Sometimes, it really feels as though we’re living in an age where the modern legends of both metal and rock are starting to realize they’re nearing the end of the line and are slowly retiring from the stage after legendary runs. But, like many things in the universe, there is an exception. Returning to the studio after returning claiming to be a strictly live act from that point forward, Sacred Reich returns to us with their first original material in well over two decades to bring forth a power the likes of which we’ve rarely gotten a taste of since the days Sacred Reich called it.

It could be easy for me to sit here and argue how the state of thrash has remained virtually unchanged ever since the 90s or even the 80s as we constantly get bands even today that do little to nothing to improve upon the modern formula of the style or those that do no more than try to channel the same vibes they grew up with when the scene seemed consisted of bands like Sacred Reich who seemed to do almost no wrong. I refuse to go into such an area because I know there’s more to thrash than that and it’s with their return that Sacred Reich provides an experience perfect for the style: a style that’s straight from one of the band’s that made the classic scene something to behold without being damaged by time. The layers that go into “Awakening” itself make this record stand out as you can clearly tell this is much more than a return to the studio for Sacred Reich; it’s a comeback for them as a band to show to not only the fans but to themselves that they’re still capable of bringing what we’ve always loved about them while showing they’ve grown as musicians. It’s a tremendous work of power that could have very well been put out just a few years after Sacred Reich’s last studio effort and it would’ve found a damn good home in the scene at the time, and it’ll find a great one in the modern scene with it being so much of what has made thrash great in the first place. From top to bottom, left to right, and from every other fucking direction you can think of, Sacred Reich has made something they should really be proud of with “Awakening”.

There are always so many different works of thrash metal coming out each year that don’t do anything even relatively interesting that it can easily become a style to lose interest in, and we’ve been relying on new acts to keep that flame going as the icons have started to pass the torch, but not Sacred Reich. They’ve made a real statement with “Awakening” to show that it is possible to return with true passion in your blood and still having the talent to make it work, and they couldn’t have made a better album out of such valiant effort.

“Awakening” releases on August 23rd via Metal Blade Records!

PRE-ORDER “Awakening” via Metal Blade here.

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