Reviews: Sacred Outcry, Paranoid Reverb, Solid Faith, Project Theory (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Sacred Outcry: Damned For All Time (No Remorse Records)

Formed in 1998 in Piraeus, Greece, Sacred Outcry entered the studio in 2001 to record Damned For All Time however after 2 years they stopped holding on to the rough mix in the hope that they would one day return to the. Well after some more solid work between 2015-2019 those rough mixes have finally seen the light of day as a fully fledged debut album, despite the components being recorded at different times in different place this 'final draft' was edited, mixed & mastered by Steve Lado at SL Studio, the Tardive Dyskinesia guitarist also adds a guest solo on Sacred Outcry. With so much time between the recording and the release obviously a few members have gone by the wayside with only Dimitris Perros (guitars), George Apalodimas (bass) and Stelios Darakis (drums) still the major contributing members but Giannis Skalkotos brings the cinematic keys. 

The biggest change comes behind the mic with original singer Vagelis Spanakis only contributing to acoustic guitar on this new version of the album, where the voice for this album comes from Beast In Black singer (and go to screamer) Yannis Papadopoulos. So the album? Damned For All Time is described as an Epic Metal record so it takes from the theatrical power metal assault of bands such as Blind Guardian, Hammerfall or even Manowar as layers of acoustics and backing choirs are spread throughout the album which builds from the intro Timeless before Legion Of The Fallen the galloping first proper track where they can spread their power metal wings on this album inspired by the literature of Michael Moorcock. 

So yes it's swords and sorcery, high fantasy power metal so it will always be compared to Blind Guardian and while it doesn't always reach the scope of current Blind Guardian tracks such as Sacred Outcry will carry enough speed to remind you of the work up to Imaginations Of The Other Side where they were developing into the colossal progressive unit they are today. One would think had situations been different Sacred Outcry would have gone the same way as you have to remember that all the music here was written in 2001 just as the power metal genre was experiencing it's most challenging time against the backdrop of Nu-Metal. Damned For All Time makes out that this never happened with the folky Scared To Cry is a break in the pomp that follows through into the rampaging Lonely Man. 

Towards the climax of the album they show that they can deal with the longer form songs as well with the title track clocking in at 14 minutes with all the ostentation you'd want for a track of this length. I'd have to say that if you were a fan of this band from back then that this album would be long awaited, on this evidence that patience has paid off as Damned For All Time is a brilliant Epic Metal record guaranteed to put a smile on your face and your fist in the sky! 8/10

Paranoid Reverb: Billion Drops (Made Of Stone Recordings)  

If you've read any of my reviews about Greek bands before you'll know that they love a fat, juicy, riff as much as they love a fat, juicy, gyro, so when Billion Drops kicks off with the crunchy Maze you know that there will be thousands of Greek riff fanatics will be sparking up a cigarette and reaching for the volume knob. Billion Drops is the Thessaloniki based Paranoid Reverb's latest record and it's certainly one for the stoner devotees. Most of the songs are played at trudging pace with fuzz-drenched guitars repeating ear-deafening riffs to a point of hypnosis the drums and bass keeping things moving forward on each of these grungy psyche cuts occasionally opening up into wild, lead breaks like on Rain. There are definite influences of Nightstalker and Planet Of Zeus here with the bouncy songs such as Deep Diver having that slightly acerbic quality of the Athenian Wolfpack. Add to this the gritty vocal shouts then you have a record that also brings some desert/space rock journeying as well. Billion Drops provides a healthy diet of riffs followed by more riffs making it a satisfying meal. 7/10   

Solid Faith: Eternal Quest (Alone Records)

Yet again another band lost in the mists of the Greek metal history. Formed as Secrecy in 1997 before changing their name to Solid Faith in 1999, it's taken a long bloody time for Athenian band Solid Faith to release their debut album. In this time they have evolved from a technical thrash band into a much more recognizable sound of progressive metal that moves between Symphony X and Fates Warning. Does this elongated creative period improve the record or is it to the detriment of the songs. Well the musical triumvirate of Pandelis Moudouris (guitar), Kostas Karapetsakos (drums) and Byron Gatsis (bass) are still the driving force of the band playing technically expressive metal that owes itself to Fates Warning and Shadow Gallery keeping much of the record in the mid-pace while occasionally branching out into their thrashy beginnings, boosting everything are the keyboards of Greek metal journeyman Bob Katsionis. 

So musically it's pretty standard progressive metal with extensive use of time signature changes and melodic passages mixed with heaviness. The only problem I have though is that vocalist Theodor Martinis is not the strongest of singers, he's very much trying to tap into that Ray Alder style of singing but can never quite hit the notes, in contrast to Sacred Outcry where the addition of Yannis is ideal and gives the record a needed boost, especially due to lyrical content. Still after so much time it's heartening to see that the band can still deliver quality, however vocally they can get a little grating. 6/10  

Project Theory: Blood & Theory (Self Released)

Sometimes you come across bands that surprise you for the better. Let me explain. The word on the street is that Project Theory are metalcore/rapcore band. This threw up red flags immediately but when I pressed play this tag seemed to be a little to simplistic, yes they are inspired by bands such as Papa Roach and Linkin Park but where this Thessaloniki four pieces sound really lays is with Chicago, facial piercing enthusiasts Disturbed. But I mean early Disturbed when they had some guts, the mixture of synthy, flicking electronics are met with grooving riffs giving these songs oomph while the melodic lead breaks/solos and the amazing Dramian-like vocals really give it those huge hooks that have been sung back at every rock night since the 1990's. 

There are also some touches of Bring Me The Horizon on Into The Black and also a Nu-Metal crunch of Korn coming through as well. Now I've publicly decried Nu-Metal and Metalcore for a long time with neither genre being at the top of my list, however I'm forced to eat my words with Project Theory, songs such as Clown Festival, Lucid Dreaming, the title track are just part of why this album really appealed to me despite my immediate reservations. Blood & Theory is probably the best early 2000's metal album released 15 years too late which is a huge compliment, honestly! 8/10