9.5 out of 10
The Sacrificed has returned with their third release, aptly titled “III”. And it shows that they’re back even better than on their last release, “2012” – more soaring vocals, fantastic riffs and another great cover song. Joining The Sacrificed starting with this album is guitarist Michael Phillips (Deliverance, FaseDown). His guitar work really lends itself well to the band.
The album starts off with the introduction piece “The World is Changing” which is an audial montage of news soundbites. It reminds me a bit of the opening song on Believer’s Extraction from Mortality album. “Falling” kicks it into gear with the drums beating a cadence and the bass joining in. Then it kicks into full gear with the guitars laying down some greats riffs. Eli’s vocals are just as solid as ever. There are some parts where the vocals are a bit hard to understand but that’s only a small part. Just past the 2 minute mark of the song, everything slows down with an acoustic guitar part taking over. It feels almost like you’re falling in slow-motion. Then Michael slams you with a soulful solo with the song returning to full throttle.
“Ark of the Covenant” follows up and keeps things moving. One of the great things about this song is the gang vocals which are done very well. The solo in this song is amazing as well – it just shreds it up. It reminds me a bit of Michael’s guitar-work with FaseDown which is some fantastic stuff.”The Nephilim Agenda” is next. It starts off with the guitars playing with a spoken part before it gets into high gear. This song really shows off Eli’s vocals with him hitting some high parts flawlessly and then dropping back to mid-range with no problem. “Time’s Up” keeps the metal coming with its driving beat and guitars. There’s definitely no shortage of some great licks nor soaring vocals in this song. Eli holds the high notes with such ease, it’s truly amazing. “Words on the Gin” slows things down a bit, which is a nice change. It’s a very sweet and melodic song. “Behold the Power of God” kicks you in the pants and gets you back to head-bangin’. Telling the story of Moses and the Israelites fleeing their plight in Egypt, the song has that galloping beat to it. And the vocal part on the refrain
“Pharaoh, let my people go” is executed perfectly – in a real classic metal style similar to Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. “Regeneration” is a solid mid-paced tune with some excellent drum work. It has an arena rock, anthemic quality to it. A real solid song.Things don’t let up with “Offended”, another mid-paced classic song. The bass and drums shine on this track, providing a solid backbone for the tune. As with their last release 2012, The Sacrificed does another cover. Whereas they did Deliverance’s “Slay the Wicked” on that album, they go a different route by covering Queensryche’s “Before The Storm”. And just as they did with the Deliverance song, they pull this Queensryche song off perfectly. “24” closes out the album and it just keeps the metal alive and flowing. It’s just more great riffs and soaring vocals. The refrain has Eli singing “Separate goats from sheep . . . there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” while the guitars play arpeggio after arpeggio for an amazing affect. The bridge gets real heavy as well with another mind-blowing solo from Michael.
Overall, this is a solid album that any metalhead will want to own. The guitar work, amazingly soaring vocals, galloping drum and bass – they all make this an amazing album from the first song to the last.
9.5 out of 10
Checkout the Untombed Interview with: The Sacrificed
This album can be purchased here: The Sacrificed III
