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By Dave Hunter of http//:rockofages.wordpress.com
There are not many albums recently, which have had me chomping at the bit, eagerly waiting
for it to be released but due to having heard the samples from this album some weeks ago on myspace, this is one of them.
Though not strictly their debut album with demo CDs A New Dawn (2003) and Lay It On The Line (2004) already having already
been available through mail-order, this is their first with proper production and what an absolute belter it is!
Does your memory stretch back to the heady 80’s days when rock music was about boys being
boys and having fun? One look at the scantily clad young lady on the cover and you know instantly those happy days are here
again! As Paul Stead explains “the "Shake" artwork really does get the message across of what many of the tracks theme
is. And I can assure you, they are based on many real experiences” Indeed there is a nod to the past both lyrically
and musically yet with enough current influences to make this a must have for rockers of at least two generations!
Afraid opens the proceedings with the invitation “wanna play with me?” from a husky
young lady. A catchy, slow, heavy number, two things immediately strike you, the excellent guitar solo from Mark Stephenson
and Paul Stead’s unique vocal delivery. A crisp, clean delivery, something close to Joey Tempest, more refined, yet
perfectly suited and a definite asset. Adding weight to their claim that this album really does have something for everyone,
next up is the hook laden, upbeat Paradise followed by the simmering Tonight. On both tracks guitars feature heavily, though
not overwhelming the outstanding vocal melodies. We’re now into the meat of the album with title track Shake, painting
a fantastic picture of a wonderful sleazy encounter. Lost is the song which screams out for airplay, sure to be a great live
favourite. Describing Maybe as a big ballad probably wouldn’t do it justice, this builds from acoustic beginnings into
an absolute cracker, and it’s hard to remember one that has impressed me this much.
Great bass lines from Darren Jhuboo litter the pop/rock of Natali, a song about love lost.
Another, which is sure to be fantastic live, is Carry On a clever blend of old and newer styles, punchy and melodic in equal
measure. Perfect has some wonderfully ironic lyrics, a guitar solo reminiscent of Brian May, whilst the piano outro comforts
like a familiar old friend. A change of pace next with the slower, yet very catchy Lift You Up very passionate, you can almost
hear the regret dripping from the words. Perhaps the heaviest track on here, 1000 Tears is saved for last but long before
now the air guitar is firmly in hands head shaking, mind made up that this is indeed an essential purchase for every fan of
Great British hard rock!
Through their own self-belief and sheer determination Sacred Heart have managed to get this
album out. It’s easy to understand why they persevered, when you hear the quality of the tracks and I am sure it won’t
be long before the labels come sniffing. Let’s get ready to “Shake”
9/10
- - -
So far 2007 has been a vintage year for lovers of well crafted melodic hard rock with Burn,
Pink Cream 69, Mass, Gotthard, Shakra and the upcoming solo album from David Readman all releasing fine albums in this genre.
Now add to this UK rockers Sacred Heart who really have stepped up a level from their earlier music. The band has a great
knack of taking the 80's hard rock influences of bands like Dokken and Warrant and bringing it bang up to date. Another key
strength to the band's sound is the massive rhythm guitar riffs that drive each song along. Just listen to 'Afraid' or 'Lift
You Up' for further proof.
Great to see 'Lost' revitalised – an airplay hit if ever there was one.
Add 'Natali' and you have two massive hook filled tunes that will have any rock fan reaching for the old air guitar! 'Maybe'
is the big ballad which considering this is done on a limited budget puts some bigger label releases to shame! There are some
very nifty guitar solos throughout the album – never taking over the song but instead slotting in very well to the overall
sound like on 'Paradise'. Good sound and production values throughout with special mention to the ultra tight rhythm section.
By rights an album this good should be getting a release via Escape, AFM or Frontiers
as it really does deserve the widest audience possible. But full credit to the band for releasing this fine album themselves
and promoting it relentlessly. Hard rock fans are in for a treat with this album. Crank it up and enjoy!
9/10
- - -
Ian Johnson of www.aordreamzones.com
What really hits you about this album as you play through the songs is that although there are
twelve tracks on it, no matter how hard you try you cannot find a filler anywhere in sight. What you will find though is twelve
rock solid (forgive me) hard rock / aor cuts that you will really (really) enjoy listening to. Sacred Heart has recorded an
album that is filled with great hooklines which can be found on each and every track, hooks that worm their way into your
brain and never overstay their welcome.
Sacred Heart who are from the UK have also crafted an album bursting
with energy and confidence, which is then poured in very generous measures straight into the songs. Paradise, Promise, Maybe,
the sublime Perfect, all sound like they have been written by a band with decades of experience, rather than the scant few
years Sacred Heart have under their belts. Also this confidence is most evident in the performances of the band members, vocalist
Paul Stead puts in one hell of a performance with his melodic and emotive voice, Mark Stephenson riffs and solos like a demon
whilst the solid backbone of the band Claudio Cafolla on drums and Darren Jhuboo on bass drive the whole musical express that
is Sacred Heart powerfully along.
Another thing that must be considered when you get to listen to this album
is the fact that the band have paid for it themselves, and have done a mighty fine job of it. So when next you look through
those new releases wherever you buy your music from, make sure Sacred Heart's Shake album is one of your first buys. Because
albums with this many classy sounding songs don't come around very often, to sum this album up in a few word's I would have
to say, a great set of songs and an excellent release, go buy it!
8.5/10
The first album from British Hard Rockers Sacred Heart, 2004's Lay It On The Line, garnered
some solid reviews from the music press and won the foursome a respectable fan following. In 2007, Sacred Heart returns with
their 12-song independently-released sophomore effort, simply entitled Shake.
Sacred Heart seems to be strongly influenced by the crowd-pleasing Hard Rock that filled
stadiums and the radio airwaves a decade or two ago, albeit with modern production values and a bit more edge. The dozen songs
on Shake contain abundant amounts of strong, crunchy riffs and well-done solos, catchy vocalizations, and lots of solid hooks
and melodies. Most of the songs are mid-paced thumpers, with a couple of decent ballads dropped into the playlist for a change
of pace. While all of these songs could easily get radio airplay, the production contains just enough grit to keep things
from getting too slick.
Musically, Shake is done well: the band knows how to play and how to write catchy tunes
that get your attention. Shake is one of those albums that won't blow you away with its brilliance; it's the sort of “fun”
disc that everyone needs to listen to once in a while. The better songs have an infectious spirit that makes you want to sing
along with them.
As mentioned, most of the songs on Shake are hard-hitting Rock tunes with a couple of ballads:
“Maybe” and “Natalie” are two good slower tracks, with “Maybe” having all the makings
of a memorable power ballad. Paul Stead (who also handles some guitar duties here) is an effective vocalist, and delivers
some strong work behind the microphone.
Shake has no bad songs on it; there are no tracks here that will make you hit the “Skip”
button. Tunes like “Afraid,” “Paradise,” “Lost,” “Promise,” “Perfect,”
and “1000 Tears” are guaranteed crowd-pleasers with their big riffs, fun lyrics, and bouncy melodies. “Lift
You Up” (one of only three songs here with a title longer than a single word) is a little darker and grittier, verging
on the border of Modern Rock; it's still a good song, just one that's a little different from the others.
With Shake, Sacred Heart shows that the dreaded sophomore jinx that has affected many other
bands hasn't hindered them in the slightest; for fans of solid Hard Rock, this album is a strong choice.
8/10
- - -
Lucas Gordon of www.metalrebelde.metropoliglobal.com
Sacred Heart are a British band
and have released this, their second album. And like it says in it's title, it will "Shake" you up once you listen it.
The
CD has 12 songs and the band plays hard "hard rock" with strong melodic guitars & great solos.
Paul Stead's voice
is, I would say quite unique, similar to the voice of ex-Warrant frontman Jani Lane maybe, and perfect for the kind of music
that SH are doing. With the great choruses they have I would have liked to have heard a little more backing vocals, to compliment
Paul, to almost give them a Def Leppard feel/sound.
Anyway, the 4 piece band (Paul, Mark, Claudio & Darren) have
a great product, the band sound amazing and you will find great arrangements on many of the songs if you listen to "Shake"!
9/10
- - -
Gabor Fabian of Strutter’zine
UK based Melodic Rock band SACRED HEART return with
a new CD titled ‘Shake’. Musically filled with high quality catchy 80's inspired Melodic Hardrock a la STORMZONE,
LOST WEEKEND, THE PROMISE, DOKKEN, HEAVEN’S EDGE and also recently released albums of EDEN’S CURSE and EVIDENCE
ONE, etc. This album is for sure a winner if you are into this style and I know a lot of you are, because otherwise you wouldn’t
be reading Strutter’zine!
Anyway, SACRED HEART's new CD is a very strong album that might sound so 80's, but
who cares because it sounds damn catchy and very strong, thanks to some very catchy hooks, strong melodic choruses, huge guitar
riffs and excellent vocal work of singer PAUL STEAD. The uptempo AOR/Melodic Rockers “Lost” and “1,000 tears”
are very sensational tracks that bring back memories to a time when this kind of music was really the main focus of all major
labels, so definite 80's type of tunes, without sounding dated! Or how about the beautiful AOR/Melodic Rock ballad “Maybe’,
which recalls memories of FIREHOUSE doing “When I look into your eyes” or “Love of a lifetime” or
FAIR WARNING!
Actually, the whole CD is mainly focused on the catchy 80's uptempo Melodic Rock style, so fans of that
genre will have a lot of fun with this strong CD.
8.5/10
Antonis Maglaras of www.veilgr.com
Sometimes I feel really proud when I follow some
bands from their beginning or let’s say their second beginning. Sacred Heart comes from the United Kingdom and I first
got in touch with them back in 2003 when they released their debut demo “A New Dawn”. After that, they released
a live DVD and then my favourite album - until now - “Lay It On The Line” with the great title track. After three
years, I believe it was the right time for them to strike back and they did it with their new self financed album “Shake”.
From the opening track, “Afraid”, you are ready to go for the next fifty five minutes into a melodic rock
paradise! If you follow the band you will see that through the years they have achieved their own unique sound, so from the
first seconds of their new music, you are pretty sure that this is Sacred Heart! Their compositions are well worked with some
very impressive ideas and of course remarkable guitar work. You know sometimes, words are powerless and I believe this is
another moment that we should leave the music to speak for itself. If you like rock music, be it melodic or not, you should
buy this album! Sacred Heart have created a very impressive album one more time and they deserve our attention.
9/10
- - -
Bill Leslie of http//:hardrockhideout.wordpress.com
It's been many years now since
the UK had a true melodic rock band that I felt could match the best of this often maligned genre. 'Ten' had promise but despite
some success in Japan, line-up changes and reluctance to tour have seen their chances of worldwide recognition diminish. Likewise
Dare, who despite some significant airplay on the national BBC Radio 2 station have been unable to turn it into sales. No,
the days of the likes of Shy, Tobruk and the mighty F.M. et al flying the flag for Britain are long in the past; but maybe
that's about to change.
Sacred Heart, a four-piece outfit comprising of Paul Stead on guitar & vocals, Mark Stephenson
on lead guitar, Claudio Cafolla on drums and Darren Jhuboo on bass have taken the polished rock sound of the late 80's, modernised
it by adding a heavier feel that has welcomed comparison to the like of Nickelback and Hinder, and across twelve all original
compositions have produced a debut that makes you wonder why it doesn't bear the label of one of Europe's premier AOR/Melodic
Rock labels.
That's right, despite no major label support, their persistence and belief in these songs has seen the
band self-finance the whole thing, and through hard work and impressive use of the internet for promotion should see significant
returns.
Having only heard their 2004 demos album 'Lay It On The Line' before, the first thing that hits you is the
sheer depth of sound they've achieved. Opening track 'Afraid', a brooding, mid-tempo rocker with a slight hint of Dio in its
pulsing riffs, just sounds so 'full'. The nearest comparison I could think of is that achieved by Europe on the 'Out Of This
World' opus and that's an interesting one to recall as in a few places on this disc I found myself remembering that album
and that band. Lead singer Paul Stead shares similarities in both voice and phrasing with Joey Tempest whilst the guitar work
of Mark Stephenson possesses similar traits to that of Kee Marcello. Specifically it's technical and impressive and often
attention grabbing yet always seems appropriate to the song and never overly 'flash'.
Further harder songs such as
'Tonight', a number that builds from a quiet opening toward a monster mid-section and solo, or the magnificent 'Lift You Up'
leave a lasting positive impression whilst the sleazy lap dancer tale of title track 'Shake' will result in a smile from the
listener either for the picturesquely suggestive lyrics or the guitar riff straight out of George Lynch's book from Dokken's
heyday.
Memories of Jagged Edge and their quite English melodic blues-rock single 'Out In The Cold' were stirred during
'Lost'. One of the albums many highlights it's already gained some radio airplay for the band in the UK and with its catchy
chorus and 'hooks that kill' could be an ideal candidate to lift as a single.
Likewise the closing track '1000 Tears'
which as the albums heaviest number tears up the final five minutes or so and leaves you in no doubt of the bands hard rocking
credentials. Of the other tracks, 'Paradise' also evokes memories of Europe in sound although it's a cracker in its own right.
'Carry On' is a big, grooving number with speaker rattling riffs and a touch of Warrant about it whilst 'Perfect' again makes
me recall those American pretty boys although this time it's along with Whitesnake 1990 in the mix.
Of course, no
melodic rock album would be complete without its ballads and here Sacred Heart offer the heartfelt tale of 'Natali', a song
benefiting from a pulsating bass line, and the mid-album 'Maybe'. Now I must admit that the soft acoustic opening of the latter
hasn't quite clicked with me yet, maybe too much of a come down from the fine opening five song salvo, but there is no denying
that it's a fine vocal performance from Stead and once it erupts pre-solo it's real power ballad material. That only actually
leaves 'Promise' left to mention. A slick pop-rocker that like 'Natali' perhaps errs on the pop side a little much for my
personal taste yet along with the ballads gives the album wider breadth and variety and ultimately more appeal.
In
summary, it's an album that has impressed me greatly. I did initially think maybe I was going overboard and it was down to
the sheer leap this band have taken since the demos release however placing the album next to personal genre favourites like
the aforementioned Jagged Edge's 'Fuel For Your Soul', FM's 'Tough It Out', Ten's debut album and even added a few of Europe,
Dokken and Tyketto releases and I decided it's not out of place in their company at all.
Of course, it's not going
to redefine a genre but it sure as hell should give the UK melodic rock scene a long overdue shot in the arm. It's a superbly
accomplished debut, which deserves the attention of any melodic rock fan. And that they've done it this well down the self-financed
route has to be heard to be believed.
8/10
- - -
Steven Nagle/Rock Of Ages Entertainment
One of Britain’s finest rock bands,
Sacred Heart, return with a new, energetic and more sinister album than their previous recording. The new album “Shake”,
has been long awaited since 2004’s “Lay It On The Line”, and although different and more rounded, it certainly
doesn't disappoint!
Paul Stead’s gentlemanly persona and vocals are as evident on this album as the previous
helping, and still go down a treat with myself, as they will with fans of Queen, Brian May, Thin Lizzy and Nickelback.
The
album overall demonstrates a significant growth in production level, as well as a continued improvement (as if it was needed!
Ha!) in their incredible song-writing strength, leaning towards new styles of song structures, the occasional lazy rhyme and
more adventurous lyrics on songs like “Afraid” and “Paradise”.
With a slightly more
Nickelback sound, and with the album leaning on a slightly more sinister and unnerving vibe on one or two songs, Sacred Heart
have issued a statement of intent that every album is only going to sharpen their impressive live repertoire and every song
on the new album will easily contrast and compliment the existing and previous set lists well.
Another thing
you can praise on this album is the mood that each song has. Every power-chord, every riff, solo and so on oozes atmosphere,
reverb and a hollowing sense of soul that will strike listeners like an arrow through the heart – especially songs such
as “Tonight”, which gives off a similar vibe to Bon Jovi’s “Bed Of Roses” and Bryan Adams “Somebody”,
both of which were (and still are) classics with unrivaled passion and the immortal spirit of rock ‘n’ roll.
Building
in ambience and intensity the album continues to entertain to the final chords. The sinister-sounding title-track “Shake”
has plenty of 70’s rock vibe about it but would appeal to many contemporary rock fans, proving the band are one of the
most complete bands of the modern era and easily marketable!
“Lost” is definitely one of the album’s
highlighting tracks – soaring vocals and gritty rock ‘n’ roll glory that captures the mind and will be great
blaring out over the car stereo whilst out on the road! “Maybe” is another interesting track, and it will remind
many of the splendidly beautiful “Always” from the previous album. This collection of deep and meaningful tracks
is definitely more soulful and tender in the places that matter than the previous album, and is refreshing to the ear, with
Paul’s vocals obviously coming from the deepest parts of the human spirit throughout the album, and which will have
him ranked alongside the Krogers, Mays and Bon Jovi’s of this world for the unrelenting passion and poise he sings with.
“Promise” is another song full of passion, but with a much lighter, and, dare I say “fun”
vibe – and another of Paul’s more romantic tracks, filled of creativity, and which will no doubt have many girlies
wiping tears from their eyes and throwing their underwear towards the stage ;-) The lyrics to some of the songs on this album
are filled with personal statements that do for breaking down barriers around male egos exactly what Celine Dion did in the
90’s for unveiling women’s more sensitive side – and a number of the more romantically geared songs on this
album are strikingly honest and have a solid stance on the small but important details of relationships. “Natali”
and “1,000” tears are among the songs that echo this.
Overall a thoroughly entertaining album and
a great collection of songs, that sees the band build on an impressive previous release, and a fantastic collection of mid-tempo
rock songs and acoustic interludes. Sacred Heart have once again proven that they can compete with the best of today’s
rock bands and that they can, in fact, put most of them to shame!
9.5/10
Mike (a.k.a The Spunky Lobster) of www.komodorock.com
UK Melodic Rockers Sacred Heart are back with the long awaited follow up to 2004's "Lay It On
The Line" with their new opus "Shake", but perhaps back with a vengeance would be more apt. 3 years on, Sacred Heart have
become a strong, powerful, and undoubtedly talented bunch, perhaps one of the best UK Melodic Rock bands right now.
Big
talk? Once you fire "Shake" up, you won't think so. The album shows it's quality from the first listen, and even more from
the opener 'Afraid' which gives us a well balanced feel of where we're going. Paul Stead sings with power and passion, his
voice is good, but it's the passion that wins through for him and Sacred Heart.
What sets this album apart for
me though is the guitar work, which for the most part come across as being much darker, and certainly heavier than you would
expect if you just listened to Stead's vocals. It works superbly well, giving the band a heavier edge, but in an almost unnoticed
way. Strange but true.
By the time you hit the albums title track, if your not sold on this album you never will
be. 'Shake' is far and away my pick as the best track on the album, and what a great intro "Hey Babe, how much for a lapdance?",
and not to forget an almighty chorus of "You Look Like Butter wouldn't melt in your mouth, so I find my eyes slowly heading
south".
Darkly hypnotic, 'Shake' is one of the best new melodic rock albums this year, and should if there's
any justice, put Sacred Heart right near the top of every Melodic Fans "Need to see" list.
8/10
- - -
Susi Eggers of www.rocketqueen.de
It’s been a while since I last reviewed a CD but now it’s time to write about another
fantastic album. This time we are talking about Sacred Heart's release "SHAKE" which came out 31st July 2007 through their
own label "Winkelrant Records".
The CD features 12 amazing tracks and when you start to listen you will ask;
is it Joey Tempest singing? No, it isn't, it's PAUL STEAD who formed Sacred Heart together with Mark Stephenson in the mid
90’s.
"SHAKE" was produced by Alex Burke of Audio-Republik and it starts with the song "Afraid" - all
the songs are totally melodic and amazing, right through to the last track "1000 Tears". Some of the songs are slow some are
powerful - the mix of this is just perfect. There are many different (rock) styles so that all of the fans get what they want
- a great mixture! Also I noticed that 9 of the 12 songs are just consisting of one word only. 12 plausible songs!
"Shake"
is a great album, all told just buy this CD and find out for yourself.
- - -
Nicky Baldrian of Fireworks Magazine
A couple of years ago I reviewed on the
back of a chocolate wrapper the debut CD ‘Lay It On The Line’ from UK melodic rock outfit SACRED HEART. Their
debut album was well received and they ended up supporting the likes Mitch Malloy, Pride, Europe's Kee Marcello and The Quireboys
amongst others.
At last Sacred Heart are about to unleash their new album called ‘Shake’ to the
world. I have the pleasure of being one of the first to hear and review ‘Shake’ in all its silky glory. So here
we go, this time with a full big boys bar of galaxy chocolate in hand, coupled with a nice cup of tesco’s Columbian
roast filter coffee as I ease back to let the songs sink in.
Right away we move into a fine chunk of catchy
melodic rock that starts off with a sleazy chick saying ‘Do you wanna play with me’ for the first song ‘Afraid’.
Crisp guitars compliment Paul Stead’s vocals. His voice on this track is subtle in texture, often sounding somewhere
in-between Don Dokken and Phil Vincent. A good start.
‘Paradise’ is where the chocolate starts to
melt and is very catchy. The solo midway through is worthy enough to make you reach for your air guitar. ‘Tonight’
is one of the albums more mature songs. The track is subtle and pure melodic rock. As the music builds, Paul’s voice
sounds great against the sonic guitars. One of my favourite songs on ‘Shake’
Next is the catchy
title track, which opens up with familiar guitar tones in the vein of George Lynch. The song is ever so reminiscent of Dokken’s
‘Night By Night’, only a little more subtle. ‘Lost’ is your standard catchy crowd pleasing melodic
rocker reminding me a little of Vinny Burns solo material, where as the ballad ‘Maybe’ is a smoking hot ballad.
I loved the guitar tone; the song builds into a superb loose AOR ballad. It’s just one of those songs that will smoke
live.
‘Promise’ is one of my favourite songs. The chorus is dead catchy and one of albums highpoints,
this song that has a slight Magnum feel and is a lot of fun to listen to. ‘Natali’ is lush with an interesting
bass guitar tone. It’s a happy song with Paul sounding on top form. ‘Carry On’ gets the fists pumping
again, while the tongue in cheek lyrics of ‘Perfect’ is another favourite track of mine. This one is a sweet and
colourful bouncy song. The band sound like they had fun playing this tune and again live this will go down well.
The
solid melodic rocker ‘Lift You Up’ reminds of defunct UK outfit The Promise, and finally ‘1,000 Tears’
ends the album on another high note. This is a great song, very catchy and once again coming at you vocally in the vein of
Don Dokken and Phil Vincent.
One thing that starts to stand out is the quality and confidence in the song writing.
Live work has obviously rubbed off on the guys and the new material should work well when they tour later this year in support
of the new album.
‘Shake’ provides fans with prime time fun melodic rock, and is a fine self financed
release that you should check out.
Kimmo Toivonen of www.rockunited.com
Hardworking UK band Sacred Heart decided to take
the bull by the horns, to finance and release their first real album on their own record label. They did release a 10-track
CD a while ago, but in my books it was still a demo. Now with "Shake" I've chosen to review their album alongside other "real"
releases.
"Shake" is firmly rooted in the sounds of the eighties' "Hair Metal". You'll be reminded of acts like Dokken,
Firehouse, Trixter and Warrant. Only in sound though, as spandex trousers, shiny snakeskin boots and immaculately sculpted
hairdos are nowhere in sight. Now the times have changed, and these mean looking lads - as nice as they may be - look more
like a gang about to kick your ass than pouting poser rockers!
The band has enlisted the services of one Alex Burke
as the producer, and he has done a reasonable job. What does bother me is the somehow stripped arrangements of the songs.
As good as some of the songs are, they could use a "finishing gloss" in the form of some subtle keyboards, backing vocals
and perhaps some additional guitar tracks. Now the songs tend to sound a bit too much a-like. These arrangements do probably
give a good idea of the band's live sound, but especially the choruses could've benefitted from additional backing vocals.
Well, maybe the guys just wanted to stay true to their live sound, and chose not to add elements that would be hard to reproduce
in a live setting.
The band has a several rather catchy hard rock tracks, like "Lost", "Promise" and the title track
"Shake", even though the last one does borrow its' riff (or at least the inspiration for it) from "Unchain The Night" by Dokken.
Some of the other songs aren't quite as good, and the fact that most of them are on the slower side doesn't help one bit.
I can't help but wonder what a rather plodding song like "Lift You Up" would sound like, if the boys stepped on the gas pedal,
raised the tempo and added some urgency to the chorus...
Despite my minor complaints, this is still a solid album,
and the band deserves your support, so check them out!
7/10
- - -
KVK of www.rockreport.be
First
of all, let me tell you that I hold a warm heart and deep respect for the road these boys have chosen to reach whatever goal
they have set for themselves. And what road is this then exactly? The independent, self-financed road.
And let it be
this very fact that has kept the boys back from delivering a truly great record. Because it isn't by far everything it's cracked
up to be, regardless of the non-constructive, completely besides the point fan-boy reviews that can be read across the Net.
A band like this will never benefit from OTT reviews; it’s serves only to satisfy the small circle of hangers-on
around the band and nothing more.
What a band like this would benefit from is the extra bucks for a nice, shiny &
sparkling mix, production & mastering, because what I hear on this record is not how it should be and it doesn’t
in any way do the songwriting justice.
After a couple of spins however, some of the songs actually started taking
up residence in my head with top of the bill the opener of this platter, ‘Afraid’ & the heavily Dokken-influenced
title track ‘Shake’.
All in all it’s a not a bad record that shows influences ranging from Dokken
to the big haired Europe & back again. The songs are brought with genuine emotion & a deep love for the genre and
for that alone this bunch deserves to sell a shitload of records... but only if they save all their money for the much needed
production because next time around I will not be so friendly…
4/6
- - -
Marty Dodge of blogcritics.org
Paul
Stead and company are back with their second full length release. All the elements that were there on their debut are here
with far better production. Paul's Jani Lane fixation is still on show, with his propensity to hold the notes longer than
one thought possible. All in all it's still good solid hard rock with a twist of English sensibilities.
The band continues
to grow and is even tighter than they were on their last release. As someone who has seen the band live many times, it pains
me to think that their live sound still has not been captured just yet. The title track will put a smile on your face and
remind you why you like hard rock in the first place. And it has that one keen thing for that sort of song - you can imagine
it in a strip club (a good thing just ask Buckcherry). Paul and the guys can deliver tracks with copious amounts of feeling
whether it's a pop track like 'Natali' and ballads like the uber 'Maybe'. This album has a wide variety of styles of hard
rock/pop rock, but it all gels with the quality playing of the band.
Get these guys into a residential studio and wrench
every bit of talent out of the lads. Shake is a good album, but this lot have the potential to make something very special.
Oh yeah and if you get the chance go see the buggers live... you won't regret it. A nice collection of quality rock tracks
which is always welcome one has to admit. British AOR new breed can compete with their continental counterparts: Burn and
Sacred Heart are leading the way.
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*File sharing & illegal copying
SACRED HEART are 100% independent/self-financed and although all
promotion (including word of mouth) is very much appreciated PLEASE be considerate with the music you possess, as behind every
release - whether it be through a label or privately - there are artists whose creativity & hard work deserve return as
well as recognition. THANK YOU (P. Stead)
copyright 2007/08 sacred heart
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