Sacred Reich
Ignorance

THE REVIEW

Sacred Reich, a mocking moniker, a fierce warm critique towards dictatorial regimes, towards war in all its forms. An American thrash metal band among the most underrated of the '80s, and one of the least prolific in terms of releases, also due to the overwhelming overexposure of Yankee bands in the same period.

 The Sacred Reich had everything it took to grasp the status of a leading band in American thrash: experienced and willing musicians, committed lyrics (far from playful), custom mascots, well-calibrated speed and power. Even friendships in the metal world of the time (Kerry King and Jason Newsted). The band is suffocated by the '90s, those of post-thrash, barren of satisfactions for this quartet of convinced pacifists, admirers of hardcore and Black Sabbath.

Phil Rind (vocals and bass), Jason Rainey (rhythm guitar), Wiley Arnett (lead guitar), and Greg Hall (drums), hail from Arizona and are fellow countrymen of the Atrophy and label mates of Flotsam & Jetsam. They arrive at their debut album "Ignorance" (1987), preceded by the demo "Draining Your Life" (1986), famous in the underground scene not only for the very Slayer-style sound mix but also for the lyrics that discuss various social issues without rhetoric. From the photos in the inner booklet, we see their musical influences through their t-shirts: Greg Hall with the Slayer logo, Phil Rind with the Corrosion Of Conformity mascot (another of their hardcore influences), Wiley Arnett with an enigmatic "Death" writing (which has nothing to do with the late Chuck), while Jason Rainey rounds out the view with the bloody axe of Metal Blade, the same label as Nasty Savage. From the cover and the title, one can sense how the music and biting invectives go hand in hand. Especially with the majestic opener "Death Squad", which condemns right-wing movements with vehement rhythms that surpass Slayer's speed and the excellent production (by Bill Metoyer) that emphasizes all instruments where the wall of sound created by the guitars approaches death metal at times:

"...Democracy at all costs/The methods of freedom clear/The radicals of the right, abusing control/The choice will be the democracy of death/Taken by force/Controlled by fear/Death squad-law police must eliminate subversion/Dissent, riots/Those who oppose will meet their death..."

 In "Victims Of Demise" Greg Hall eases off the accelerator and the speed matches other thrash bands, while Phil Rind continues to bellow with a hoarse and nasal tone, a truly catchy trademark that underscores the lyrics centered on the effects of cancer:

 "Mutant genes/Confuse the DNA code/Cancerous assault/You pray for the end of your suffering/Disfigured/A lesion, a polyp, a cyst/Functional torture/Stricken and twisted guts..."

 A characteristic of the Sacred Reich, shared with Metallica, is the presence of only one lead guitarist, the talented Wiley Arnett. In this debut, he signs only the instrumental "Layed To Rest", while rhythm guitarist Jason composes four other tracks along with Phil Rind. During solos Wiley seems at ease, even though the quality is lower than Holt/Hunolt’s acrobatics, for example. The tones of the solos always seem the same to my untrained ear, with prolonged squeals suffering from the lack of a counterbalance like in Death's "Leprosy". In that case, Rick Rozz's erratic highs were balanced by Chuck's regular geometries, giving the product the necessary variety. In Sacred Reich this does not happen; in fact, there is a noticeable similarity between parts of the various tracks. For example, the lightning-fast "Administrative Decisions" stands out for its critical lyrics (..'disobedient classes/In this great small fascist school/That encourages apathy/Participate and you'll be burned...) which seem to replace the novelty that the listener expects after listening to 6-7 fast songs. "Sacred Reich" (featured on the compilation "Metal Massacre VIII") is also good, condemning Nazism with a slowed-down and groovy rhythm that breaks the album's tension, and the tough "Violent Solutions" alternates between slow and fast parts with great ease, without descending into pure uncontrollable speed. One of Sacred Reich's best songs.

 The band, however, was composing sly pieces at the same time Slayer and Metallica had just forged classic tracks like "Angel of Death" and "Battery", speed pieces hardly surpassable in pathos and catchiness. Difficult for Sacred Reich to reinvent speed in equally benevolent compositions. Already in '88, Forbidden, with the debut "Forbidden Evil", were indicating the new route to thrash, slowing down the sonic fury in favor of skillfully performed tempo changes, thus taking much allure away from Sacred Reich's third record, "The American Way," released in 1990.

The mini LP "Surf Nicaragua" (from 1988) closes the first phase of Sacred Reich's career, the one turned towards hardcore: the title track is a masterpiece in music and lyrics. The iron had to be struck while hot, and three years between the debut "Ignorance" and the follow-up "The American Way", interrupted only by the mini-LP, further penalized the band.