Keeping it up to Speed, up to Thrash, up to Heavy, at least something is kept and preserved. While there have been plenty drooling in the mud pile of modern Metal, sounding and looking like the next face, others have a wish to be back out there, in the depths of the past, looking for those mystic ages that made Metal music so profound, and the basis to what it is today. Contemporary sympathizers would call it a waste of time probably, but there is nothing better than a good old deed in the name of true Metal. And there I present you the Canadian SANKTUARY, jamming their stuff with their debut, "Something Fierce", via Spread The Metal Records. Jolting and lurching between the forthrightness of Heavy (post NWOBHM and IRON MAIDEN), through proto Thrash (early METALLICA, early HEATHEN, METAL CHURCH, early SLAYER, early OVERKILL) and vintage Speed Metal (EXCITER), the Canadian youngsters wanted to live up the ancient thrills, hoary crazy drills, and maximum charged up kills with this tip of the iceberg. Eventually they were able to reaffirm several of the old feels of that glorious decade heading towards the golden brick road.

Generally, "Something Fierce" has a few dimensions of moods, commencing its run with sort of post NWOBHM aberrations, sliding it with bits of IRON MAIDEN with a measure of Speed, then all through the middle crossing the Styx onwards to the corridors of infuriated Thrash and Speed Metal discharge, only to head back into the acreages of Heavy Metal into a solid end. It appears that diversity is in play, though it came about while implying of the genres involved. SANKTUARY composed and wrote a few great riffs, some have already been accounted for plenty of times though their power of influence is still great, and others a little in the direction of a tad of originality with a twist. "Screeching for Vengeance" and "Fire in the Sky" acted as this album's creative factors and also a solid vocal performance. The former is merely a cross breed between old US Power and Speed Metal and fortitudes of early Thrash assaults, reminding the once honored inspiration of US Metal scene of the 80s, forging speed, fast tremolo picking and succulent twin guitar action. The latter is all about full throttle assault retaining a sweet memorabilia of the primary era of SLAYER up until the awakening of "South Of Heaven", of course with the entire series of soloing rounds, catchy titling, rhythm guitars and undemanding drumming with effective simplicity, on their way to make your head bang hard.

While taking you stroll within the Metal's archaic frontlines, SANKTUARY still have to work on their material in order to produce a little more interesting version of yesterday's Metal. Aside from the two tracks I mentioned there were a few more that offered the fiery spirit of the lost, yet it sounded too basic and regretfully sometimes out of context like on "Hail the Villain", which on its whole is a good song, however it was stretched almost for nothing, even with presenting fair riffery and a strong potential at being one of the band's impressive demonstrations. The short scorching of "Thrill of the Kill", minding being a typical SLAYERish track, not of the "Aggressive Perfector" brand, should have at least indulge on a neck ripping solo, a big miss to a moderately nice track. In a nutshell, SANKTUARY's effort is admirable. For a debut album this is good and holds a promise for something greater and superior. I will keep my hopes up.