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░ ██ ██ Artist: Sacred Chao ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Sacred Chao █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-06-24 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Thrash Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Blacksmith Productions ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Remastered EP ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ There have been some rather odd attempts by 80s █
█ metal bands in reinventing themselves to appeal to █
█ the mainstream. The brief interlude where Grave █
█ Digger simply became Digger and labored under the █
█ illusion that Donald Duck was a superhero, SaxonÆs █
█ and Tygers Of Pan TangÆs just shy of masculine █
█ flirtations with Warrant styled glam rock, and the █
█ barrage of bands who stopped showering and wore █
█ flannels in the early 90s to try and keep the █
█ groupies piling in (unaware that most grunge women █
█ who idolized Kurt Cobain were ass ugly) are just a █
█ few examples. But 3 members of the respectable █
█ German thrash outfit Living Death putting together █
█ a hokey sounding speed metal band with way too █
█ many AOR and pop/punk influences absolutely takes █
█ the cake. █
█ What can be heard on Sacred ChaoÆs rather confused █
█ little mishmash of styles could be described as a █
█ lot of things, but consistent doesnÆt quite factor █
█ in. There are gobs of lead fill-ins with enough █
█ pinch harmonics to make Zakk Wylde and Vivian █
█ Campbell blush. There is this ironically happy and █
█ upbeat feel to all of these songs that is almost █
█ akin to Motorhead giving up their pissed off █
█ rocker ways in order to sound more like AC/DC at █
█ their most tongue-in-cheek. The production is █
█ about as thin sounding as Calista Flockhart is █
█ two-dimensional, and the riffs are heavily cliche, █
█ though elaborated to the point of almost being █
█ unintelligible at times. Probably the only thing █
█ that is really on point is Thorsten BergmannÆs █
█ vocals, which are largely mid-ranged and punk-like █
█ in character. █
█ This is one of those albums that you can find █
█ things to like here and there, but thereÆs usually █
█ something gumming up the works and making it █
█ difficult to really get into. ôCry For Moreö could █
█ maybe pass for a moderately good emulation of █
█ ôIron Fistö, but leads get so utterly ridiculous █
█ and the production so obnoxiously reverb drenched █
█ that itÆs hard to get a coherent feel of the song. █
█ ôLife Means Nothingö is an improvement in that the █
█ leads donÆt quite overpower the riffs and vocals, █
█ but it doesnÆt get much beyond that up tempo, █
█ tried and true NWOBHM format that was done better █
█ 7 years before. ôDirty Dreamsö goes back down the █
█ same road as the opening song, largely resembling █
█ early 80s Motorhead with too many guitar screams █
█ and a chorus that sounds like it was plagiarized █
█ off an AC/DC song. ôLeave You Right Nowö is █
█ probably the best thing on here, as it meshes a █
█ ôLove At First Stingö meets ôNo Rest For The █
█ Wickedö 80s sound with occasional fits of early █
█ speed metal in a more measured fashion. ItÆs not █
█ spectacular, but it provides a much cleaner █
█ version of FredÆs riffing style than the other █
█ songs. █
█ Ultimately, this is an album that could go either █
█ way. I can see people either completely loving it █
█ or completely hating it, thus IÆm sort of the █
█ oddball in that I canÆt really decide how to feel █
█ about this, perhaps because IÆm only somewhat █
█ familiar with Living DeathÆs work. This isnÆt the █
█ sort of thing that demands tracking down the way █
█ some truly lost gem might, but seeking out the █
█ audio on the internet might not be a waste of █
█ time, though I canÆt say IÆll be listening to it █
█ again anytime soon. In other words, when you have █
█ an equal amount of good and bad, you tend to get a █
█ neutral experience, and that is where ôSacred █
█ Chaoö leaves me. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ The short-lived, ill-fated Sacred Chao is named █
█ for the Living Death song "Sacred Chao", which █
█ makes a lot of sense when one considers that this █
█ is basically Living Death, or three members of the █
█ better known speed/thrash entity, who decided to █
█ continue their journey after that band's 1989 █
█ split. However, despite the presence of Thorsen █
█ Bergmann, Atomic Steif and Fred, there is not █
█ really all that much in common, as Sacred Chao █
█ perform a sort of mix of uplifting melodic/speed █
█ metal void of the thrash influences that had █
█ gradually enveloped Living Death, to the █
█ betterment of their sound. This has a lot more in █
█ common with the sounds of Running Wild, Rage, █
█ Scanner, and other German ilk, only Sacred Chao █
█ has this enthusiastic, goofy air about it that █
█ makes it a little difficult to take seriously. █
█ Bergmann for one sounds quite different here, █
█ hanging out in a middle register with only slight █
█ use of his pinchy, nasal vocal style that one had █
█ come to either love or hate through the first few █
█ Living Death records. It's a curious shift, but █
█ ultimately underwhelming, and though the guitars █
█ are fill of fun and fiber, the production sounds █
█ like ass through the whole EP, like it's being █
█ spun through a wind-tunnel. The little guitar █
█ squeals characteristic of Fred's work sound like a █
█ bad attempt at commercial hard rock/metal, and the █
█ riffs are just never meaty nor catchy enough to █
█ function. Of the four tracks, "Cry for More" is █
█ likely the most exciting, sounding not unlike mid █
█ 80s Ozzy Osbourne, and the material grows █
█ progressively worse as you move along, with the █
█ lame "Dirty Dreams" biting off the famous AC/DC █
█ 'dirty deeds' motif, and the closer "Leave You █
█ Right Now" just utter shit. █
█ Well, we all know who got the better of the deal █
█ when Living Death parted ways this year. Reiner █
█ and Dieter Kelch were at least able to release one █
█ more, respectable album in 1991's Killing In █
█ Action, whereas the mighty 'Toto' Bergmann's █
█ legacy ended here. I really can't picture what was █
█ going inside the members' heads at this time. █
█ Granted, they were always into the sounds of █
█ classic heavy/speed metal, hard rock and so forth, █
█ but how could this have been a good idea when the █
█ fan base was starving for their blistering, █
█ shrieking thrash metal? This EP is so pathetic █
█ that the band were inevitably embarrassed, so █
█ nothing more would come from it, which might be █
█ proof that there IS a God. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Cry for More 4:02 ░
░ 2. Life Means Nothing 4:56 ░
░ 3. Dirty Dreams 3:33 ░
░ 4. Leave You Right Now 5:27 ░
░ 17:58 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
■ █▄ ░ ██
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