With a sound that's lost somewhere within the throes of time, SANDSTORM, is a melting pot of different influences and tones each melding together to form the basis of the band - difficult to define and yet easy to distinguish. Whilst previously their album was released at the start of February in 2019 it has since been picked up and redistributed through Dying Victims Productions.

The album commences with the song, "Death Is Near" which itself starts with an opening comprised of string and guitar lead accompanied by bass before the rhythm takes focus with the vocals sung over it. By the time the band has joined in full, the tone of the song shifts completely focusing on progressions rather than building tension. "Whips And Chains" is an interesting song to put it lightly-the song shares its name partially with SAVAGE MASTER's "With Whips And Chains," though the song itself reminds me strongly of the main theme from Wild 9, which coincidentally features a whip as the main weapon of the game. The sung portion of the break of the song is very off-putting, but the instrumentation is phenomenal. "Denizens Of Hell" starts out quiet with an organ and spoken prose, but quickly shifts its focus as the band in full joins in over the fading spoken piece.

The band has an interesting sound which defines it, being composed of lightly distorted guitars, a bass whose tone is more familiar to jazz, minimalistic drumming, and exceptionally bright vocals. The band seems to draw its tones from a variety of influences with the guitars reminding me both of LEZ ZEPPELIN and RAINBOW, the bass of Billy Sheehan, the drums of AC/DC, and the vocals reminding me of some of the more operatic numbers from JUDAS PRIEST. The guitars are exceptionally balanced between each channel, providing emphasis at each distinction yet never overbearing the soundscape and drawing attention away from the rest of the band in the process. "Time To Strike" is an interesting collection of Heavy Metal numbers that intentionally don't put an emphasis on Heavy, instead marking their own trail with tones and songwriting more reminiscent of Classic Metal. The band as a whole exhibits a unique blend of influences and inspirations which in turn cultivate into a niche defining substance that we, as the listeners, are able to jam out to; with the added benefit of distribution through their label, Dying Victims Productions, SANDSTORM should see their influence spread to anybody and everybody with any manner of penchant towards Classic Heavy Metal.