This album is so brilliant, it's blinding! Here's a Christian metal group with flash, guts and great songs. Sacred Warrior plays operatic metal with a first class, melodic, medieval touch. Once everybody hears this band, there'll be a new question being asked: "Have you heard Sacred Warrior yet?" "Black Metal" starts off the album with polished production. Ron Goudie, who mixed the original "Yellow and Black Attack" EP, did a good job bringing Tony Velazquez's drumming up in the mix. The rhythm section, blended with Bruce Swift's melodic leads and Rey Parra's multi-octave vocals are all balanced very well, keeping the overall sound solidly in the midrange. How else can you say this is a killer album? With new releases from Jerusalem and Whitecross and now this one, it's gonna be a tough choice for favorite album of the year. What makes Sacred Warrior outstanding are their strong background vocals, Bruce's swift and fluid lead breaks (Sorry, Bruce, I couldn't resist the pun - ed) and Rey's piercing and clear vocals. "He Died" is a beautiful, sweeping ballad that jerks the tears out of the toughest of listeners. A soft keyboard backs up Rey's vocals, before the whole band jumps in to emphasize that "It's time you realize/ What He has done for you." The double bass drumming of "Children of the Light" come screaming out of the speakers just after the soft ballad, "He Died", creating a great heavy metal shock effect. "Rebellion" starts off with some bouncing tom-toms before Bruce's guitar comes screaming along with a great riff and the big background vocals go, "oh-whoa, oh-whoa, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh!" After the first chorus, there's a great double-bass solo complete with cow bells. "Famine" ends with a great lead break, perfectly synchronized with the keyboards, creating a double-lead sound a la Stryper. The excellent songwriting proves itself by each song's ability to sink its hook into your memory. As these lines reveal, Sacred Warrior has very bold lyrics. These lyrics also reveal a deep understanding of scripture, our identity in Christ and the importance of the cross. This album has everything it takes to be popular: great music; great production; great cover art; and five humble guys who can perform this music live. Anyone into metal should enjoy this one. (Cd buyers can't beat the $11.98 price!) By all means, check it out.
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