{"id":35485,"date":"2013-12-12T07:40:03","date_gmt":"2013-12-12T12:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=35485"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:39:26","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:39:26","slug":"inner-sanctum-knowledge-at-hand-the-anthology-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/inner-sanctum-knowledge-at-hand-the-anthology-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Inner Sanctum | Knowledge at Hand – The Anthology<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist\/News Editor —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"InnerThe second band to be spotlighted by Divebomb Records\u2019 new Bootcamp series (which focuses on overlooked and forgotten demos, both new and old), is UK-based Inner Sanctum. Given past reissues, Divebomb\u2019s appreciation for the UK thrash scene is well documented, but they\u2019ve unearthed something really special here. Inner Sanctum is one of the rare thrash bands that veered into progressive metal territory, and they did it very well. They released a series of demos between 1989 and 1995, all of which are collected for the first time ever in Knowledge at Hand \u2013 The Anthology<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Inner Sanctum has a lot in common with Anacrusis and Toxik (though with a much better singer), and towards the end they almost hit Watchtower levels of technicality. This was a band that embraced the thrash metal sound while at the same time pushing it as far as they could in new directions. On the guitar side they had both the thrashing riffs you could bang heads to as well as some dazzling solos, and the bass work is just jaw dropping in its intricacy. The vocals are clear, strong and steady, sounding at times like Armored Saint\u2019s John Bush. There\u2019s a melodic aspect to the songs, and the band did a great job balancing between the more typical metal songwriting and all-out technicality.<\/p>\n

Knowledge at Hand \u2013 The Anthology<\/em> includes all six of the band\u2019s demo tapes (1989\u2019s Fear Is Life\u2019s Blood<\/em>, 1991\u2019s Static Veins<\/em>, 1992\u2019s Sensorium<\/em>, 1993\u2019s Shine<\/em>, 1994\u2019s Questions<\/em> and 1995\u2019s Knowledge at Hand<\/em>) across two discs. They\u2019re presented in reverse order so the most technical material is up front and by the second disc the songs get more straightforward and thrashing. It\u2019s definitely a case of putting the \u201cbest foot first,\u201d as the later, more progressive songs are the most impressive of these offerings.<\/p>\n

Edition Notes: Knowledge at Hand \u2013 The Anthology<\/em> is limited to 500 units and features new cover artwork, vintage photos, and lyrics. The audio has been remastered to the best extent possible given the source material. The quality dips a bit on the very early recordings, but the vast majority of these songs have been cleaned up quite well.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a mystery how a band as forward thinking and stunningly talented as this never made it, if only to the cult status that bands like Watchtower and Anacrusis attained. Inner Sanctum seems to have escaped everyone\u2019s notice, at least until now. With Knowledge at Hand \u2013 The Anthology, fans of classic technical thrash and progressive metal \u2013 from Anacrusis to Psychotic Waltz to Fates Warning to Mercury Rising to Believer – can now discover this too well kept secret.<\/p>\n

Genre: Thrash Metal, Progressive Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nKevin Jackson (b)
\nJed Dawkins (d)
\nDavid Hawkins (g)
\nDavid Ray (g)
\nJohn Knight (v)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:<\/p>\n

Disc 1
\nAgain
\nAge of Light
\nOf Profit to the Wise
\nEnemy Unseen
\nQuestions?
\nPoverty of Intellect
\nBirth of Acquisition
\nLongevity
\nGreen\/Grey
\nShine
\nE.F.M.S.
\nSensorium<\/p>\n

Disc 2
\nA Brief Madness
\nExcellence or Stagnation
\nRegression
\nStatic Veins
\nThe Unloving Touch
\nInflux Stupidity
\nTurn a Blind Eye
\nBeyond Apocalypse Dawn
\nSensing the Horror<\/p>\n

Label: Divebomb Records<\/p>\n

Website: www.facebook.com\/innercanctumuk<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.75\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines – Senior Columnist\/News Editor — The second band to be spotlighted by Divebomb Records\u2019 new Bootcamp series (which focuses on overlooked and forgotten demos, both new and old), is UK-based Inner Sanctum. […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":35493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[2317,923,8474,8475,1098,1101],"class_list":{"0":"post-35485","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2013","8":"tag-cd-review","9":"tag-divebomb-records","10":"tag-inner-sanctum","11":"tag-knowledge-at-hand-the-anthology","12":"tag-progressive-metal","13":"tag-thrash-metal"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35485\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}