Seattle’s metal sons Sanctuary released only two albums before splitting up. The first, “Refuge Denied”, was produced by none other than Dave Mustaine, and the second was a tight, heavy, and mature killer of an album, “Into the Mirror Black”, which blew me away when it came out in 1989. After the band split in 1992, frontman Warrel Dane and guitarist Jeff Loomis formed Nevermore.
Fast forward 18 years to the latest release from the reformed Sanctuary, “The Year the Sun Died“, and I swear it sounds like they never broke up. Rentless, heavy, and mature, it’s the natural progression of one of the great unsung bands of late 80s/early 90s heavy metal. I grabbed the last copy before Amoeba sold out for the second time. It’s a must listen!
