Old man time, yeah, so shut the fuck up. There was a time when heavy metal was basically one style, or at least a primary style with some offshoots. You knew it when you heard it, and it was awesome. It was music that you played as loudly as you could from your car and added a lot of juice to your Saturday nights. It was fucking cool even though I didn’t make it sound like that very well.

Indianapolis traditional metal band Sacred Leather are from that era. Not literally. They were not functioning as a band until, as early as we know, 2014. But their style and play are right smack in the sweet spot. Dokken, early Whitesnake, Judas Priest, early Def Leppard, as evidenced by their new record “Keep the Fire Burning.” That kind of thing. The band—vocalist Dee Wrathchild, guitarists Lynn St. Michaels (lead) and Cvon Owens (rhythm), bassist Magnus Legrand, drummer Don Diamond—masters the adventurous guitar work, the grit, the sky-high voice, the danger the earliest wave embodied, and no, there is no “and with an updated viewpoint” coming. This is all vintage, and no one should accept it any other way.

“Resurrection” is a fitting, steamy instrumental opener with glorious guitars rising into “Spitfire at Night” that is a total gas pedal stomper. The thing erupts, electricity exploding from every corner, a huge chorus Wrathchild sells huge, which is hardly an isolated instance. The energy peaks as the soloing tears into metal, the heat rising from there and only coming down after another raucous chorus. “Phantom Highway (Hell Is Comin’ Down)” drives hard with a vintage Priest feel, the singing blaring as the elements unload. The playing is fast and crunchy, adding to the whipping winds that brush burn your face, the chorus powering hard as the riffs pump more blood. “Wake Me Up” has the drums activating and the guitars melting before the pace is pulled back just a bit, Wrathchild showing off the lower register of his voice. But he hits the highs as well, guitars blaze with a fury, and then things cool, water dripping down your spine, humidity taking its toll on you. “Fallen Angel” has guitars zapping and the drums getting juices moving, deeper vocals adding a grittier texture, everything picking up as the chorus strikes. The soloing is fiery and channeled, and forces pushing and pulling for domination, the singing piercing flesh as the final moments rain down.

“Flatline” is an instrumental that opens with acoustics and some classical-style playing before everything ends in, you guessed it, a flatline. “Tears of My Heart” has heated leads and a slower-driving attack, feeling like a classic metal ballad but not in a sappy way at all. There’s a massive chorus and chugging guitars, the momentum picking up and slowing as the journey sees fit. Strong soloing bursts as the emotional tumult is achieved, the guitars chugging and burning amid the caterwaul. “Malevolent Eyes” is a little darker and sinister, guitars torching as Wrathchild’s vocals go into deeper water again. The chorus is moodier, and evil cackles remind of chaos, spurs embedded into the track, the playing smearing with power before subsiding. The title track has the drums launching and the playing going faster again, the singing hitting glimmering highs, a pulsating chorus following everything. Guitars dominate as the drums punish, Wrathchild’s banshee wails tearing through minds. Closer “Mistress of the Sun” starts clean, the singing cooling off the heated edges, the elements picking up and adding fuel to the growing fire. Leads smolder as the chorus chars, everything trudging harder and heavier, guitars blazing over an ending that reeks of vintage class.

Metal often isn’t made in the vein of Sacred Leather anymore, or at least it isn’t conjured this tried and true that it feels like it could have originated 40 years ago. Which is a good thing as far as “Keep the Fire Burning” is concerned. This feels like an album for open-highway driving, late-night beer sessions, or simply just enjoying the full-force power of heavy metal the way it was intended to sound in the first place. 

For more on the band, go here: https://sacredleather.bandcamp.com/

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

Or here (U.S.): https://kingvolume.8merch.us/

Or here (International): https://wisebloodrecords.8merch.com/

Or here (International): https://kingvolume.8merch.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://wisebloodrecords.com/

And here: https://www.kingvolume.com/