SACRED OATH – DARKNESS VISIBLE – SENTINEL STEEL  
This Sacred Oath is the same Sacred Oath that issued a full-length album in the late ‘80s. As fascinating as the stable line-up, the cover artwork (a toss-up whether that is Axl Rose or Denis Kucinich’s wife) and the sound are what is most marvellous about Darkness Visible is its great music and faithfulness to true heavy metal. Where some bands abandon metal or introduce so-called modern influences into the mix, this quartet has stayed the course and in the process issued a fantastic album.
Influences such as Iron Maiden, Queensrÿche and (oddly enough) Sacred Blade are present, but this is a band intent on forging its own metal upon the anvil of power, soaring vocals, action-packed leads and catchy hooks. Rob Thorne has a good voice and goes for the higher pitches, but comes just a tad short on the higher octaves. That is just as well; this album is the better for it. A couple of thrashy moments override the weaker slow interludes on a song like Prophecy. Boy, do those guitars take one back to the ‘80s. Along with the return of Auburn Records’ Wretch and that Icarus Witch EP Darkness Visible is the best piece of pure metal this side of the century. Forget Iron Maiden and Judas Priest’s new records and see darkness at its best. – Ali “The Metallian”