Sabinas Rex is an atmospheric Metal band from New York. Their atmospheric, Goth tinged sound conjures up images of castles and knights riding off to confront evil. This first demo is led by multi-instrumentalist Vlado Kormos (and I might add that is a darn cool name!). The first person he added to the line-up of Sabinas Rex was Jana Steiger, who until that time had been a start-up singer. Later on he met a contemporary guitarist named Edwin Shirey and added him to the band. The line-up was completed when Vlado met a vocalist named Baron Misuraca during a jam session.
The sound of Sabinas Rex is very full, with lots of keyboard work, courtesy of Vlado Kormos. Of all the music on the demo, it is the best, contributing heavily to the medieval sound of much of the music. The guitar work is kept in the background most of the time but occasionally comes to the forefront for a heartfelt solo or bit of leadwork. The vocalists are quite good as well. Baron Misuraca has a rather deep voice, reminding me a little of Eric Molarin of Beseech and he has a pretty decent growl. Jana Steiger spends less time in the spotlight but her voice has a sweet and slightly lower than is usual for a female. Their music is sometimes dark and mournful and other times soothing and uplifting, which is rare in a band of their sort. Unfortunately, the singers are a little hard to understand and the demo does not include the lyrics on the CD sleeve.
When, which is one of the heavier tracks on Praise The King, though it doesn't start out that way. It has good lead work and bouncy keyboards. I Still See You which is a bit more gothic than most of the album and demonstrates their ability to pull your heart down and help it back up again. The title track is the most medieval sounding track on the album; it is also the most cheerful. The keyboard work is the best on the album and the guitar solo is quite good. Some of the lyrics needed more work, however. The only song that has problems is The Way Somewhere Else, which has parts that are good and parts where the keyboard work becomes downright annoying.
I have been looking for something both different and good lately and it appears that I have found it. Sabinas Rex's Praise The King is quite a pleasant listen.