BEYOND CELESTIAL ECHOES | VINYL RECORD (LP)

Perhaps no one was as surprised of the success of Sacral Rage's 2015 Illusions in Infinite Void album than the band themselves. The Athens, Greece four-piece - Dimitris (vocals), Marios P. (guitar), Spyros S. (bass) and Vagelis F. (drums) - formed in 2011 with the basic premise of combining high-wire technical metal with melodic, classic metal. It is a risky, albeit unique formula, attempted by many, mastered only by a few. However, Sacral Rage pulled it off to such an extent on Illusions that the metal underground had no choice but to take notice. Soon, the Greeks were thrust into the European tour and festival circuit, rapidly honing their live skills in preparation for the second full-length album, which has emerged as Beyond Celestial Echoes. The end result is an album that can easily be considered the logical follow-up to Illusions, filled with forward-thinking, dazzling speed metal workouts, with Dimitri's energetic, rafter-reaching vocals running neck-and-neck with the fluid, breakneck guitar work of Marios. The rhythm section of Spyros and Vagelis is equally as formidable, providing a foundation fully capable of supporting the band's boundless technicality. Conceptually, Beyond Celestial Echoes continues the story of "UL," an alien android from an ancient race that holds the knowledge of high technology and travels through space and time to find the right amounts of energy in order to achieve eternal life. What he witnesses during his infinite journey is represented through Sacral Rage's songs. Because of that, the album further stretches itself out with progressive metal and even '70s rock tinges, finding Sacral Rage, in their own words, at the crossroads between Annihilator, Crimson Glory, Death, Mercyful Fate and Rush. It is a high bar to set, but such were the expectations thrust upon Sacral Rage after Illusions in Infinite Void. Get used to Sacral Rage's self-branded "High-Tech Metal Lunacy" tag. You'll be hearing a lot more of it in the near future.