Canadian Metal has a long tradition, we are all familiar with the sound RUSH gave to Metal and their 50 plus years of work, Canada also gave us classic bands like ANVIL, EXCITER, PILERDRIVER, SLAUGHTER, and many more. Now Canada gives us the quartet SANKTUARY, who are on their way to joining Canada's greats. Their second album, "Winter's Doom" is a clear proof that SANKTUARY is gearing up to join Canada's best. But all this praise doesn't mean the band is without their flaws. They play their style of Power/Thrash Metal in the way of the 80s, when Canadian and U.S.A. Metal scenes were boiling with power and intensity. But these days audiences crave a newer and more personalized sound rather than the same familiar formulas. The second problem I had with the album lies in the vocals, I feel that the vocal style could have been more aggressive to align better with the band's sound. The band did good production work, the sound is a good balance between the clear and aggressive tones and the band's heavily demanding sound. The production quality on the album really is good for such a band, but with that said, I do feel that the guitars could have been balanced better with the rest of the audio tracks. SANKTUARY clearly has awesome potential, but these elements can't be ignored.

Their seven songs really show what this quartet is capable of, but at times they fall short. The track "Winter's Doom" showcases some excellent guitar work, Alan and Glen are really masters in creating hooking riffs and good solos. The rhythmic session is fine as well, but the vocals, as said above, aren't on the same level. "Space Race" gives us some very good riffs and melodies. And the guitar solos on "Wild is the Wind" are catching and great, as are the shredding solos on "Vermin Lord", complete with the thunderous rhythm section makes this track shine. And we find a very Power/Heavy Metal weight presented on "Corpse Blockade". This would be a great song, but again, the vocals could fit better with the band's overall sound, they distract from the guitar and rhythm section that really complete these tracks. "Winter's Doom" shows us that SANKTUARY has great potential, but there are definitely areas they can improve on.