Inception

While Refuge Denied is hailed as a USPM classic, and I do enjoy it quite a bit, it always surprised me how far down Warrel Dane's project went between the incredible 1986 demo and the merely decent followup. The album does have its high points, to be sure, and "Die for My Sins" and "Veil of Disguise" are easily on par with the songs from the demo, but the rest...isn't. No track are bad, exactly (barring the atrocious Jefferson Airplane cover), but most of them don't get my blood pumping; Warrel's incredible performance keeps me at least minimally interested, but the songwriting just becomes lazy, taking a decent but half-formed riff and padding it out with 4-5 minutes of mediocrity. "Termination Force" and "The Third War" especially always came off to me as boring and forgettable, and the former of these, at least, is absent here, replaced by the excellent 1986 demo tracks, though gone as well is the eponymous track, "Sanctuary," which is a decent enough song. Still, certainly this track listing is an improvement, and if you skip the cover (which you should always, always do), the album becomes one that falls just shy of being truly great.

Of course, the production job helps, too. The production on Refuge Denied, while not actively bad, always seemed a bit too sterile and safe for Dane's wild, unrestrained vocal performance. Here it's much more organic, heavy, and raw, without being the least bit murky or underproduced; what we got on the 1986 demo has been enhanced to what I'd consider among the better productions found in classic USPM. The vocal performance itself also strikes me as slightly better here, with "Soldiers of Steel" especially sounding more inspired (also a bit longer than the version which would appear on Refuge Denied). Ultimately, it's a shame that the band opted not to go with this recording as the basis for their debut album, but it's certainly a treat to finally get this superior version of the album, and with Dane's recent passing (RIP), I daresay this stands as his magnum opus. For those looking to get into Sanctuary for the first time, I'd suggest bypassing Refuge Denied entirely (save perhaps for the eponymous track) and instead listening to Inception. For long-time fans of the band, this at least provides a different perspective on their early material, and for those who feel as I do, it's a pleasant reminder of Dane's glory days and what the man was truly capable in his prime. Highly recommended.

Think of Sanctuary and what do you think of? The movie from the 1970’s, 'Logan’s Run'? Or the band that are named after this? Or do you think of the powerful cover to Sanctuary’s 1988 debut album 'Refuge Denied'? The cover that depicts a ghoulish preacher brandishing a pistol condemning those from atop his pulpit whilst surrounded by his acolytes is all very late 80’s, an observation about the rampant televangelism which plagued the United States at the time.

Sanctuary launched 'Refuge Denied' amongst the sea of thrash and glam metal which dominated the musical landscape. Although, Sanctuary’s music can be fast paced and at times galloping, it certainly doesn’t bear the hallmarks synonymous with thrash metal and instead Sanctuary has more akin with your traditional heavy metal with flourishes of progressive metal and power metal.

But what of before? What happened before 'Refuge Denied'? This is where the aptly titled 'Inception' comes into play. Released this year, 'Inception' is Sanctuary’s ‘lost demo’ tape that shows well, the root of the band, it shows the vision and where the band would go with 'Refuge Denied' with most of the songs re-recorded for 'Refuge Denied'. 'Inception' even goes as far as to reference 'Refuge Denied' with the same ghoulish preacher on front, surrounded again by his acolytes who enslave those in front of them leading them into the church in the background.

According to the linear notes of 'Inception', during the recording of Sanctuary’s last studio album, 'The Year the Sun Died', released in 2014 produced by acclaimed producer Zeuss, guitarist Lenny Rutledge discussed the possibility of resurrecting the original demo tape he still had kicking about that contained two unreleased tracks.

Evidently, Zeuss agreed to this complete remaster and remix of the lost demo that would ultimately become 'Inception'. Of course nothing is sacred anymore with the internet and these so called ‘lost demos’ have actually been knocking about for a while now, but the quality has been shockingly poor, as you would expect. Zeuss has done a fantastic job of bringing everything up to a modern sound, he has placed a modern sheen over the recordings in a way that only a true remaster done by a professional can. In fact, you can go as far to say that Zeuss’ remaster of the Inception demo actually sounds considerably better than 'Refuge Denied' and oddly, you’ll find yourself listening to 'Inception' more.

In regards to the ‘lost’ songs, what you get is one fantastic song and one almost forgettable song which even now is quite impossible to recall. 'Dream of the Incubus' kicks things off on 'Inception' and why this was ever put to one side is unthinkable. 'Dream of the Incubus' is possibly on the best tracks that Sanctuary have ever recorded with its Mercyful Fate style riffing and lyrics and Warrel Dane hitting notes that are better reserved for King Diamond himself with 'Dream of the Incubus' serving to remind us how good Dane’s voice was back in the day. However, 'I Am Insane' pales in comparison to 'Dream of the Incubus' and would maybe better staying lost adding little more than filler to 'Inception'.

'Inception' sonically sounds brilliant and it is down not just Zeuss who has done a more than stellar job in resurrecting something that was dead, but also down to the song writing and craftsmanship that existed with Sanctuary even this early in their career. 'Refuge Denied' is good, but 'Inception' is how it should have sounded and adding 'Dream of the Incubus' into the mix only adds to this.

Back in 1988 when I first heard Sanctuary with the record Refuge Denied, I recall I was impressed with the heavy / power style they were dealing out without much repentance. I also distinctly remember telling my friend that the mix was horrible, vainly trying to adjust the EQ levels on my stereo (oh, how young I was!), but once I saw who produced it, it sadly made sense. Seeing them open for Warlock and Megadeth later that year saw my interest in them pique a bit more, but, admittedly, I wasn't totally blown over backwards then, nor when the follow-up Into the Mirror Black came out, which is my eternal discredit. It wasn't until I discovered Nevermore years later that the majesty of Warrel Dane and Jim Shepard became all too clear for me. Then it was like a world of wonder and brilliance just allowed me casual entry. When I revisited the Sanctuary material after that, I came to realize just what magic was contained therein, and I've not looked back.

The newly-reformed Sanctuary dug into its vault and found the old demos to that masterful and sonic- challenged debut and called it the aptly-titled Inception, and while I would usually cry foul at such an obvious cash grab delivery, this is one album that not only deserves to be heard in its naked form but heralded as a “what might have been?” moment in the annals of metal history. It truly is amazing what a bad production can do to a release. If nothing else, let Inception serve as a stark musical reminder of what not to do when recording and mixing a record. All I can say without gushing like a little girl at her first dance is grab this one and finally hear the TRUE Sanctuary, warts and all. As a teenage tape trader back in the mid-80's through the late 90's I was sent three of these tracks tacked onto the end of a tape to fill up space, so I was elated to hear some lost tracks from these sessions, albeit in generated fashion. I gave up the notion of ever hearing anything of the other demos, but, in the age of all things old being new again, we only stand to gain from such excavations.

Utterly unpolished and heavier than the actual released tracks, Inception provides a glimpse into the 1986-87 demo sessions that would eventually “produce” that first album. As accustomed to those original tunes as I have been for nearly 30-years, I can honestly say that I think these versions are not only musically superior in style and sound, but they showcase a band that was more concerned with the heavier side of metal. In the compare / contrast mode I'm in, I think that the original performances now appear rushed and overly focused with Dane's high register (a feat he himself has more or less admitted was for the sake of getting a higher pitch than his contemporaries like King Diamond). The track “Soldiers of Steel” is slower, heavier, packs more of a wallop, and Dane's voice is strong without embellishment. When I say it's like hearing a brand new band some four decades later it's not just empty words. These demo tracks may be unfinished and not to the band's liking for whatever reason, but the style presented here in its primitive form is unequivocally brilliant and buries the Refuge Denied versions, hands down.

The music for the tracks we all know, such as 'Die for My Sins,' 'Death Rider,' 'Ascension to Destiny,' 'White Rabbit,' 'Veil of Disguise' and the staple 'Battle Angels' is, in every acceptable facet, heavier and less polished, particularly 'Battle Angels,' which is far more engaging than the the album version. It's almost as if the band was influenced by the current bands of the time, ala Helloween or a newly-emerging Blind Guardian (before they discovered those evil keyboards), and just dismissed the slower power hitting for the sake of the speedier metal that was desperately trying to remain relevant in the face of hair and glam bands permeating MTV. 'White Rabbit' is just phenomenal in its purest form, showcasing Warrel's soaring vocal espousing the virtues of the hookah without attempting to cause muscles pulls by overdoing the notes. When the CD goes into the next track, 'Ascension to Destiny' it's as if the proverbial light has been shone upon my ancient stereo setup, not to mention the thick guitar tone in 'Die for My Sins' that is just crushing. The band took such pains to tap into the heavier side of the metal spectrum, and if your ears and passions are so inclined, you can hear exactly what went wrong when Mustaine took over the controls and ruined that album.

Added on to this release are two lost tracks, 'Dream of the Incubus' and 'I Am Insane,' which is always a treat for us fans that not only enjoy a good archaeological dig but relish a new discovery of long-lost gems covered in dust and ever-changing musical styles from year to year. The tracks are solid all over, but I can see why they may have been left off of the original album. They didn't fit the flow, particularly 'I Am Insane,' which makes for a good B-side. In fact, I would think this track might have fit better on the Into the Mirror Black album, but leaving it left out of the fold completely is understandable. Nevertheless, it's great to hear it all of these years later.

Metal fans of pure blood and passion will hear any given band some decades ago and move on with new and exciting bands that pop up along the way, but we still get excited when something like this emerges for public consumption. It sure beats the hell out of endless greatest hits and best of packages that are both insulting and obvious ploys to subjugate and rob the fans. Usually when you hear demos they're just pale blueprints, unfinished and often cringe-worthy, but all I personally hear in this release is magic that lay untouched and criminally neglected for too many years. This is must-hear for anyone into the band or Nevermore; hell, this is for anyone into real metal music with conviction and attention to detail, even in the demo stage. Sanctuary should have been far more popular than they were. I blame bad timing and a fickle fan base easily lead astray by the Poison epidemic.

The Norse had the rat plague...we had Brett Michaels.

(Originally written for www.metalbite.com)