Great Drive and Creative Twists - A Review of Sanhedrin's Lights On

New Yorkian trio Sanhedrin is among the more interesting bands of the so-called New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal. The band has released three studio efforts thus far, each convincing with a wonderful cover artwork, each including eight songs and each clocking in just above forty minutes. Heavy metal fans will certainly appreciate the grounded female vocals, gripping guitar riffs, melodic guitar solos, vibrant bass guitar play, tight drumming and adventurous percussion that come to life in the creative songwriting.

''Correction'' for instance is an instant hit and perfect opener for this record. The song gets to the point in four minutes and finds the perfect balance between tight musicianship and catchy melodies. It's no surprise that this track was chosen as the record's lead single and it should also open upcoming concerts with a bang.

''Lost at Sea'' is the record's second single and explores different genre territories. This song explores doom metal and even post-rock stylistics that make think of atmospheric progressive rock soundscapes that could almost come from Marillion or Rush. Despite those experimental undertones, this song is still firmly rooted in traditional heavy metal stylistics in the key of Black Sabbath or Judas Priest. The band's exceptional songwriting stands out once more since the trio manages to use these different inspirations coherently in only four and a half minutes.

''Change Takes Forever'' is a beast of a different kind. Once again based upon traditional heavy metal of the seventies and the eighties, this song has a few sudden changes in pace that make for this record's heaviest tune. The track's aggressiveness complements the inspiring lyrics fittingly.

My personal highlight might however be ''Code Blue''. This monster of a song is almost seven minutes long and invites for multiple spins to sink in. The song has vibrant swagger that makes it sound much shorter than it actually is. The musicianship is heavy, inspired and playful throughout. The vocals are particularly passionate here and go along with the wonderful lyrics that talk about a passionate love story while avoiding the usual stereotypes.

As you can read, Sanhedrin' Lights On is a very good traditional heavy metal record with a few creative surprises and twists. The chemistry among the three band members is excellent. This album might not reinvent the genre and be the shortest the band has released thus far but it's certainly worth your attention and the material presented here should work even better in concert.

Final Rating: 80%