review: Sacred Reich

Sacred Reich

Awakening

Metal Blade Records

23 August 2019

In 1963 the American rock band The Beach Boys achieve big time success in the United States with the marvelous single “Surfin’ USA,” which is also the name of the album. On the album the band showcases the beautiful vocal melodies that is their trademark. The lyrics are a celebration of good times; the myth of California as the land of fantasy, prosperity and happiness; and it is a wholesome hymn to the United States as the land of milk, honey and money.

In 1988 the second-wave American thrash band Sacred Reich respond to such a myth with “Surf Nicaragua,” a song about U.S. government intervention and fueling of the civil war aimed at overturning the revolution in the Central American nation. Instead of happiness, beaches, money and good times, the Arizona thrashers show murder, poverty, violence and war. To hammer their message, they also cover Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” a classic song against war. Sacred Reich and Black Sabbath reject the war of their times and use their music to speak on what they see around them. Since the thrash band’s debut album in 1987 they had managed to do two seemingly contradictory objectives: play really fast, really loud and abrasive extreme music of the time; and establish themselves as metal music social commentary. They were going to give thrash to the people, but they were also going to give thrash fans some food for thought.

The band’s 1991 album The American Way continued the lyrical approach of commentary on politics, government, corporations, and other institutions of power. As was happening in mainstream metal at that time, the heavier, simplistic groove-oriented chugging was taking over, and the The American Way was no different. The music was heavy, but it was no longer pure thrash. In truth, the album was a change, but it was not a weak nor light album. The album still had some thrash, but it had more groove. The difference was noticeable, but the fact remains that the album was successful for them, and many fans liked the new element of heaviness and simplicity added to the thrash foundation.

In 1993 and in 1996 they had two more albums, but something was wrong. The groove metal formula had gotten stale. All that one has to do is listen to the 1993 song “Just Like That,” (even the song title lacks creativity) to hear a band that has hit a wall. Instead of music that was fast and lean with sharp thrash, they sounded like frustrated, angry liberals whining about anonymous enemies, as if they were fighting with such unimportant people like reviewers, interviewers, critics, and other cynics. They were tired and sounded tired and the music sounded tiring. Those albums have some songs that sound good, that show that the band wanted to make good songs, and other tracks that sound like a band bored with its job. Those albums are inconsistent, with material that seems like it is filler. Despite activities in the intervening years, there was no new studio album and they seemed like a nostalgia act whenever they played live.

Now in 2019 they have finally made the album that their fans should want. In the eight songs and 31 minutes, the band has finally figured out how to thrash again for real. It seems like the fog has finally lifted. They sound lean again. It also looks like the band’s older members are in better health, like they feel better, and the music seems to reflect that better state of mind.

The new album finds them once and for all putting the pieces together. They can and do thrash. They also take the best elements of the 1990s, and revamp their groove metal. It is not a pure thrash album. This is not 1986 anymore for them, and they are not going to sound like the young thrash maniacs of the Draining You of Life demo from that year. However, they have learned to balance thrash and groove a lot better. In addition, in their old age they are throwing little bits of 1970s classic/heavy rock energy in some of the soloing, some of the grooves, in the guitar, in the drumming and that can be heard in some of the music.

The album is short, as all Sacred Reich albums have always been. Leave the people wanting more. Exactly. sacredreichofficial.bandcamp.com