Description

Obsessions is the fourth album by the American hard rock/metal band Sacred Warrior, released on Intense Records in 1991, a division of Frontline Music Group, distributed by FMG Distribution. The album was recorded and mixed by Harry Witz and Steve Weeder at River North Studios in Chicago, Illinois; with Witz producing. Vocals produced by Steve Watkins.

Sacred Warrior make a a strong showing on its fourth release – ‘Obsessions’. Its first release, ‘Rebellion’, was a brilliant debut effort, with a vibrant energy and passionate delivery. ‘Master’s Command’ showed that the band members weren’t producers, although that album produced the best metal praise song to date – «Holy, Holy, Holy». Last year’s concept album, ‘Wicked Generation’, got back to solid production, yet the songs were too poor to stand on their own. ‘Obsessions’ has just the right touch of good production, and the tunes are good, strong songs. The influence of progressive rock kings Queensryche is very apparent, but critics who castigate this are going to have to face the fact that Sacred Warrior pulls it off. This is easily the band’s best album.

The two strongest points for the album are the excellent sonics and vocal harmony lines written into the songs. The rich acoustic guitar parts in the album’s strongest tune, the ebbing «Turning Back», are complimented by a good drum sound. Another super highlight is the 6-minute 13-second «Mad Man», which also features some tasty acoustic additives, and majors on some very omnious Egyptian-sounding minor chords. The music seems to come at you and swirl around in surround-sound as it reaches your ears. A very cool touch…

To coincide with a “thinking man’s progressive metal,” are equally-impressive lyrics that touch on corruption (“As the dollar exchanges the hands of many, there lie the poor, who dream of having enough for today” – «Obessions»), memories of a departed loved-one («Sweet Memories»), and even an intelligent “I was lost, but then I found Jesus” type song called «Temples on Fire».

Hats off to Sacred Warrior for crafting an album that’s a pleasure to listen to track after track. The band put in a consistent performance here, that will be a pleasure to hear live if and when it takes this album on the road. [Doug Van Pelt, CCM, January 1992]

> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/obsessions-remastered/389697754)

CD tracklist:

01. Wings Of A Dream – 4:48
02. Sweet Memories – 4:31
03. Turning Back – 4:11
04. Obsessions – 4:46
05. Kamikaze – 4:49
06. Remember Me – 4:40
07. Fire From Heaven – 4:16
08. Temples On Fire – 4:03
09. Mad Man – 6:13

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette, 12-inch vinyl LP, and CD by Intense Records.