Sacrosanct – Necropolis

Label: Rock of Angels Records  Playing Time: 59 Min  Release: 30th November 2018

Sacrosanct? Do you remember? Connoisseur of the German Metal scene might remember that name? The band was founded in 1988 by guitarist Randy Reinhard (former Pestilence) and Marco Foddis (drums). Until 1992, they released three albums, but then the band broke. Now, a quarter century later, the band is being reformed.

When listening to “Necropolis” it becomes obvious from the first second, that there are not newbies at work. The songs, which are all some sort of classic Heavy Metal, have a portion of maturity in their genes. The focus lies on strong riffs. In addition there are the rough, but also melodic vocals of Richard F. Hesselink. The resulting sound is not unique, but always listenable. The songs also have an old school production. Clear and heavy, but far away from the modern plastic productions.

Concerning songrwirting, “Necropolis” has two sides: Some songs, for example the opener ‘New Age Of Fear’, the half-ballade ‘The Pain Still Lasts’ and ‘My Last White Light’ are very well-done. Catchy, melodic, but also pure Heavy Metal. The other songs do also have some great moments, but also some lengths. Lengths in its truest meaning. The majority of the tracks last between seven and nine minutes. The songs do not have enough enough variation to justify those lengths. Sacrosanct are not Dream Theater. Sometimes, a little bit less is more! In addition there is some sort of monotony in the vocals. As I said before, the vocals of Richard F. Hesselink have nice vibes. But due to the abstinence of choirs, backing vocals and a second vocalist, the vocals become boring soon. In this case, more would have been better!

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