If you’re a long-term Heavy Metal devotee (and it’s many associated sub-genres), there will probably be certain vocalists that you will instantly recognise as soon as you hear them. A unique delivery, tone and/or style that can be no-one else. One of those vocalists for me is former Lost Horizon singer Daniel Heiman. Yes, I know it’s not like Lost Horizon is the only band he was in, he can be heard plying his mighty trade on (amongst others) Heed’s one and only album, an album with Crystal Eyes, Dimhav, Harmony and most recently a very impressive performance on “The Mad King” by Warrior Path – but it will always be the wonderfully acrobatic, theatrically dynamic delivery he displayed with Lost Horizon that made their two albums major highlights of post-millennium Power Metal.
But that was then, and this is now…and he’s just turned in a vocal performance of the calibre as if the last twenty years has happened – Wow!! Given that Sacred Outcry got Heiman involved back in 2021, I’m guessing that a stack of songs were written that suit his vocal style perfectly…either that or he’s just stomped his identity all over what was already written, but either way it’s fantastic to hear him thriving at his spectacular Power Metal best. Of course, it’s not like Sacred Outcry are strangers to a high profile vocalist – their 2020 debut featured Beast in Black singer Yannis Papadopoulos, but it had a slight air of what he was, a guest vocalist, about it. “Towers Of Gold” is a different prospect altogether.
“Towers Of Gold” takes the professional, well-thought out type of arrangements of the band’s debut, but elevates them and pushes them in the direction of what you would expect from Daniel Heiman and ends up in an area that could maybe even be the natural successor to the second Lost Horizon offering, but with a more mature variation that twenty-years experience would give you (there’s even a song called ‘Into The Storm (Beyond The Lost Horizon)’ fergodsake!). Incidentally, every track has a title with an even longer bracketed additional title, but that’s OK as I won’t be having to pick out individual song titles, because there are no fillers on this album, no slushy ballads, no commercial attention grabbers, just floor-to-ceiling top-notch Heavy/Power Metal anthems from start to finish. The longest being an epic just short of fifteen minutes that effortlessly holds your attention throughout.
Sacred Outcry songwriter and mastermind George Apalodimas has crafted an album that shows the utmost care and attention to detail. It doesn’t sound rushed or thrown together in any way, with each song delivering its worth superbly. New drummer Defkalion Dimos is exemplary whilst guitarist Steve Lado displays a plethora of shining, magical moments throughout. Being super-critical, it’s maybe true that in the hands of a lesser vocalist it’s possible some songs might not grab your attention quite so much, but with Heiman as the helm-man every track has an obvious vocal/focal point and this helps to make you want to hear it all again. Sacred Outcry’s debut was impressive enough, but with a change of line-up, focused songwriting and the addition of a legendary vocalist with a unique and spectacular style, Sacred Outcry have delivered an album on the next level and actually rather special.
(9/10 Andy Barker)
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