Heretic - Breaking Point (1988)

Cracking little record this one, Heretic were fronted by vocalist Mike Howe who went on to sing for Metal Church, whilst, oddly, the rest of the band joined former Metal Church vocalist David Wayne to form Reverend. If you're familar with the mid-tempo cold steel of Metal Church and their superb 'Blessing In Disguise' opus, then you'll dig this. Great band name, great album cover, and a great pure metal sound that drifts along as icy power metal with robust tracks and solid structures. Howe's vocals are supreme, rising above the chugs - in fact the whole record has a very crystal clear feel. Goodness knows how this record slipped by the wayside, it still sounds so fresh even now, tracks like 'Time Runs Short' and the thrashing 'All Kingdom's Fall' are top-notch metal songs that equal, if not better most Judas Priest songs, and yet criminally it's another of those short-lived careers spawing a mini-masterpiece of an album. the band's earlier works have a rawer edge and feature Mike Torres on vocals, but if you like a clean cut yet extremely mature set of dynamics then you need to track down 'Breaking Point.' 8/10