Sanhedrin: Heat Lightning

When I first received the digital version of this album to review, I was very excited. I thought that the Israeli instrumental prog group Sanhedrin had made a long-awaited comeback following their excellent 2011 debut (and as of now only) release, Ever After. But when I saw the album cover, I realized, no, this must be the Brooklyn-based hard rock/metal band of the same name. And indeed it was. They’re back with their fifth album, Heat Lightning, issued by the mighty Metal Blade Records.

The lineup is familiar: Erica Stoltz on vocals and bass, Jeremy Sosville on guitars, and Nathan Honor on drums. The first thing that stood out to me is that the album simply is not very heavy. There are some tunes that I would call traditional metal, or just about. “Above the Law� and “High Threshold for Pain� get there. And “King of Tides� is pretty doomy. But what I mainly hear is derivative hard rock from the 1980s that was passed off as metal at the time. There are even quite a few AOR-type hooks.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a bad album. There are enough good moments that I can see people enjoying it. But a question came to my mind: How many times will they play it? I doubt Heat Lightning will get repeat listens by many other than diehards.

Track Listing
1. Blind Wolf (4:26)
2. Heat Lightning (5:56)
3. Above the Law (4:04)
4. The Fight of Your Life (4:23)
5. King of Tides (5:58)
6. Franklin County Line (3:18)
7. Let’s Spill Some Blood (4:46)
8. High Threshold for Pain (3:53)
9. When the Will Becomes the Chain (7:06)

Added: March 31st 2025
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 74
Language: english

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