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SACRED LEATHER
Keep The Fire Burning

King Volume / Wise Blood (2025)
Rating: 9.5/10

With its striking cover art which reminds me of Judas Priest, Keep The Fire Burning is the second full-length album from a band that has been loitering on the scene since 2014. Indianapolis, Indiana-based quintet Sacred Leather may not be the most prolific act out there but Keep The Fire Burning provides fans with some much needed warmth for now. Dee Wrathchild (vocals), Lynn St. Michaels (lead guitar), Cvon Owens (rhythm guitar), Magnus Legrand (bass) and Don Diamond (drums) provide 40 minutes of pure steel which borders upon a U.S. power metal ethos.

Dee Wrathchild has a fantastic range to his voice, a powerhouse performer able to effortlessly career between high octane cries and a more frazzled n’ fiery tone. In fact, Sacred Leather is as pure metal as anyone, striding confidently on the title track like a veteran band taking the world by storm, fluidly combining the streetwise steel of Judas Priest with Iron Maiden, and in equal measure a thrashing molten Jag Panzer.

For those of you who were fortunate enough to discover bands like Jag Panzer back in the 80s, you will know what this album and the team behind it are channelling. With thrashy vim, ‘Spitfire At Night’ and ‘Phantom Highway (Hell Is Comin’ Down’ glint with such metallic aplomb. Smoothly the band transition from Judas Priest’s Painkiller to a sound tinged with more subtle Euro Goth echoes, each dynamic resulting in a nostalgic hammering. I’d throw in Helstar, Sanctuary, Savatage, Savage Grace and the likes too when describing the herculean aesthetic of Sacred Leather.

Maybe even Queensrÿche gets a mention for the Gothic odyssey ‘Tear Out My Heart’, a staggeringly haunting power ballad also combining the theatrical menace of Twisted Sister alongside underrated 80s also-rans Cities. And there’s the commercial away of ‘Fallen Angel’, another frost-laced scarf waver that could so easily veer towards a “hair metal” vibe if it wasn’t for its steely Teutonic grandeur.

I can’t praise this album enough as each member effortlessly taps into some sacred capsule whereas to so sublimely craft a majestic and masterful sound so cool and mesmeric. Keep The Fire Burning has certainly shaken up my end of year “best of” list because this is probably the leader of the pack.

Neil Arnold

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