VIA SACRA - The Road (2012)

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Hailing from Portugal, VIA SACRA has just released independently their CD "The Road", a highly professionally recorded album.
The quintet delivers ten tracks of quite elaborated European Hard Rock spiced with a Hard 'n Heavy dark sound.

Via Sacra as unit is tight and sonically compact with a style recalling eighties and nineties Scandinavian acts, particularly Danish.
The band blends edgy dark riffs with some nice melodies while still maintaining some heaviness in their sound adding deep grooves here and there.
Opener "Jimmy's Life" is an uptempo hard rocker with strong riffs and fine rhythm, yet it isn't the best track in the disc. The main melody bring it to mind Spanish rockers Heroes del Silencio where drums and bass are really pumping and solid, but the guitar solo is a bit generic. "Lost World" is more groovy and dark with some gothic melodies, showing other facet by the band.

One of best and most original tracks is the constantly changing "Souls of Fire", a hard rock number with a Hammond organ throwing into the mix.
The emphasis on "No Lies" is put on the sonic attack more than in the song development, while "Black Angel" has an intense groove and vocals in the Blackie Lawless style.
"Storm in Your Soul" is a slow and dark tune, you can call it ballad but not cheesy at all. The band seamlessly changes between styles, as follower "Baby, Baby" has a retro feel and a strong keyboard presence, whilst the riff is very dense, Black Sabbath inspired.
"Secret Garden" is heaviest song in this release with sustained guitars and mysterious keys creating a King Diamond-like atmosphere. Good one.
The piano ballad "Never Come Back Home" is the type of melancholic slow songs made by bands like Mercyful Fate during the eighties, which raises the tempo in the end.

"The Road" is an interesting release blending different types of metal-related elements, never too heavy but groovy most the time.
Via Sacra does not follows any trend or particular style, and here resides their possible appeal. Their sound is dark and dense yet balanced with melodic moments and even some commercialism.
The album is very well recorded and produced for an indie, presented in a glossy packaging box.
Not your ordinary hard rock for sure, "The Road" invites you to discover a band looking to deliver something different.


01 - Jimmy's Life
02 - Lost World
03 - Souls of Fire
04 - No Lies
05 - Black Angel
06 - Storm in Your Soul
07 - Baby, Baby
08 - Secret Garden
09 - Never Come Back Home
10 - The End of the Road

Lazaro – vocals, guitars
Ricardo – guitars
Joel – keyboards
Carlos – bass
Ruizao – drums


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www.etherealsoundworks.com/index.php?153,via-sacra-the-road