I’ve never been to Indiana, so I’m not acquainted with how they do things. After listening to Sacred Leather’s sophomore outing, Keep the Fire Burning, I’m definitely left wondering if time moves differently there, though. That’s because this is one of the most retro, throwback-y pure metal things I’ve heard in some time, with a sound so hopelessly locked between 1983-1986, that I feel my back hair receding as my olde denim jacket grows new Venom and Motörhead patches. When I call this style “dated,” what I really mean is carbon-dated.1 Now, don’t take this as a criticism, as those years were some of the very best for classic heavy metal, and Sacred Leather do their damnedest to harvest the finest elements from a time when things were simple, pure, and still very based in hard-rock. As this album unspools, you’ll be whisked away to an age when Jag Panzer, Savage Grace, and Warlord ruled with a collective iron fist, and being labeled a poser was akin to a death sentence. Could you withstand the cred rigors of such a draconian time? Steel Druhm did once and would gladly do so again!
After a tasteful instrumental intro, Sacred Leather tan your worthless hide from point Ape to point ChimpanZee on “Spitfire at Night,” powered by the uber-period guitar work of J.J. Highway and Cvon Owens. It’s vintage metal with a speed injection, and it reminds me of long-forgotten German quasi-thrashers Vendetta mixed with Agent Steel. That’s 100% undiluted Steel bait, and the chum is thick and saucy here. Riffs churn and race, over-the-top solos stamp fat exclamation points, and frontman Dee Wrathchild screams and wails like a banshee on banshee meths. It’s a recipe for rowdy, high-energy shenanigans, and in the steady hands of Sacred Leather, this volatile brew sizzles and pops. “Phantom Highway (Hell is Comin’ Down)” delivers more lusty worship of excess. It’s a slick blend of NWoBHM and the most sturdy of mid-80s US metal, and it reminds me of Sumerlands. “Fallen Angel” channels the early days of Jag Panzer with big arena-ready guitars dueling with wanton vocals locked in overdrive as every ounce of meatheaded drama is wrung from the music. Sure, Mr. Wrathchild lets his voice get away from him at times, but that’s freaking metal, folks.
Song after song hits like a runaway freight train from 1985, and at no point will you want to step off the tracks. “Tear Out My Heart” feels like the bastard love child of Warlord and Savage Grace, with stunning guitars framing the kind of massive vocal drama that only 80s metal can provide. If you were looking for a burly, hard-as-nails breakup song for written for men who don’t cry, this is it. The title track channels the badass anthemic might of the criminally underappreciated Cities, and the band proudly honor their oath to keep the flame of the 80s burning bright. Just as you regain your senses, the big epic closer “Mistress of the Sun” arrives to make you love it or feel the wrath of Wrathchild. This is the same kind of larger-than-life metal tune as Krokus’ immortal “Screaming in the Night,” walking the line between anthem and power ballad and damn if it doesn’t tickle all the same nerve endings. There are no bad tracks, with each activating a major nostalgia bomb. So, what, if any, drawbacks will you encounter amid this most retro metal marination session? There are bits of bloat here and there, like on “Tear Out My Heart,” but not to the point where the songs are seriously undermined. In fact, at a tight 40 minutes, this thing feels like a fast-moving mission statement on how to properly worship the 80s, with a production about as trve to the time as one could hope for.
This is the kind of metal album that exudes guitar magic, and Highway and Owens spare no expense in decorating each song with the trappings of yesteryear. I hear many classic 80s albums referenced in their playing, and they really know the era they pay homage to. The riffs are energetic, beefy, and vibrant, and the harmonies and solos rock hard. Over the top of this solid foundation, Dee Wrathchild channels his inner metal god. Blessed with a broad range, he lets it all hang out, exploring his upper register freely and sometimes in ill-advised ways. He does seem to slip out of tune here and there when going all in, but I don’t especially care. Most of what he delivers is solid and commanding, checking all the boxes of 80s overkill and melodrama.
I love it when I blunder into some December release expecting little but getting my ass handed to me on a gleaming chrome platter. Sacred Leather bring the classic metal thunder, and if you love the sounds of the 80s, you should await the lightning strike. As winter moves ever closer, you too should Keep the Fire Burning. Any other choice would smack of flagrant poserism, and that would mean a visit from the Metal Inquisition. Be true to your olde school.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: King Volume Records / Wise Blood Records
Websites: facebook.com/leathersacredleather | instagram.com/sacred_leather
Releases Worldwide: December 12th, 2015
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