We are in an era where people take things too seriously in metal. Let me back up a second. I’m not saying musicians should not take their craft seriously. They very much should. But the ability to let loose from preconceived actions and just be free as a listener seems like it needs a recalibration. It’s OK to have a good time.

No doubt Sanhedrin are deadly serious about that they do, but taking on their music isn’t exactly dipping your head into a swirl of current events and content that will remind of what ails you. The band—vocalist/bassist Erica Stoltz, guitarist/backing vocalist Jeremy Sosville, drummer Nathan Honor—hearkens back a few decades to when heavy metal was largely summer music, stuff to blast as you guzzle a beer or 40 and forget the bullshit. On their fourth record “Heat Lightning,” they very much remain in that headspace, creating music that’s an escape, something to get your blood flowing. These nine cuts feel like they could have originated in the mid-1980s and caused no one at that time to question its origin, and it’s a blast to hear, especially with warmer weather approaching. Not that it also doesn’t sound amazing in the dead of winter! 

“Blind Wolf” jumps from the gates, guitars smoking with classic metal heat, Stoltz’s tough singing belting you across the face. “Now the wolf in you is mine,” she calls, the playing charging with authoritative strength, the guitars blazing away. The title track tingles the senses, and the pace pulls back a little, the verses numbing before sparks fly on the chorus. Guitars come to life as the pace catches fire, the chorus blasting back before warm riffs wash everything away. “Above the Law” is aggressive as Stoltz snarls, the guitars snaking, and gang-shouted vocals striking over the chorus. The intensity remains, crushing as the soloing goes off, great energy snapping back and ending the attack slashing away at limbs. “The Fight of Your Life” pays homage to those who could not resist the call to play music for a living, the band answering that call again with power and glory, churning and creating metallic flashes. “Hey friend, where you going with that ax in your hand?” Stoltz calls, “I’m going to cut your throat!” Soloing smears as the heat continues to rise, finally fading into darkness.

“King of Tides” has the guitars coating, and a darker, more calculated pace, the humidity picking up noticeably. “We’ll have to bend them to our wills,” Stoltz howls, the guitars engulfing with fiery passion, a dark finish ending in crackling flames. “Franklin County Line” is inspired by Sosville’s hometown in northern New York, creating a song about the local Amish population that goes off the rails. “Smoking and drinking and fornicating,” Stoltz wails, the winds of youthful expression and experimentation whipping, the guitars charring to a blinding finish. “Let’s Spill Some Blood” has guitars jolting and the singing a little more restrained. “Let’s show the world what we’re made of,” Stoltz declares, with revenge in the air, guitars spreading their wings, and the call of, “What you reap is what you sow,” landing the dagger. “High Threshold for Pain” has guitars clashing and the bass driving, the singing rising over the top of a bubbling cauldron. The leads numb before slashing back, the simple, yet effective chorus washing over. Closer “When the Will Becomes the Chain” has guitars swaggering and the band setting the mood, Stoltz wailing, “Swallow the sword from hilt to blade.” The bulk of the song is mid-tempo but channeled, the bass plodding as guitars simmer, letting the steam waft dangerously. The chorus returns for another stomp, and then the playing boils and burns, the darkness swallowing everything whole.

“Heat Lightning” has the band firing on all cylinders and sounding refreshed, not that their previous work was showing any sign of strain. Sanhedrin fit in a perfect sweet spot that pulls in both rock and metal fans, and there is plenty of fire here to keep you fully engaged. This record is an easy repeat listen, especially with the warmer months coming, when this type of album will hit its emotional peak.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.sanhedrin.nyc/

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://metalblade.indiemerch.com/

Or here (Europe): https://eu.kingsroadmerch.com/metal-blade

For more on the label, go here: https://www.metalblade.com/us/