Album Review: Sacral Rage – Beyond Celestial Echoes (Cruz Del Sur Music)

Greek speedsters Sacral Rage will release their highly-anticipated sophomore album, Beyond Celestial Echoes, on October 19 via Cruz Del Sur Music. The follow-up to 2015’s Illusions In Infinite Void, vocalist Dimitris comments:

“With ‘Illusions’, we knew that we had set a high target and that’s why we took our time for ‘Beyond Celestial Echoes’. Maybe we felt a little bit anxious at the beginning, but now that we almost have the final result in our hands, we know that we did it the way we wanted to. Once ‘Illusions’ came out, we focused on the promotion of the album and did many gigs around Europe. Also, we didn’t want to start writing music right after the release because we believed that the impact of ‘Illusions’ was too strong at that time and we didn’t want to end up writing an identical album. So, after almost a year we started working on our new album in which we added a lot of elements and achieved a result that has the same aura as the previous one, but at the same time, is something different.”

Thrash but not conventional thrash, Sacral Rage pepper their metal sound with sci-fi elements with focus on the classic prog metal years of the 70s. The end result is an eight track album that defies conventions and is thrilling from start to finish.

Kicking off in high gear with Eternal Solstice, the galloping riffs are one thing but the glass-shattering vocal wails are another! An epic air-grab and head-banger of a track and an album as a whole. Although it is interesting to see the band throw new ideas in too as the likes of Vaguely Decoded and Suspended Privileges show of seriously proficient guitar work. Even a solo (such as the one that appears in the latter) has this unique edge to it, where it just perks the ears up.

Those looking for more of the sci-fi elements will be pleased to find them more present in Samsara (L.C.E.) and Necropia. Both tracks conjuring up images of other-worldly places and dimensions.

All good fun however Sacral Rage do over-do it with a 15 minute finale on The Glass. It begins hot but fails to continue burning as brightly the longer it goes on and begins to bore by time it has passed the 10 minute mark.

Sacral Rage – Beyond Celestial Echoes Full Track Listing:

1. Progenitor
2. Eternal Solstice
3. Vaguely Decoded
4. Suspended Privilege
5. Samsara (L.C.E.)
6. Necropia
7. Onward to Nucleus
8. The Glass

You can order the album via Cruz Del Sur Music here and find out more by liking Sacral Rage’s Facebook Page. You can also pick up Sacral Rage’s earlier releases and merchandise via Bandcamp.