SACRED REICH - Heal LP (Black Vinyl)

Of all the more notorious thrash bands from the late 80's and early 90's, Sacred Reich were certainly not one of the better acts. However, while keeping an open mind and allowing a band the opportunity to always redeem themselves, this album manages to do just that. With the release of Heal, Sacred Reich have finally managed to release a consistent thrash metal album that is just as well produced as the actual musical arrangements. Overall this album is not "amazing", but is certainly great! By point of fact, just about every song on this album is worthy to be heard, and the performances of the band members themselves is far better than what is found on all of their previous recordings. I think one of the most beneficial turning points for this band is when they managed to aquire drummer Dave McLain into their ranks, who went on to play with Machine Head after Kris Kontos left. Dave's drumming on this album is rather impressive, especially in the double bass department where his expertise of both speed and intricacy is very well represented.
This album also seems to be a little more aggressive in the lyrical department, as its a much more "in your face" type of record. Check out the tracks Blue Suit, Brown Shirt, Don't, I Don't Care, and The Power of The Written Word. Phil's lyrics definately lean towards a rebelious realm and the message is lound and clear...Fuck You!
This album is actually very heavy, both in terms of actual songs as well as the production, there seems to be alot of bottom end, and that's definately a good thing.
The only major downfall is that although the riffs are pretty decent, the leads for the most part aren't anything special, and often the structures of the solos sound rather recycled after awhile.
Overall a decent Thrash metal album with some very memorable tune