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Whenever I can, I try and listen to the albums for review “blind”. You know, slap a load of discs in the player, hit random and listen without prejudice and just see what comes up. Let’s face it, there is a lot of mediocrity out there, so when the Sanctorum album came up, it was time to sit up and take note. I didn’t know who it was at the time, but within minutes of the first track I was hooked.

So, it begs the question, who are Sanctorum and more to the point are they any good?

Sanctorum (formerly Devolution, name changed to avoid legal wrangles and confusion) are a bunch of young upstarts from East Anglia , and by young I mean young as they are only 18.  Formed in 2002, this group of friends concentrated on writing original material and gaining a reputation on the Colchester circuit. They recorded a debut EP entitled “Penumbria” (under the name Devolution) which was produced and recorded by Mark Daghorn at his “New Rising Studio”.

Fast forward to September 2005 and the boys formally undergo the name change from Devolution to Sanctorum, and they are back in Mark Daghorn’s studio recording the album “The Heavens Shall Burn”. Originally intended to be another mini album, the decision was made during the recording process to add further tracks and turn it in to a full length album. The band completed recording in January ’06 and were picked to support  Mendeed on the road for their nationwide “This war will last for ever” tour, earning the praise “Support bands aren’t supposed to be this damn good… Sanctorum proved they have what it takes to kick your ass and they have only just got started.” – www.rockbeast.co.uk .

So on to the album…

The official press release states, “Takes influences from: In Flames, MuDvAyNe, Chimera, Metallica and Dream Theatre”. With that kind of heritage we should be in for a treat shouldn’t we ?

The first thing that hits you during the album opener “Blood Lust” is that these guys are tight and mean. With riffs that could come straight out of “old school” Metallica and Testament, and vocals that could curdle milk at 30 paces you realise that these guys are not breaking the mould for innovation or creating a new genre, but they are damn good at what they do.  The album reeks of raw power because it has not been over produced, and that raw edge is one of the factors that sets it above its counterparts and makes for a great debut.

The only inkling that these guys are young actually comes from the vocals in the opening track, there is something about the throaty growl that is not coming from a seasoned vocalist. Perhaps at times it seems a little too breathless, the sort that would be expected form someone over excited and young. As the album progresses though, this does become lost and the vocals become more defined. To a certain extent this is a bit of a shame as the youthfulness in the opening track is one of the aspects that really makes Sanctorum stand out.

There is one difference from other bands of this genre, musically speaking, and this is the use of guitar solos. Far from being the traditional norm of “ego stroking fretboard wankery”, these guys hold back and add a different approach. The solos are in short: excellent. They are more akin to what would be expected from an Iron Maiden album, or even, dare I say, more like the sort that Richie Sambora would produce. They have feeling and emotion and compliment each track, rather than take the track into a widdle fest. In particular the solo and outro on the third track “Lifeless Love”, Ash Lewis absolutely nails it big time. I can see this dividing fans though, as there will be those that feel it’s not metal or heavy enough, but for me it is excellent, as it takes you out of the comfort zone from what you expect.

There are some real stand out tracks on this album, “Blood Lust” is bone crunching, brutal and raw. “Lifeless Love” is powerful, superbly riff driven and finished with a superb solo. “Stand Alone” adds another layer to the album, with its clean guitar at times and haunting vocals, all cumulating to crushing guitar work and riffery that would comfortably sit on any old school thrash album worth its salt.

As a band these guys are a metal machine, as they are so tight. The riffing  is unforgiving  and the rhythm playing can easily be compared to that of James Hetfield and Scott Ian. It’s relentless and shows no sign of faltering at any point. These guys are young, but they play like seasoned pros. There are no weak tracks on the album, no fillers, and no radio friendly ballads or emo songs. These young upstarts do what they do best. Brutal riffs, aggressive vocals, crushing rhythms and thunderous bass lines.

If they can pull this album off live, which I have no doubt they can, it would be one hell of a mosh pit, and one I would gladly be part of.

 The album is a cracking effort for a debut. As I said earlier, its nothing that’s really new, but it is a youthful take on old school thrash, lifting it to great heights. It gets inside your head and threatens to break out leaving a massive exit wound.  These guys are young, and have a great future ahead of them. Look at the success of Trivium, these British metal heads deserve to be the English equivalent.

A cracking debut album

7 out of 10