German guitarist Randy Meinhard already immortalized himself as a hero of the Dutch metal scene as a founding member of Pestilence, as well as for releasing the progressive thrash masterpiece that is ‘Recesses for the Depraved’ with his own Sacrosanct in 1991. When he revived Sacrosanct with ‘Necropolis’ in 2018, the album showed an altogether more melodic band, though with Meinhard’s trademark riffing style very much intact. ‘Kidron’ shows an equally melodic, yet more confident Sacrosanct pushing its progressive tendencies to the fore a little more. Through excellent songwriting and spirited performances, ‘Kidron’ is a new highlight in Sacrosanct’s discography.

Compared to ‘Kidron’, ‘Necropolis’ almost sounds like a proof of concept. The early progressive metal sound with a more contemporary production Sacrosanct goes for here – think Fates Warning around the time they changed singers or very early Queensrÿche with occasionally more thrashy riff work – clearly comes from the same place compositionally. To my ears, Max Morton’s higher, clearer timbre is a better fit for this style of metal than Richard F. Hesselink’s rougher-edged James Hetfield meets nineties hardrock voice, and Meinhard appears more certain of which direction he wants to take compositionally this time around. It simply works.

‘Kidron’ isn’t a nostalgia release aiming for the older metal crowd, neither is it a complete submission to the developments of modern progressive metal. Even the production, though crisp and powerful, has a different feel than the average current prog release. The mix is fairly guitar-heavy, especially favoring the plentiful harmonies, and Morton’s voice is much more a part of the mix than an element slapped on top of it – and he is the one who mixed the album. Some of the riffs would not sound out of place on a Nevermore album, though they tend to leave significantly more room for the vocals.

‘Avenging Angel’ was chosen as the album’s first single, and it is clearly the most melodic, accessible track. ‘Doorway of Dreams’ beautifully alternates clean arpeggios and dramatic harmonies, as well as a surprisingly aggressive middle section, while the particularly heavy ‘Still Open Sore’ is the album’s most traditionally progressive track. ‘Before It Ends’ is a dynamic, doomy track that could have come straight off 1993’s ‘Tragic Intense’. Other highlights include the relatively bass-heavy stomper ‘Gethsemane’ and the fast, pulsating melodic thrasher ‘Prince of Clowns’, despite containing a short sample of a voice I’d rather not hear anymore. The multi-faceted ‘Marching Days’ is a strong opener as well.

With ‘Kidron’, Sacrosanct’s more melodic direction reaches the potential occasionally hinted at on ‘Necropolis’. It manages to pay tribute to pre-Dream Theater progressive metal without sounding like an imitation or a throwback. Instead, ‘Kidron’ is an inspired work of unconventional, yet surprisingly accessible songwriting, great riffs and even better guitar harmonies. It might not sound like ‘Recesses for the Depraved’ or ‘Truth Is – What Is’, bar a few riffs, but if anything, that is one of the album’s strengths. It shows a band open to new inspirations rather than stuck in their own past. The result surpassed my expectations.

Recommended tracks: ‘Marching Days’, ‘Prince of Clowns’, ‘Doorway of Dreams’