Review Summary: Sacred Reich's musically varied release, and certainly a contender for their most consistent.
Sacred Reich were such a cool little metal band. They're known for being political (Left wing rather than far-right, despite what their name seems to indicate) thrash metal, which is probably thanks to their acclaimed earlier works. Their debut, Ignorance, is some fairly brutal thrash with a fair share of great riffs, though a couple songs felt like filler. Then The American Way, often regarded as their best album, was arguably more subdued; they thrashed out some, but for the most part, it was midpaced and not the kind of thrash that purists would love. It also had some forgettable moments. Independent is regarded by many (myself included) as their weakest release, slowing things down a bit, scaling back the political aspects of Phil's lyrics, and definitely feeling like a sign of the times, as well as boasting some of the worst Sacred Reich tracks. That album just oozed 90s in a way that's hard to explain, but believe me, you'll know it when you hear it.
So what is Heal? Is it a return to the balls-out raging thrash of Ignorance? If you listened to the blistering Blue Suit, Brown Shirt, which is filled with frenzied (I really mean frenzied, he's just dripping with rage here. A BULLET IN YOUR ***ING HEAD!) ranting about racism, you'd think so. Is it crossover-inspired, as Don't or their intense but fun cover of Who Do You Want To Be would indicate? Is it groove metal, as Low or the title track would showcase? (Phil Rind certainly channels Philip Anselmo in his delivery of Blue Suit, Brown Shirt and The Power of the Written Word.) Is it bouncy, upbeat blues metal, as Ask Ed would demonstrate? Do all these elements showcase a confused band struggling to find their identity, or a great mid-90s metal album with a refreshing sense of variety?
As far as I'm concerned, the answer is the latter. In addition to proving that they can pull off a wide range of styles, Heal shows the band evolving or at the top of their game on all fronts, which is unfortunate since this would end up their last studio album. The songwriting is arguably better than on their last album, thanks a newfound emphasis on brevity. Some tracks on Independent felt stretched out, particularly Crawl (Although I definitely wouldn't lob off that last minute of badass Iommi-inspired riffs) and I Never Said Goodbye (Which did
not need to be over seven minutes long!), but here, every song is a manageable two-to-four minutes long (Not counting Jason's Idea, which isn't really a song).
Performances are a step up as well. Phil's vocals are a definite improvement from Independent, where his voice seemed to be straining on higher notes. I thought that Wiley Arnett's leads weren't too great on Ignorance, were kinda meh in The American Way, and got repetitive (much like the riffs; seriously, what was it with the same-y-ness of that album?) in Independent, but he seems to have finally found his groove on Heal. Dave McClain of Machine Head fame hits the skins pretty well on this album, and Phil Rind's bass, when heard (as in Low and Seen Through My Eyes), sounds pretty chunky.
One of Ignorance's greatest strengths was the absolutely sick breakdown moments, and they're at full force on Heal. Break Through is a good enough faster track, but it truly becomes great when the tempo changes and that cool-ass riff crashes on in. The lyrics during this part are pretty cool and inspiring, too. Don't is a really catchy, punkish upbeat track with a dumb but fun chorus ("Don't judge meeeeeee! DON'T!"), but then they really start kicking ass hard when that sick groove comes in. I don't know about you, but I just can't not headbang to that. The nifty part about halfway through Ask Ed really improves what's otherwise a weaker number. Then there's that super-juicy bit like a minute and twenty seconds into the enjoyable I Don't Care, just before the solo.
But the absolute coolest moment on Heal is in the final track, The Power of the Written Word. This number's already a fast and furious climax to the album, with a
very pissed off Phil Rind that sounds almost more enraged than on Ignorance barking over brutal, speedy riffs. But then, about halfway through,
that riff comes in. That crushing, violent, absolutely ferocious ***ing
RIFF just barges in, takes control, and just
demands that you stop what you're doing and marvel at its pounding heaviness.
So, there's a good amount of cool moments, good performances, and improved (albeit streamlined) songwriting. Is Heal truly amazing? Not quite. Jason's Idea is just half a minute of the SR crew lighting up, which leads into Ask Ed, a song about marijuana usage. (This should come as no surprise, as they had recorded a cover of Sweet Leaf for a compilation album that raised money for NORML, or "National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws".) Just feels like a pointless waste of space. The least they could have done is not make it its own separate track. Ask Ed is, by the way, probably one of the weaker tracks, and just two tracks later is Seen Through My Eyes. The little double bass part is neat, and the solo gets really cool two minutes in, but as a whole this one's probably the worst on the album. And what the hell is going on with that cover art, anyway? It even lacks the Sacred Reich logo!
However, Heal feels like a consistent album. A couple bad songs don't really undermine the overall quality of SR's final studio release. A lot of people probably dislike this album for its obvious groove metal inspiration, and while it has some of their most aggressive material, it definitely doesn't pack the venom of Ignorance. But for whatever reason (perhaps having to do with my low expectations for this album, which were definitely exceeded), Heal stands out to me as close to the most solid studio effort from Sacred Reich. If that's too much of a stretch for an album that doesn't feature Death Squad, Administrative Decisions, Surf Nicaragua, The American Way, or State of Emergency, it's at least excellent for what it is. 4/5.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS/BEST OF:
Blue Suit, Brown Shirt
Don't
I Don't Care
The Power of the Written Word
