Review by Rosh on July 28, 2023.

The Obsessed are the missing link in American doom, by and large. Yes, there's missing links in their discography like all the musical development that occured between their self-titled album and Lunar Womb (albums that were released only a year apart but were actually recorded around 5 years apart), or the long period of silence they endured after Hellhound Records tanked in the late 90's (I think that was when anyway, but I can't find a great deal of info on that. An interview with Dan from Count Raven is the main source I have that shed any light on the situation with Hellhound). But more than obvious gaps like that, there's the subtler matter of how they fit into American doom. Trouble defined the musicianship, Saint Vitus the attitude, Iron Man/Force had the balls, Penance had the introspection, Solitude Aeturnus brought epic doom to our shores, and Pentagram oversaw it all. But Scott Wino's work in The Obsessed is totally overshadowed by a three-headed beast known as Born Too Late, Mournful Cries, and V, a beast of doom that Wino is the voice of. It's a shame really, because as much as I love Vitus' Wino trilogy, The Obsessed were, as I noted in my 100% review for Lunar Womb a year or so back, Wino doing what he really wanted to do from the bottom of his heart, and you even get that sense by listening to the Concrete Cancer demo from the 80's. And you know what else? "Sodden Jackal" was written as early as 1981 or 82, so tell me with a straight face that The Obsessed didn't define doom metal, too. So while, I generally like to avoid this term, 2017's Sacred is totally the "comeback album" from American doom's missing link.

And at last! We have a studio version of the aforementioned standard, "Sodden Jackal" opening up this long-awaited return, quite a Pentagram move if you ask me to record an old demo-only song for the new album, but doesn't that cement my point about The Obsessed being the missing link, that they have vault standards up their sleeve, too? Speaking of doom standards, we absolutely have to discuss the soulful and empowering title track of this album, which definitely goes to show just how distinct Wino is musically, because while it still rekindles the mysterious doominess of "Jaded" and "Neatz Brigade" from previous albums, it also wouldn't sound too strange on a Place of Skulls album, a project which Wino was only briefly involved in. Then of course there's the obligatory balls-out tracks like "Punk Crusher" which totally reminds me of if Saxon played trad doom. Weird comparison I know but doesn't the main riff sound like it could belong on Strong Arm of the Law?

I think "Perseverance of Futility" is another highlight here, despite it actually calming down a bit from the first few tracks, and it gives way nicely to that Thin Lizzy cover, which, bite me, totally belongs here. Now, normally I'd criticize the verse riff in "Perseverance" because it uses that kind of tri-tone progression that we know so well from Black Sabbath, which I see as kind of autopilot for traditional doom metal, but Wino's lyrics and vocals are just so emotive and passionate that I can't possibly knock it. On the flip side, however, Wino's guitar work on the instrumental "Cold Blood" is far more involved, and yet, this track is less effective. See, the issue I have with this track is that instrumentals for The Obsessed are redundant, when you consider the intricate riff passage that opens up songs like Lunar Womb's title track. Worse yet, that song is downright repetitive compared to Wino's usual riff arsenal.

But Sacred redeems itself with the curious track "Stranger Things", which is undeniably a more commercially accessible song but I don't give a damn because it's a banger. Moving verse, soulful chorus, an all around anthem that makes me proud to be a doom metal fan, because this song is so uplifting that it's crazy to think it's by a doom band. Now I won't lie, after "Stranger Things", is where the album drops off a bit. They stashed 3 deep cuts of acceptable doom/heavy metal at the very end before a pretty badass 30-second outro, but again you can't hate it when when you've just been hit by like four heavyweight doom metal slugs and like 3 balls to the wall rockers. Sort of like the cool down for Sacred you might say!

Is it a bit front-loaded and more commercial? Yeah, but those are nitpicks. Really, The Obsessed's fourth album, their comeback masterpiece, is an absolute triumph of 2010's doom from the US, along with Pentagram's Curious Volume and for that it gets a 90%. I really think along with the Pentagram album, this one totally puts The Sword and High on Fire in their place.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Adam M on April 18, 2017.

The Obsessed have a nice take on the doom genre. They perform the traditional type of this music and it has very crunchy riffs. The music here is much like the Black Sabbath style that was adopted earlier.

The guitar riffs are deep and will enamour you greatly. The type of music Black Sabbasth played is a good style to copy and this band performs it in spades. This similar kind of music can be seen from the track Perseverance of Futility which is a very effective barn burner of traditional doom. Elsewhere a number of groovy riffs are performed and make for a treat of doom metal to behold, such as in the nice track Stranger Things. There isn’t anything particularly original on display which makes for my complaint with the album. It sounds like music that was already performed in a heyday and doesn’t surpass the classics. Still, it’s about as good as you’re going to get without surpassing the classics. The room is filled with a number of solid downtrodden doom riffs that are appealing and grand. The guitar work is the most important part of the musicianship and it performs its role quite well. The drumming comes in the background and holds things together. The vocals of Wino are brilliantly gloomy and take place on top of the remainder of the material. All in all, this is effective doom and this can be seen by how catchy the guitars are. One has the need to re-listen to the music again after hearing it and this is the highest compliment I can give it.

For the doom genre, there is a lot like here and it makes for a disc with great replay value. However, it doesn’t do anything particularly interesting or original for the genre. Weigh the positives and negatives to see if you want to listen to Sacred, but nevertheless it is recommended.

Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Review by Maverick on January 21, 2024.

Before I jump in, let me break it to you -- blackened deathcore is not a thing, and this is not blackened deathcore, this is symphonic deathcore. Nothing more, nothing less. Right? Well yeah, this album is almost flawless, but let me start going through the reasons I gave this score. This is by no means on the same level as Job For A Cowboy, Whitechapel, or any of the throw-away deathcore names. Rather, it is a technical-melodic onslaught of death metal riffs, and pristine hardcore breakdowns -- comparable to bands like Carnifex and Worm Shepherd.

First, the riffing is pretty consistent. It utilizes melodic and technical death metal riffs throughout. This is complemented by the breakdowns which define the deathcore sound. Of course, it doesn't contain a generic Parkway Drive riffing that one finds in their earlier releases. The riffs are pretty "happy," in that it is speedy and melodic. The technicality is not that mathematic, which is what bands like the earlier Crimson Armada do. It's pretty neat. There's nothing more to say than that.

Second, the drumming goes along nicely with the guitar. Speedy blast beats reminiscent of technical deathcore and maybe even grindcore. It's amazing to think that it is not a drum machine. I know that bands like this try imitating black metal drumming, if there is ever black metal drumming in this album, let me say that's drowned out by generic extreme metal pummelling that permeates the album. It's either too fast or only subtly imitates black metal drumming. The blast beats are not quite what one hears on a Marduk, Crimson Moonlight or Morkera album; although it tries to get there. What I would say, is that, if it is intentional or not, this band should probably not try going in that direction. They pull off a sound that sounds like the melo-death drumming of Bloodshot Dawn, but conclusively it is only generally extreme metal in terms of the drumming.

Third, the symphonies are pretty good. It does not sound like a dungeon synth delivery (which few bands can pull off anyway), or even other so-called blackened deathcore bands like Winds Of Plague. It does not even sound like Dimmu Borgir, at least not in a holistic sense. The symphonies serve as powerful intros to songs, like in 'Cursed To Die' and 'Sun//Eater'. Those were beautifully executed, it was tasteful.

Fourth, the vocals are pretty cool. Contrary to most in the extreme metal scene, I do like pig squeals and deathcore vocals in general. This album particularly reminded me of Carnifex's 2023 release "Necromanteum." The vocals are simply standard deathcore vocals.

As a whole, the album is what I would call epic symphonic deathcore. Although the band does capture the feel of symphonic black metal, I think that to compare it to any blackened offering would be to do a disservice to the band. It is a beautiful combination of extreme metal, hardcore, and symphonies. The intensity of this album is unmatched. It is a masterpiece. It is not a perfect album, but it probably comes close to it.

For fans of Carnifex and Worm Shepherd.

Rating: 9 out of 10