Damned for All Time...

Who said that classic, timeless masterpieces are a thing long-lost in time? Records full of emotion, that could touch you so deep and could bring a tear to your eye and make you want to press play again immediately after the first listen? The debut album of the Greeks Sacred Outcry will write its name in history with golden letters and will be a reference point to the genre in the years to come. To be honest, I had no previous experience with the band so the album went under my radar and I was very surprised when I found out that the album was originally composed more than 18 years ago. Turns out nothing is accidental as the timing was perfect this time around, as this huge delay allowed for the perfect realization of their vision and the band presents an album full of emotion, great songwriting and many surprises that you can (and should) fully enjoy in both physical versions.

"Damned For All Time" contains nine compositions and lasts 55 minutes, not too long and certainly not too short, always keeping things fresh and interesting. The quality and the variety of the songwriting is amazing and you will find many elements of much-loved bands such as Manowar, Domine, Lost Horizon, Blind Guardian, all skillfully blended and filtered to their unique style and approach. No repetition, plenty of riffs and a voice to die for. The guitars are very sharp and all the songs are full of killer U.S. metal riffs and well executed melodic solos, the rhythm section is the backbone of all the songs, always perfectly complementing each other and with a very modern sound that brings everything to today's standards. The final ingredient in this very special mixture is the extensive use of the acoustic guitars, as many songs either start with a beautiful acoustic intro or there is some sort of interlude. It works very nicely with the overall style of the band and adds to the feeling of their high fantasy approach.

The intro track "Timeless" is a touching acoustic that sets the mood , "Legion Of The Fallen" follows more traditional epic heavy metal patterns with a very catchy chorus that will refuse to leave your head once you hear it once, "Sacred Outcry" took me back to the times of "Night Of The Stormrider" with the choirs in the background adding to the overall special atmosphere. The screams and the performance of Yannis Papadopoulos are unbelievable and his voice is a perfect fit to the aggressive yet very melodic songwriting of the band. "Where Ancient Gods Are Still Hailed" has a haunting, magical atmosphere and it is moments like this that you can fully appreciate the clarity and the overall sound quality courtesy of the very talented Steve Lado. The mixing and the mastering is fantastic with every instrument very clear into the mix and a very refined and loud sound, a very impressive feat in an album with so many things going on "behind the scenes". "Scared To Cry" is a ballad full of emotion, reminiscent of Blind Guardian's best works on "Imaginations From The Other Side" and "Somewhere Far Beyond". "Lonely Man" reminds me a lot of the fast epics of the mighty Riot, "Crystal Tears" is a fantastic epic mid-tempo ballad, but the undeniable "magnum opus" here is the 14-minute "Damned For All Time", a composition of pure inspiration, that that many bands would kill to have in one of their albums. I don't think such epics exist any more, it feels like all the stars aligned and everything just fell into place. The album closes with "Farewell" an epic anthem reminding of the glory days of Manowar.

I feel very proud that these guys come from my country but this has nothing to do with how well put together this album is. We are dealing with THE best album of 2020, an album that enchants in every way and will at some point be mentioned as a classic in the genre of heavy/epic metal. A masterpiece.

2020 might have been a shit year for the music industry, but the level of quality releases is unbelievable. Hailing from the land of ancient Gods, Sacred Outcry first came together over 20 years ago and although they never managed to release their album then, the flame kept burning and they owed it to themselves to finish what they started.

The only reason this review took so long is that I was so impressed from what I initially heard that I had to wait until I could get my hands on both physical versions and give the album the proper amount of attention. From the first notes of their first single, I knew this was something special, Legion of the Fallen has a very rare quality of epic proportions, a sort of anthemic build-up that progressively becomes more jaw dropping as the song unfolds. After the closing echoes of battle, I was hooked, optimistic but a bit reserved, since it is not uncommon for bands to pick their biggest hit as their first single and not worry about the eventual drop in quality.

I am very happy to inform you that this is not the case here, since the whole album maintains an impressive amount of coherent songwriting, paired with raw talent and an apparent respect and love for some great bands of the past. In the liner notes of the gorgeous physical version (the LP especially looks amazing), I immediately noticed the band directly thanking Manowar, Warlord, Domine, Basil Poledouris and Vangelis “for inspiration” which unironically could very well describe their overall sound. I enjoyed this little move, the mighty Doomsword did it 21 years ago on their debut and it still feels like a nice touch when bands openly embrace their influences but manage to create something unique, that can stand on its own. The layout looks great in general and there is also a small runic riddle in the back-page which I’ve been trying to solve but to no avail, another little detail that made me appreciate their overall effort even more.

There is a very gripping variety on their songs and everything sounds really well thought-out and firmly placed on the track list. The style is a very dark, epic mix of power metal equally influenced from both sides of the Atlantic but the most important quality, there is zero amount of cheese. This is a huge accomplishment especially if you take into account that all the songs include keyboards but not in a conventional or over-the-top way like Rhapsody, but cleverly composed (and mixed) in order to highlight the dramatic ambience and the mood. It appears the keyboards were added after the songs were originally composed 20 years ago and that is apparent since the songs could work equally well without the keys.

The guitar tone is great and easy on the ear, the riffs are abundant and the solos are very melodic. No shredding and crazy arpeggio scales here if that’s your thing, melodies dominate everything although there are some very technical moments like the guest solo in Sacred Outcry. You will notice that many of the songs start with acoustic guitars but everything develops with enough confidence and variety to keep things fresh and interesting. The bass is the shining star of the compositions, the tone and the general execution is stellar and together with the beastly performance on the drumkit, they are one of the best rhythm sections in the genre and huge part of the band’s unique sound. Last piece of the unique puzzle (but certainly not least), the vocals. I have been a fan of Yannis Papadopoulos ever since he started singing with Beast in Black and his voice was always my highlight of the Finnish group. I really hope he can keep doing this, even as a side project, because dare I say this is one of his best performances and this style of music really suits him, a little cherry on top of an already superb album.

Damned for All Time is a modern classic and a wet dream for every fan of the genre. I keep coming back to it and my favorite track keeps changing with every spin, like it happens with all great records. Today, I’ll cast my vote to Farewell that is everything Manowar should have been after The Triumph of Steel. The mandatory cheese pun: Other bands play, Sacred Outcry slay.

Don’t miss out on this one.

Dwelling in the darkest corners of the heavy metal forums sure has its perks. It can be a wonderful journey of discovery and exchanging suggestions with other likeminded people from around the world is a shortcut from coalmining to striking gold. I didn’t notice at once, but during my daily virtual walks I kept bumping into one name that was apparently burning the underground epic-power metal scene like a midsummer wildfire, so I decided to check them out. Sacred Outcry is not a new band, these are not new songs, this is not new power metal but oh boy I was in for a treat. With the element of surprise working in their favour, Sacred Outcry teamed up with No Remorse records to unleash the perfect storm upon the epic power metal scene. I think it hardly does justice to categorize the album as power metal since that could mistakenly put them in the same bracket as all the smurf happy-go-lucky bands of our days, but you youngsters make no mistake, this album packs more punch than Saitama.

The album’s imagery is breathtaking. This type of music thrives on big, epic visuals and is this is exactly what I would have expected as it portrays their music to the fullest. Michael Moorcock’s favourite anti-hero Elric, stands silent outside the walls of Immryr (?) ready to lay waste to all who oppose him. After the beautiful acoustic intro, we are greeted by the pure emotion of “Legion of the Fallen” and it’s a really unbelievable ride until the very last seconds of “Farewell”. No fillers, no bullshit, every single track cuts deep and transports you to a time long gone by. A masterclass in song progression and idea placement and a near perfect execution from everyone involved.

The guitars are dominating with excellent riffs and well executed solos that cover a very wide scope of technical prowess to straight up sing-along melodies. The reference point here would be the U.S. metal legends Warlord, as there are many points that the influence of Bill Tsamis is channeled through the pure emotion the solos convey, done very tastefully and with a peak sense of confidence. Special mention to the wonderful acoustic guitars that are excessively used and seem to be driving some songs forward with the absolute highlight of “Scared to Cry”, a modern day “Bard’s Song” (we need this played at Wacken with 20,000 people singing guys, come on!). I haven’t heard such a cool rhythm section in I don’t know how many years, with the ever impressive thunderous drums laying the groundwork and the bass -perfectly audible- tightly driving the songs forward and even daring to steal the lead spot in some rare occasions (there are even a couple of cool bass solos, one of them a very not-so-subtle nod to Marcus Grosskopf). The overall ambiance is amazing as the orchestral arrangements manage to sneak by the massive wall of sound and offer some bone chilling moments, always adding to the songs and never taking the spotlight. All that backed by a very high production value that makes everything sound huge, fresh and on today's standards.

And of course, the vocals. I imagine Yannis Papadopoulos (Beast in Black) has about two hundred guest-singing requests every day but this time he chose wisely. The vocal lines are immaculately done and the attention to detail is insane, perfect meter, perfect rhyme and feeling right down to each syllable or vowel. Performances like this will eventually solidify him as one of the best singers of the new generation and it is performances like this that separate Sacred Outcry from the main bulk of NWOTHM stuff that usually suffer from good songwriting backed up by mediocre or straight up horrible voices. Please Yannis, if you ever read this, call the guys and tell them you want to do another album.

I will not go into further details on songs as this review is getting too big, but I will have to make a special mention to the 15-minute title track “Damned for All Time”. We need more of these long epics, bands need to dare more and stop playing it safe (nothing wrong with safe but imagine if Eternal Champion wrote one of these babies!). The whole thing clearly showcases the craftsmanship and the way the band absorbed and honours its influences slowly progressing to the absolute highlight of the album and in my humble opinion the past 20 years of epic power metal. Elric finally accepts his fate and the epic conclusion to his story is courtesy of the Gods of inspiration throwing a thunderbolt of charisma, Yannis screaming his heart out (Eric Adams style) backed up by a choir chanting “Stormbringer”. This is the absolute peak of creativity. THIS IS EPIC METAL.

I don’t remember the last time I heard a newcomer with such strong sense of identity or such high quality song-writing, the whole album has an unmatched sense of coherence and that’s twice as impressive when you dissect the songs and notice that they do not follow a distinct pattern. This might be due to the fact that the material is 17 years old, so everything sounds so well distilled and well-thought-out that it seems impossible to find a flaw. The attention to detail in inhuman. This is a colossal effort and respect should be given where respect is due.

The album of the year.

Standout tracks: No highlights here, just pick anything

Sacred Outcry was first around a few years around the early 2000’s, before laying down the sword until 2015. The Greek trio then reformed to venture into the realms of fantastic heavy power metal once more, but only releasing their debut full length in September 2020. The band evokes classic heavy metal elements, furious riffing and thunderous soloing blend with the epic melodics lent from a very American school of power metal; fans of Judicator and the like would find plenty of interest here.

Guitars reminiscent sometimes of Blind Guardian’s bygone early ‘90s era, buildup like Maiden epics, progressive leanings that see the sweeping guitars go from big to epic; there’s just a whole lot to unpack and experience in the near hour long runtime that moves through dark heavy metal and powerful, bombastic power metal, fluidly bridging the elements that make up the music.

Dimitris Perros guitars are superbly played throughout, and he’s backed up by a thick rhythm section in George Apalodimas fleshy bass and Stelios Darakis towering drums. Add to that guest keyboardist Giannis Skalkotos’s sweeping layers of extra atmosphere for a thick, immersive sound. It comes through perfectly on slow cooking tracks like Legion of the Fallen and Where Ancient Gods are Still Hailed, which take their time to evolve through the great songwriting and masterful storytelling, Perros’s guitar playing taking its sweet time to get the riffing rolling and bringing to full close in epic zeniths.

The latter of the two is a major highlight, starting in a slow intro only to grow into a dark melodic masterpiece, riffs ablaze and a stellar vocal performance from guest vocalist Yannis Papadopoulos (Beast in Black, ex- Wardrum). Papadopoulos makes a great album, bone chilling in the darkest moments, epic and soaring in the most uplifting power metal tracks. Raspy vocals blend with high pitched screams and melodic choruses. The man’s talents will always be wasted in Beast in Black, but as long as he keeps making guest appearances like this and the Major Denial album from a few years back we should be good.

More straightforward tracks like the bands namesake with its sweeping guitars and uplifting tone make for the easier to follow material. Even so, it’s still made with the same persuasion and captivating atmosphere; maybe the only gripe would be mid album ballad Scared to Cry. While a nice little break before the second half of the album ensues in full glory it just doesn’t engage like it should need to, Crystal Tears instead being the powerful ballad the album deserves.

There is an ever present epic, symphonic backdrop that lends itself incredibly well to the subject matters and the storytelling, based on Michael Moorcock's literature, epic fantasy and battles. Mainly present in layered vocals and the background dwelling keyboards it adds atmosphere by the heap load and brings the sound and feel to completion. At full length, Damned For All Time manages to be gripping, dramatic and epic even on the first listen, begging many more to follow during which its many layers slowly unravel to show the full majesty of the beast Sacred Outcry have unleashed.

Standout tracks: Legion of the Fallen, Where Ancient Gods are Still Hailed, Lonely Man, Farewell

Within even having heard a single note Sacred Outcry caught my eye as an interesting band due to mainly 3 facts. First of all these lads are hailing from Greece, and metal music from this place hardly disappoints. Secondly the band has been formed back in 1998, but “Damned for All Time” is their debut effort, so I had to wonder what might be the reason for them dropping an album more than 20 years after the birth of the band. And finally the vocals here have done by one of the most hyped (and rightly so!) singers of the past few years, namely Yannis Papadopoulos. So without any further drivel let’s fly straight into this.

Deeply rooted in NWOBHM as well as in classic European and US power metal these Greek warriors attack with fire and brimstone, taking some of the best elements that made this kind of uplifting and kicking music so famous in its heydays. The crunchy heaviness of the rhythm guitar is pitched against the memorable and driving harmonies of the lead guitar, lending the whole affair a very uplifting atmosphere. Combined with the symphonic undertones this makes up for a very promising piece of music.

There are tons of great riffs and while a lot of the accords here will sound well-known and trigger memories of the golden days of the glory past fans of the genre will surely not complain. The guitar playing is outstanding, with the only guitar player Dimitris firing on all cylinders, throwing in small interludes as well as longer and breathtaking soloing parts. The rhythm section is playing tight and sometimes flex the muscles by throwing in technically impressive sections, without getting in the way of the musical flow.

What really makes of breaks bands like Sacred Outcry is of course the quality of the songwriting. After an acoustic intro they come galloping out of the gates with the first full track “Legion of the Fallen”. And boy, what a fantastic piece of metal goodness this is. The lead themes have immediately swept me away and got me into the right mood from the get-go. The verse part is followed by a mind-blowing chorus, accompanied by the glorious leads. To be perfectly honest I was a bit worried first as I feared the dudes might have put all their eggs in one basket by placing such a banger at the start of the album, and what will come afterwards is going to be average stuff following the same formula over and over again.

But nope, Sacred Outcry have not stopped there. Without much fecking around they up the ante and go for the listener’s throat with the band hymn “Sacred Outcry”. This is highly melodic yet un-cheesy melodic power metal done perfectly right. From this point Sacred Outcry keep marching on before delivering the final kills with the 14:30 minutes long title track and the epic mid-tempo stomper “Farewell”. They never stop to amaze until the final seconds of the album while always making sure that there is enough variation over the whole playing time of 55 minutes, weaving elements like acoustic parts, cello driven soundscapes or some piano interludes into the complete picture with ease.

To top things off Yannis is once again putting 99 % of all other singers (and I am not only talking about metal here) to shame, delivering all the goods in his typical soaring and emotional manner. I am still a bit pissed that he quit Wardrum after having released two of the greatest albums of all times (“Messenger” and “Awakening”). That being said he fully deserves all the hype he receives with Beast in Black, with their videos getting millions of clicks, playing at the biggest festivals and stages and being adored by thousands of female metal fans from the age of 15 to 75. The more I respect him for lending his voice to relatively small and unknown bands and projects like this one or Major Denial, adding some glimmer on fantastic outputs for fans of the genre.

So what else is to say? The production is more or less flawless, very crisp and transparent. The mix is well-balanced with all the elements and instruments having enough room to breathe. The bass is also perfectly audible, which is always a sign for a producer knowing his job. When it comes to traditional/power metal in 2020 it won’t get any better than “Damned for All Times”, making it a mandatory listen and addition to the collection.

Fully quantifying the scope of the power metal explosion that took place in Europe towards the turn of the millennium is a fool’s task, as more than a couple decades later the echoes of the original continue to reverberate. Whether it be the throngs of new bands rediscovering the majestic sounds of the original late 90s adherents to the movement, or an older outfit that didn’t quite make their mark during the original wave and has come back for another round, the stylistic niche pioneered by Helloween, Blind Guardian and a few other notable acts shows zero signs of slowing down. That being understood, there is something truly special about a band of veterans who were there in the beginning but didn’t field a final product finalizing their effort, and with an album that has finally come to light after 22 years of deferment and revision, Sacred Outcry’s debut outing Damned For All Time stands as one of the pinnacle triumphs in terms of perseverance and tenacity.

Taking a fair degree of inspiration from the works of famed high fantasy author Michael Moorcock, whom also happens to be the lyrical inspiration of highly unique early heavy metal pioneers Cirith Ungol, this is an album that proves massive in both sound and scope. In similar fashion to the aforementioned western U.S. 80s heavy/doom nonconformists, it’s also an opus that dispenses with a lot of the conventional practices associated with the mainline, lighter sound of the millennial Euro-power sound. The USPM stylings of Manowar and Warlord are a key fixture of their songwriting template, relying upon more melancholy and battle-torn melodic hooks rather than gallant, Neo-classical ones, alongside a tall order of haunting, acoustic guitar-driven segments. On the other hand, these songs are often graced with a sizable helping of German speed metal and American power/thrash trappings at times, pointing to a side order of Blind Guardian and Iced Earth influences.

While the substantial canvass of sound that round out the instrumental side of this album is colossal in itself, one would be remiss not to notice the stellar vocal performance out of Beast In Black front man Yannis Papadopoulos. In contrast to his soft, falsetto-steeped persona in the aforementioned band, here he delivers something more comparable to the gritty, sword-bearing hero meets 80s shrieks and snarls heard out of the likes of Ralf Scheepers and Tim “Ripper” Owens. It’s a fitting match that turns a sound that already tilts away from the happy-go-lucky side of power metal into something that is darker and more forbidding than even the more traditional metal-tinged character of Hammerfall. And even with his more ballsy approach, Yannis provides some impressive upper range gymnastics that plays off the quasi-symphonic bombast of these epic compositions perfectly, even if his air-raid wails are more reminiscent of King Diamond than they are Eric Adams.

After a brief instrumental overture dubbed “Timeless”, which sets the mood with a brilliant atmospheric keyboard and acoustic guitar display, this band’s old school metal proclivities become obvious. The opening crusher “Legion Of The Fallen” shuffles through a series of driving riffs and Iron Maiden-inspired dueling guitar harmony segments while also channeling the lofty sound of Manowar’s Sign Of The Hammer with the modern symphonic gloss of Gods Of War. Though among the catchier anthems heard on here, it takes a backseat to the raging, power thrashing mayhem of “Sacred Outcry” and the speed-infused majesty that follows the dreary acoustic beginnings of “Lonely Man”. The balladry that accompanies most of these songs is at its best on the folksy yet sorrowful “Scared To Cry”, and also makes an impressive showing during the introduction of the mid-paced sing-along romp “Crystal Tears. But the true power of this post-millennial epic metal powerhouse is the gargantuan, 14 minutes plus title song “Damned For All Time”, which marries the expansive character of “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner” with a more flashy and speed-infused metallic assault reminiscent of The Triumph Of Steel.

This sort of album is made to order for those who like their power metal with a meatier aggression factor while still maintaining the mythical, larger than life character that the European mode shares with its older American cousin. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to see the fans of lighter bands out of the Italian symphonic scene finding common ground on this one with their elder and leather clad counterparts in the Helstar and Omen camp. It’s an album that was all but completed and ready for prime time back in 2003, yet was relegated to demo status due to a combination of studio setbacks and not finding the right voice to truly unlock the potential that this music held. It likewise dispels a somewhat prevalent myth that Yannis Papadopoulos’ voice is only suited for the more pop-leaning side of the power metal coin, as this is about as far from that as one could go without moving into the thrash metal paradigm. It’s a grand tale for those who love them, and a highly ambitious undertaking that rivals the best out of the power metal style this year.

Originally written for Sonic Perspectives (www.sonicperspectives.com)