Peace Sanctuary – Defy the System – Review

Peace Sanctuary

Defy the System (MIA)
by Scott Hefflon

I have no idea what kind of market is left for groove-heavy, go-psycho rock ‘n’ roll, but anyone interested oughtta check out Peace Sanctuary . While images of the Shocker soundtrack and Paul Stanley in general flit through my head, so do Garage Days Re-revisited and everything that makes me chuckle about a possible powermetal resurgence. But Peace Sanctuary rise above the shtick, whether they’re aware of it or not. There are elements of Kiss in here, though it’s not Kiss-derived, it’s Kiss-paralleled. “Feel the Heat” is that fun, raw, driving stuff Anthrax did on Among the Living. And I can’t hate it for being passé ’cause it’s so fuckin’ cool. Sure, some of the songs bone out, stranded in post-thrashland, but for a first record, Peace Sanctuary are a refreshingly lively and fun heavy rock band with deep grooves, lots of influences to draw from, and the ability to rock your jaded butt.