Sacred Reich - Independent (1993)

A perfect example of how not to run a 'thrash' band. Arizona moshers Sacred Reich for me anyway, began to sell out when they sprinkled their album 'The American Way' with darn funk metal, but I would've never expected such a timid release as 'Independet' which sees the band lost somewhere in the early to mid '90s blandness. I had to review this record simply to show how easy it was for bands to stray from their usual and natural territory, and succumb to the man. 'Independent' is an irritatingly dull record, Phil Rind attempting some type of melody with those vocals only to find himself often out of time and tune, particulary on the melodic and seemingly grunge indfluenced 'I Never Said Goodbye,' but the most shocking track on offer here is 'Crawling' with its riff stolen from Sabbath's 'Hole In The Sky,' a song that attempts some type of C.O.C./Trouble groove only to fall flat on its face. Now, I'm not saying that bands of this ilk shouldn't experiment, hell, Death Angel were masters at their art, but Sacred Reich should've disbanded and reformed under a different name because this really has tarnished their reputation, but now the days of their debut 'Ignorance' seem a long time ago and it's no wonder there aren't any immediate plans for a reunion. The bands back catalogue is so sporadic and inconsistent that it only grates on me, only 'Open Book' attempts any sort of thrash and that's an overstatement. I guess a lot of bands felt it was time to move on when grunge invaded but I don't think it's right to continue under the same monicker when clearly the sound the band are producing has no meaning to its original foundation. 4/10