Heal

By the time Phoenix thrash band Sacred Reich released Heal in 1996, the excitement that surrounded their particular brand of hard-edged metal had indeed dissipated, as bands like Korn and Deftones began moving mainstream metal in a new direction. After spending over a decade churning out some of the metal underground's most furious music, the group wasn't about to change their style or concede anything to the new-metal '90s, however, and Heal became their last great studio tribute to an important (if almost forgotten) era of aggressive music. Highlight tracks include fast-paced numbers like "Don't" and "Break Through." Vocalist Phil Rind, guitarists Wiley Arnett and Jason Rainey, drummer Dave McClain, and bassist Phil Rind also display a knack for all-out rock while they churn through the strong choruses on songs like "Seen Through My Eyes" and "Ask Ed." Ferocious and unrelenting, Heal is the finest Sacred Reich offering of the '90s, if not their entire career. ~ Vincent Jeffries