SACRED 13 - review added 6th October 2010
Album Review: Jagged Regrets (2010)
For fans of: Alt Metal... and tusked mammals
Erie, Pennsylvania based band Sacred 13 is made up of frontman/guitarist Josh Karickhoff, bassist/vocalist Gus Ward, and drummer Sam Edwards. When Josh was 15, he was apparently a top ten finalist worldwide in Guitar Player Magazine's "Guitar Hero competition" judged by Joe Satriani, Steve Lukather, Richy Cotzen and Shredmistress Rynata. Not sure if that is Guitar Hero 'the game', or guitar hero 'the person who's great at shredding', but judging by some of the fretwork on this album, I'll assume the latter.
"Jagged Regrets" follows "Remanence" (2008) and "Tattered Memories" (2009). The sound is a kind of grungy alt-rock take on heavy metal. There's a definite hint of Southern Rock in the mix too, although it rarely rears its head too high.
The performances are hard to gauge accurately as the overall sound is rather muggy. This may be down to production limitations, or it may be deliberate, but the result is more characterful than crystal clear and brilliant. The vocals are rough but good, and there is no doubt about the guitar playing credentials when Josh lets rip. He doesn't show off his skills anywhere near as much as I would have liked, and that's a shame.
Song-wise, "Jagged Regrets" is perfectly respectable if unexciting. The moody 'Out Of Time', the slower 'Tomorrow' and the heavy 'I Don't Care' would be the best tracks, but for the brilliantly lairy cover of 'I Am The Walrus' and its awesome guitar solo.
Sacred 13 have created an album here that's cool to listen to a few times, but the novelty soon wears off. The gnarly nature of the production really does get in the way for me. If these guys can come back with something heavier, clearer, and featuring a lot more of Josh's superb guitar playing, then they might be onto something.
Check out... That Beatles cover.
Track List:
01. Secrets
02. Lifeless
03. Out Of Time
04. Wash Away The Pain
05. Tomorrow
06. I Don't Care
07. Coming Home
08. One Day In Time
09. I Am The Walrus
10. Inferno
11. Don't Be Afraid
12. Out Of Time (Acoustic)
13. Somewhere
Artist's website(s): Sacred 13 | MySpace | Facebook
