The Reign of Terror

Sacred Ground (Limb)
by Martin Popoff

As good as a Yngwie album, but at the same time, not as good as any of them because it’s a late copycat. Two dominant figures run up and down the scales here, namely Leviathan Records shred king Joe Stump – yes, a blazing Yngwie clone – and metal journeyman Michael Vescera (Obsession, Loudness, Killing Machine, Yngwie, Roland Grapow). The end result is high energy, high quality power metal, perhaps more anthemic than Yngwie, more of a grind, and dripping in Gothic Dio vocal melodies.

Which is why the closing cover of “Kill the King” makes sense. Oddly, this track is the only place where the band sounds uncloney, save perhaps for the ripping Machine Head vibe(s) of “Undercover,” and a few of the slower tunes which just clone other bands. Man, what can a sincere, competent band do to get a break? Obviously, judging by this review, you just can’t win by being all things but original.
(www.spvusa.com)