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No Gods

    
       
       
       
     
             
Nothing Sacred are a thrash metal band from Australia forming in 1983, releasing the 'Deathwish' E.P. in '85 and their debut album 'Let Us Prey' in '88. During the recording of their second album in '89, the band made the decision to take a "short hiatus" resulting in the album never seeing the light of day. Over the coming years the band continued with varying line-ups and performing live - albeit on a part time/as and when basis. By 2012, the band decided to make a full time return to the metal scene, playing sold out gigs across Australia, and in 2015 travelling to Japan to perform. Line-up changes continued to slow the band down, but by the end of 2020, a new single was released - the first new music from the band in over three decades!    
             
And now, in 2021, Nothing Sacred - one of Australia's longest serving metal bands - release their sophomore album 'No Gods'. The album is a meld of traditional heavy metal and thrash, with a huge nod and a sly wink to the iconic sound of the NWOBHM. 'No Gods' is ten songs and forty minutes of thundering energy - energy which doesn't seem lost, considering a thirty year gap between albums! 'No Gods' thunders into life with the heavy hitting and fast paced 'Final Crime', rooted firmly and squarely in thrash, but sharing the legendary galloping trait of traditional heavy metal. 'Final Crime' sets both the atmosphere and trend for what is come - heavy, dark, and mean. Adopting a slight touch of the groove metal genre, 'Virus' is a slower, but nonetheless heavy stroll of thunder. Maybe a little bit of seventies Black Sabbath influence is tucked in there too! Turning up the heat and coasting forth, 'Cold Black' is an energetic thrash powered heavy metal gallop. The guitar sound over the opening triple salvo has also highlighted the iconic buzz of the NWOBHM - Nothing Sacred not afraid to show where their influences lie...    
             
...after all, the band are a child of the eighties! And they say our earliest influences remain with us for life. For the first time on the album, blistering pace lights up the airwaves, as 'First World Problems' scorches into life and storms on. All fire and brimstone, 'First World Problems' also shows a little aggression not heard from the band before. Keeping the pace high, 'Killing You' is a head banger to send the mosh pits wild - the band showing a real turn of speed over the last couple of songs. The variation in styles, all of them rooted in the thrash metal genre, are allowing for a varied listen, attracting a wide array of fans. The album motors on with the up tempo, high energy romp 'False Prophets', forging a traditional "foot on the monitor" feel of classic heavy metal. Nothing Sacred are effortlessly crossing the borders of thrash and traditional metal...no passport needed and no restrictions!    
             
And the fast pace shows no sign of slowing down either, as 'Ice' sets (probably) the record for the fastest song on offer so far. The metal onslaught from the Aussie thrashers has a highly infectious melodious streak at its centre - a trait that bands such as Testament, Death Angel, and Annihilator possess in huge quantities. The pace drops a little for 'Cult' - a high energy and fairly rampant romp. 'Cult' shares more with traditional metal than thrash, which ain't a bad thing. The highly infectious intensity this album began with has not diminished in any way shape or form. And if you ask me - the thirty year wait for a new album has been well and truly worth it. With an uplift in pace, energy, and intensity, 'Oracle' maintains the albums glorious gallop. My head hasn't stopped banging since the first song, and while that has had me typing a tad erratically and using spell checker a little bit more than usual, my head isn't gonna stop banging until the final curtain call - which is just around the corner! 'Stoner' ends the album, not with a flourish of speed, but in an almost doom metal style... You know the style, I mentioned the band earlier, the grandfathers of heavy metal and, arguably, the genres creators. 'Stoner' maintains the overall intensity of the album though, with pummelling riffs lacerating the airwaves.    
             
Overall, a very good album of high intensity thrash crossed with traditional metal, giving a wide range of fans plenty of listening variation.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Asher Media Relations    
             
Review is also featured at Metal Gods TV    
             
Review is also featured at Metal-Roos    
             
             
Other Reviews    
             

           
           
Leviathan E.P.      
           
"six songs of new and old material that shows Nothing Sacred in various moods, whetting the appetites of fans for the new album" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             
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