Ten years ago, the state of Indiana introduced to us the trad heavy metallers Sacred Leather, with, quite interestingly, a live recording as debut release. Their studio full length Ultimate Force came out in 2018, offering the next slab of classic heavy, with some speed touches, very close in spirit to what Riot City, Traveler and Skull Fist were doing in the last years. We had to wait more than seven years for Keep The Fire Burning, but here it is, only a few days away from official premiere.
Vocalist Dee Wrathchild and bassist Magnus Legrand are the only two people remaining from the first album, with new boys being guitar duo Cvon Owens and Lynn St. Michaels as well as drummer Don Diamond. Spitfire At Night is very much straight out of the Priest rulebook, while Phantom Highway once again reminds me of Riot City. It is songs like the melodic Wake Me Up and the epic mid-tempo Tear Out My Heart which show more originality and slightly escape from the trad-metal pattern traps. When Sacred Leather slow down and elaborate more on the catchiness of the melodies, putting a gentle glam touch here and there, these are the most memorable moments of the album. On the other hand, songs like Fallen Angel and Malevolent Eyes sound a bit confused and lost, with even the vocals slightly out of touch.
The title track is once again a Priest-worshipping speeder, even if unspectacular, before the closing mini-epic Mistress Of The Sun once more steers from the predictability and hints at the band’s potential.
I am a bit disappointed Sacred Leather didn’t elaborate more on the direction shown with the last track or the aforementioned Tear Out My Heart, which are looking much more towards Crimson Glory or Savatage than Priest and Metal Church. Keep The Fire Burning sounds like a mixed bag, with several scarce promising moments that attract the listener’s attention. The problem is most of these songs are not convincing enough to make you choose this album among at least ten others which are way better and have also come out this year.
I hope this will be a transitional album for the band and they will find greater inspiration to stay ahead of the competition next time.
6/10
Keep The Fire Burning is out on December 12th and can be ordered from HERE
No comments! Be the first commenter?