After one of the single best debuts in Metal history that I had had the chance to listen to, with their impressive “Damned for all Time” (this band’s debut album quickly became one of my all-time favourites in terms of Power Metal), I was extremely happy when I realized I was gonna be able to review Sacred Outcry’s 2nd and newest effort “Towers of Gold”. Their first album had everything I ever looked for in a Power Metal album: epic songs, great atmospheres, catchy melodies, tight musicianship without it being too overpowering, and a great sounding production that directly reminded me of the great Power Metal classic albums of the early 2000s, so I was really keen to hear if the band was able to pull it off again for their 2nd effort. A few things were different from the start, though. Most of the original band members had left, including the singer. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that the new singer was the one Daniel Heiman (Lost Horizon, Warrior Path). He is an excellent singer with a very wide range that mostly lives in the higher pitch end of the vocal spectrum, but that is able to handle lower notes as well, so I was genuinely curious how the new music was going to sound.
“Through Lands Forgotten (At The Crossroads Of Fate)” is a nice and cinematic acoustic intro. Daniel’s vocals make an early appearance and it becomes very epic pretty quickly. A good prelude to the whole album. Next is “The Flame Rekindled (Lurid Lights And Drunken Revelry)”, an awesome classic Power Metal song to kick off the music in an explosive manner. Vocals and instruments are impressive and tight from the very first notes and I’m happy to report that they remain that way for the rest of the album. In this particular song, the bass guitar leads truly shines and give it a different identity of its own. “The Voyage (Towards Immortality)” comes right after, and this one is a straight-up headbanger. The main riff and rhythm call for a whirlwind of long hair while holding a flagon of beer with one hand and horns up with the other one. The whole song is very grandiose sounding. That does indeed feel like a voyage to immortality. “Into The Storm (Beyond The Lost Horizon)” is a slower song with a mid-tempo rhythm that is as crushing as it is heavy. The guitar work is exceptional in this one, and the keyboard is tastefully applied in background layers so it never feels overpowering but you can always hear it. It also has one of the catchiest choruses in the whole album so there’s that. “Symphony Of The Night (The Curse Of The Blind)” starts with a nice acoustic intro that eventually builds up to another mid-tempo heavy song. Great performances all around, but ultimately this one is not as memorable as the previous few tracks.
The fact that the next song, “A Midnight Reverie (Whispers In The Wind)”, is another small intro-style track effectively makes this album sounds like it has 2 sides or halves. I appreciate this concept when we are talking about a vinyl experience, but given the similarity this small intro track has to the actual album intro, this one seems a little bit unnecessary and definitely not as strong. Fortunately, the next song is “The Sweet Wine Of Betrayal (The Perennial Sin)”, which is probably the best song this band has released in my opinion.
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The bass and keys intro is incredible and the overall feel of the song is truly empowering and magnificent. This one is a longer track that manages to bring all the elements of the band and make them shine next to each other in a very successful way.
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After this anthem comes “The City Of Stone (The Burden Of The Crownless Kings)”, another excellent song with a very intense buildup section of guitars and keyboards, I must mention that this one seems to be one the best and most demanding vocal performances of the whole album, but given Daniel’s abilities, he manages to deliver and then some. “Towers Of Gold (Tempus Edax Rerum)” is next with its gargantuan 14 minutes of Epic Symphonic Power Metal. This is a monster of a song that aims to more or less close the album in a truly bombastic way, and for the most part, it succeeds at doing so. However, there are several sections to this song, and some of them definitely feel a little bit disjointed. I do believe they would’ve worked better as 2 or 3 separate songs, but in the end, it manages to become that ultra-long epic track that most Power Metal bands aim for. The album finishes with “Where Crimson Shadows Dwell (And Ouroboros Dreamt)”, a folky outro song with very dramatic vocals a relatively mellow tone. I appreciate the theatricality of it as a closing act but would have preferred a more bombastic send-off for such a high-quality album.
In the end, this is a really really good album. Everything that made their debut a masterpiece to my ears is still there. However, for some reason, this 2nd one did not capture me immediately as their 2nd album did, but I will give it a few more spins in the near future. It is a great release, nevertheless, with really tight and talented musicians and performances all around. If you like your Melodic Metal, this one is a must-listen for this year.
Album highlights: The Flame Rekindled (Lurid Lights And Drunken Revelry), Into The Storm (Beyond The Lost Horizon), The Sweet Wine Of Betrayal (The Perennial Sin), The City Of Stone (The Burden Of The Crownless Kings)
For fans of: Lost Horizon, Human Fortress, Blind Guardian, Orden Ogan
SACRED OUTCRY: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: No Remorse Records
Category: Album
Country: Greece
Reviewed by Roman Ibarra
