, more refined vocals, but still with incredible raw and dark heaviness. This is a very guitar oriented sort of album, the likes of which I seem to seldom hear out of power or traditional metal these days. Think Arch-era Fates Warning meets Mercyful Fate with a wailer of a vocalist who sometimes ascends to a more Falsetto style in the vein of King Diamond. Darkness Visible is packed with intense metal full of blistering leads and solos that show this is a band that can really play. Sacred Oath are also a band who damn sure know how to write a song and can play with soft and dark atmosphere as well which is evidenced by tracks like Prophecy and Beyond The Edge Of The Flame. A fair bit of variety graces this release and it never feels one dimensional, which is something that I really dig. The fusion of dark atmosphere and heaviness works well here and is done in a very classic sort of way.
All in all this is a very tight, well played album with songs that establish identity from track to track and for the band as a whole. I can't see fans of good old school traditional metal with a touch of evil not loving this one. I would especially recommend this release to fans of above mentioned bands like Mercyful Fate and Arch-era Fates Warning. Here's hoping this band does not just vanish after one release again because I seriously think it would be a loss to the metal world. This is a 100% successful rebirth of the band and I can see this band becoming a force to be reckoned with given a chance and some exposure.
Highlights: Queen Of The Night, Words Upon The Stone, The Golden Dawn, Beyond The Edge Of The Flame
Rating - 4.0/5
2. Battle Cry
3. Queen of the Night
4. Darkness Visible
5. Prophecy
6. Calm Before the Storm
7. Unholy Man
8. Death Is Inevitable
9. Beyond the Edge of the Flame
10. The Golden Dawn
Sacred Oath is a name with which I am familiar but I would not be surprised to hear that many are not. The band's stay in the metal scene was brief with only one album released via a small record label before they called it a day. Being that I am a resident of Connecticut myself, this CT based band is no stranger to me and I was intrigued when I heard they would be coming back to give it another go. It's always hard to know what to expect from a band after a good 20 year absence, but I was definitely curious. The parallels between this return and fellow CT band Obsession are fairly obvious.
Well here's another parallel for you... this one kills too. Sacred Oath has come back even better than before with a more polished production, more refined vocals, but still with incredible raw and dark heaviness. This is a very guitar oriented sort of album, the likes of which I seem to seldom hear out of power or traditional metal these days. Think Arch-era Fates Warning meets Mercyful Fate with a wailer of a vocalist who sometimes ascends to a more Falsetto style in the vein of King Diamond. Darkness Visible is packed with intense metal full of blistering leads and solos that show this is a band that can really play. Sacred Oath are also a band who damn sure know how to write a song and can play with soft and dark atmosphere as well which is evidenced by tracks like Prophecy and Beyond The Edge Of The Flame. A fair bit of variety graces this release and it never feels one dimensional, which is something that I really dig. The fusion of dark atmosphere and heaviness works well here and is done in a very classic sort of way.
All in all this is a very tight, well played album with songs that establish identity from track to track and for the band as a whole. I can't see fans of good old school traditional metal with a touch of evil not loving this one. I would especially recommend this release to fans of above mentioned bands like Mercyful Fate and Arch-era Fates Warning. Here's hoping this band does not just vanish after one release again because I seriously think it would be a loss to the metal world. This is a 100% successful rebirth of the band and I can see this band becoming a force to be reckoned with given a chance and some exposure.
Highlights: Queen Of The Night, Words Upon The Stone, The Golden Dawn, Beyond The Edge Of The Flame
Rating - 4.0/5
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