SANKTUARY: Something Fierce: CD

After releasing two previous EPs, and a move from Whitehorse, Yukon to Halifax, Nova Scotia, we finally get their debut album. Eight songs of epic, old school thrash that has a hint of MEGADETH, but still retains its own sound, power metal and NWOBHM.

Starting off with “Deadly Prey” an instrumental track, it has a NWOBHM feel to it and then jumping into “Heat Lightning” with some high-pitched vocals and a galloping beat giving the song a power metal feel. The songs are a head banger’s dream, lots of riffing, solos that kick ass, varied vocals, from growling to mid range to high-pitched, thundering drums and thick bass, plus choruses you can shout along with and melody. “Beyond The Wall” comes in near the end of the album to give us a nice mellow, instrumental track with showcases their ability to play more than straight ahead metal, it has a trippy, ’70s feel to it, then right back for the kick ass last song “Midnite Mass”. My favorite tracks were “Heat Lightning”, “Thrill of the Kill”, “Screeching for Vengeance” (nice nod towards JUDAS PRIEST in the title), and “Fire in the Sky”.

With the quality of the songs on here, the musical ability and the range of styles, there is something for almost every metal head out there. A great debut full length and a band that really stands out from the crowd. If this was released in metal’s glory days back in the early ’80s, this would be huge and all over the radio.

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