As the metal community continues the slow journey up it’s own ass, one noticeable side effect has been the shunning of any and all bands that have achieved even a minimal amount of success and/or popularity. The inverse is also true—headbangers have been known to glorify bands that are ridiculously obscure, in the hopes of sounding more knowledgeable and “underground” than the next guy. The obvious endgame of this scenario would be a band that literally no one has heard of. Well, Pure Underground Records has got you covered, with the release of The Vision a 1989 demo/EP by Sacred Heart.
Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio (the Armpit of America! [No, that’s New Jersey. –AMG]), Sacred Heart‘s entire recorded output apparently consisted of exactly 5 songs — three from the original The Vision demo, and two others from various comps that are included with this reissue. The band plays traditional/power metal in the vein of Iron Maiden and/or early Queensrÿche, with a little bit of ‘80s butt-rock thrown into the mix. Y’know, the stuff that used to just be called “heavy metal.” Keep in mind that in 1989, almost everybody was in a band like this. Someone in your life—it could be your boss, or your uncle with the mustache, or the guy that installed your cable—was in a band remarkably similar to Sacred Heart.
From the second the acapella vocals kick in on “We’ll Hold on till Tomorrow”, you know exactly what you’re getting into here. Galloping riffs, meedly-meedly lead guitars, and high-pitched vocals that will make you clench your sphincter tight. The band is solid, and the songs are fairly decent, if not groundbreaking. The emphasis here is on hooks moreso than technique, so while there’s no shortage of guitar solos, there’s no Michael Angelo-style virtuosity on display either. Regardless, this is total fist-in-the-air shit, cheesier than smegma and metall-er than Robocop. You can practically smell the sweat, hairspray and cheap beer coming out of your speakers.
01. We’ll Hold On Till Tomorrow 04:05
02. New Order 07:02
03. The Vision 04:14
04. Time After Time 04:09
05. Take Hold 04:02
06. Demon’s Wing 07:07
07. Selfish 07:03
08. The Game 05:58
09. Dreamcatcher 08:21
10. What’s Done Is Done 06:54