Search - Sanctuary :: Refuge Denied

Have YOU heard of SANCTUARY before???

T. Hardin | seaside,oregon | 05/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"wow,where to start...

when this album came out,it was the height of the Thrash metal domination of the Metal scene.i cant recall why i purchased this(cool cover?on sale?)but BOY was i in for a treat!!

Warrell's Rob-Halford-on-helium vocals explode out of your speakers and grab you by the short-hairs!the guitar playing is well-produced,heavy and mid-tempo a'la Priest,but this is no copy-cat act as the riffs keep coming and coming..

in my opinion,their is no filler - every track is catchy and again,with Warrel's shrieking,very emotionally charged.

even the cover of "white Rabbit" works here,faithful to the original but heavy and in line with the rest of the album.

so,if you have never heard this,and "classic" metal is your thing,what are you waiting for??!!???"

POP MUSIC DENIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IronTail | Hagerstown, MD USA | 06/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First and foremost, the music on this highly overlooked and rather obscure metal album is MIND BOGGLING...This is Power Metal at its finest.If you are lucky enough to pick up this rare gem the first key element you will notice is the godly vocalist Warrel Dane,now of the thrash metal outfit Nevermore. I personaly haven't listened to any of Nevermore's material, but Dane's range and power on this album is amazing,and take into consideration that it's his actual RANGE and not falsetto-you will be pleased. Next is the incredibly talented guitar playing. Lenny Rutledge and Sean Blosl shred like no one's business.Period.The riffage is HUGE and way ahead of its time. While not too introspective or "deep", the lyirc writing conjures up images of power,war and fantasy, and even the afterlife; but at the same time remains carefree and well written. Simply Amazing.

So why only 4 stars you ask? Musicianship aside, the production on this album leaves a lot to be desired. At first listen one will notice that, no matter how much you turn up the stereo,the volume and sheer TONE of the music is minimal, but these are petty complaints.





So set aside a weekend and give this disc a spin.While doing so wonder where the hell the world was at while these guys were tearing it up...For this disc was released in 1988 but is not hair metal at all, and very little if any compairisons can be drawn to other metal bands now or even then. This material in no way sounds dated. Yeah, its THAT good...



Ultimately, if you are fan of heavy metal or great power rock in general, cough up the 13 bucks or so and give your ears a present. Someone should call EPIC records and request that this disc be remastered because it surely deserves it and you'd be hard pressed to find anything remotely relating to this band on the web or even its former members(i.e. now in Nevermore). Even as I write this I'm uploading the songs to my computer, and its 2005! These guys certainly did things their own way, and boy they did it well..."

And so I leave this world, never to return.....

e5150 | United States | 09/13/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One of the best debut albums by any band anywhere, anytime. This is Warrel Dane's real voice, and it's unfortunate that he chose (or was forced) to suppress it on subsequent albums.
Dave Mustaine's production is terrible, but I think I understand why: when he heard their demo tape and liked it so much that he agreed to produce them, he realized that Sanctuary was much better than his own band and decided to make them sound [bad] just so they wouldn't put him out of work. Of course, most of the songs are so godly that even bad production couldn't keep them down. Some high points:
The song "Sanctuary", with its funereal opening chords, is our introduction to Warrel's death fetish, and is simply one of the best metal songs ever written. This is the tune by which all other Lenny Rutledge compositions are judged. Hell, by which all other METAL songs are judged. Everything about this song is perfect, down the the awesome guitar solo.
"White Rabbit": superb cover track and IMHO Warrel's finest moment ("...TELL 'EM A HOOKAH smoking caterpillar...") I, too, have always believed that Dave Mustaine's solo at the beginning is the best he'd ever done. It's not fancy or a shred-fest, it's just a great metal guitar solo.
"Soldiers of Steel": Warrel himself confirmed my suspicions about this song when I met him ten years ago in a local club that Nevermore was playing (Long live Mad Dogs), soon after they formed. It is based on F. Paul Wilson's book "The Keep". Great song, awesome book.
"Veil of Disguise": This final song really sets the stage for their songwriting style in the future. It is a bit more complex than the rest, almost epic.
"Die For My Sins": just a powerhouse metal song, with classic metal riffs. "DIE FOR ME!!!" Godly.
The rest of the songs are all excellent as well. The only one I tend to skip is "Termination Force", but that's just me.
Sanctuary brought a sense of drama to their power metal, resulting from the intelligent, philosophical lyrics and Lenny Rutledge's way-ahead-of-their-time riffs and arrangements. No offense to Sean Blosl, the 2nd guitarist, who did a great job composing "Battle Angels", but Lenny was the most prolific and couldn't write a bad metal song if he tried."