Sacred Oath ~ USA ~ Connecticut

A Crystal Vision (1987)

---11/17/18

One of those oddball US metal albums from the mid to late 80s. Technically in the US Power Metal category, this one is really rough around the edges, with high pitched vocals and many ideas and changes per song. Excellent dual guitar playing as to be expected. A bit like an unpolished Fates Warning, who were a neighboring band in their native Connecticut. The production is pretty cheap and the drums are thuddy, but it's hard not to love stuff like this. CD adds four bonus tracks, of which two are 1997 re-recordings from this album, and allows the listener a chance to hear the material with a better production, and proves the songwriting is solid. The other two are also re-recordings of tracks that weren't on their debut but were part of their repertoire.

---11/3/25

Had this review buried in a long unpublished journal, before I consolidated what I wanted to accomplish with them. As you can tell by my modern journals, I'm completely worn out with these slick and polished Dream Theater clones. Sacred Oath is the antidote to that. The vocals have this schizophrenic King Diamond meets Anacrusis charm about them. High pitched than growl, but not death growls, just gravelly sounding. Fates Warning is the correct reference, though not circa 1987. More like how they would have sounded before Night on Brocken with progressive structures taken from The Spectre Within. I've seen Mercyful Fate thrown out there as a reference and that's accurate as well. The music presented here is entirely refreshing to the ears. It seems they have no idea what they are doing, and not sure they do, but thank goodness for that. I love the randomness on how the music develops, but it's all within the rails. I also appreciate their sound, once again on the dirty side, early 80s underground metal all the way. Can't imagine any modern band truly replicating this kind of album. It was "of the era". My era.

Ownership: 2001 Sentinel Steel (CD). Booklet with history, lyrics, and photos. Different artwork than the original album (shown here and also on the back of the booklet).

11/17/18 (acquired / review); 11/3/25 (update)

This was to be their only album from the 80s. They reformed and since 2005 have released eight albums. I haven't heard any of them. If I do, I'll report back here.

11/3/25 (new entry)

Helmet of Gnats ~ USA ~ Connecticut

Sunday Drive [single] (2025)

Precisely one year later from Helmet of Gnats' last review, I'm checking out their next single 'Sunday Drive'. The track starts off in namesake fashion, with a pleasant ECM approach to jazz fusion. A Sunday drive indeed. Highly melodic and peaceful. The keyboard work is excellent and reminded me of The Franklin Street Arterial of all bands. Perhaps it's the New England connection. About halfway through guitarist Chris Fox enters, and ups the distortion a bit. Then around the six minute mark the Sunday drive gets mired in New York City traffic apparently. The music moves into funk territory and the guitar tone gets nastier. A wonderful progression! In that light, I'm thinking of Frank Marino on 'Poppy', which is about as nice a compliment as I can give. 

4/3/25 (review)

Nathan Deacon's Other Brain [single] (2024)

Helmet of Gnat's latest release is a lengthy seven minute track. Starting off more in electronic territory the music soon enough shifts towards a mellow Crimsonic type cyclical fusion piece. This eventually leads to the more comfortable sounds of common jazz fusion as one might hear in 1982 (they continue to move forward in time, though 40 years in the rear view mirror). Though the funky wah-wah bit at the six minute mark is a cool twist. Very nicely done.

4/3/24 (review)

Travelogue (2020)

I was recently in touch with guitarist Chris Fox, and he was kind enough to send me over a copy of Helmet of Gnats 4th and latest album Travelogue. I have notes on the second and third albums and there's a common bond between them. To cut and paste snippets from each:

"Their stock and trade is retro jazz rock/fusion, with Hammond B3 and electric guitar leading the way. Melody is front and center so this isn't a chops fest, just the way I prefer it. At times it sounds like Niacin with some spruced up psychedelic guitar leading the solo parade."

"As for style, I'm reminded of what Mandrill said about their music: "We were too prog for funk, and too funk for prog". Replace funk with fusion and you could make that same argument here."

The main theme on both of the above is that Helmet of Gnats favors melodicism over technique. And that shines through once again on Travelogue. You never have to sit through a chromatic scale shred fest, nor gymnastic rhythmic displays. Rather there's a natural flow of events to the compositions. While Timeslip refers back to the early 70s side of jazz rock, Travelogue comes in around 1977 or so. Fantastic synthesizer and other analog keys complement Fox's thoughtful guitar solos. The rhythm section is complex but not busy. Some of the warm bass tones are right out of the late 70s fusion cookbook. There are seven tracks totaling precisely 50 minutes. A full LP length, not too short where you are pining for more, not too much where it leaves you exhausted. Travelogue is timeless music, the kind that sounded fresh in the 70s and continues that way into the 2020's and most assuredly beyond. I've enjoyed all four of Helmet of Gnats albums to date.

Ownership: 2020 Ambient (CD). Trifold digipak.

3/30/24 (review)

High Street (2010)

For Helmet of Gnats second album I wrote: "Their stock and trade is retro jazz rock / fusion, with Hammond B3 and electric guitar leading the way. Melody is front and center so this isn't a chops fest, just the way I prefer it. At times it sounds like Niacin with some spruced up psychedelic guitar leading the solo parade. That reads like a great combination to me! If your tastes in fusion run towards the early 70s side of the continuum then Timeslip will most certainly satisfy."

And that most certainly applies here too. The concept is about the band members' childhood home street. There is something special about that experience and connection with the past. I have a very good friend from my old neighborhood (lived right across the street) and we've been friends for well over 50 years. We both are blessed with excellent memory capability so we can each recreate moments going back to our earliest school days of the early 70s.

This connection comes through in the music of Helmet of Gnats. As for style, I'm reminded of what Mandrill said about their music: "We were too prog for funk, and too funk for prog". Replace funk with fusion and you could make that same argument here.

Ownership: 2010 Ambient (CD). Digipak

2010 (first listen); 9/26/23 (review)

Timeslip (2004)

Timeslip is Helmet of Gnats second album, eight years after their debut. Here their stock and trade is retro jazz rock / fusion, with Hammond B3 and electric guitar leading the way. Melody is front and center so this isn't a chops fest, just the way I prefer it. At times it sounds like Niacin with some spruced up psychedelic guitar leading the solo parade. That reads like a great combination to me! If your tastes in fusion run towards the early 70s side of the continuum then Timeslip will most certainly satisfy.

For years I thought the album was self-titled, or simply known as II. But if you look carefully at the bottom front, you'll see the words Time on top, and Slip on the bottom, intertwined. I thought it was just a symbol, like you'd see on a door design. Haha.

Ownership: 2004 Ambient (SACD). Tri-fold digipak. 

7//06 (first listen); 7/28/22 (review)

7/28/22 (new entry)

Yesterday's Children ~ USA ~ Connecticut

Yesterday's Children (1970)

---4/28/15

Yesterday's Children were a band from central Connecticut, who play a mix of hard blues rock and heavy psych. Very consistent of the type of album that came out of the 1970 cultural transition year in America. Final track 'Hunter's Moon' is an absolute killer, predating the metal movement by a decade. Yet one more American band from this era that was one and done. On the Map City label, perhaps most known among collectors for the equally obscure Purple Image. I think Yogi Berra might have appreciated that last sentence.

---5/18/23

Still kinda proud of that last sentence. Have to keep myself entertained apparently. In any case, Yesterday's Children is one of the more consistent heavy rock albums on the market from this era. Strong instrumentation, and plenty of leftover psychedelic guitar. One surprise I picked up on this time is the track 'What of I'. That was one of the songs that first drew me to the Wilkinson Tricycle album, released one year prior. Such a strange song to cover, but it's definitely a cool trippy psych number. Obscure bands covering obscure bands. Seems to be the theme here.

Ownership: 1971 Map City Germany (LP). In addition to the American and German pressings, the album was also released in Italy and was set to be pressed in Finland. Odd decisions. 

No legit reissues as of 3/31/25. I see Hellion reissued it, but no license info afforded. Loofs iffy.

4/28/15 (review); 5/18/23 (update / new entry)

Fates Warning - Perfect Symmetry. 1989 USA-Connecticut

As noted recently, I need to do some blog maintenance. I threw many items into roundups earlier this year just to ensure I got some notes down before I forgot them. The roundups are for albums I don't keep (or notification of recent purchases and/or revisits of albums already blogged). I'll be starting from the beginning of January and move forward from there.

I bought Perfect Symmetry on LP new real time and it didn't have the same impact as its predecessors. Even No Exit didn't have the same impact on me as did Awaken the Guardian and The Spectre Within. They were beginning to perfect their prog metal formula at this stage. Not as messy as their prior albums, to its detriment. But some of these progressions are awesome - and memorable. 

Ownership: LP: 1989 Enigma. Single sleeve with lyric inner bag. Acquired from Sound Warehouse in Dallas (on Lemmon Ave. - long closed) in 1989. I can remember even buying it. Funny how memories work sometimes. I also had the commodity CD, but unlike their second and third albums, the music isn't rated high enough for me to keep.

1989; 2014; 1/29/23 (LP 4.1); 3/26/23 (new entry)

Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian. 1986 USA-Connecticut

I bought Fates Warning's 3rd album close to the day it was released, having become a fan of The Spectre Within (I have a separate posting about that). Considering their vast amount of releases, including the Arch/Matheos discs, Fates Warning have an impressive consistency that continues to this day. Having said that, Awaken the Guardian along with its predecessor, are the two that really floor me. The difference maker is singer John Arch. He had excellent control of his air raid siren style, something many vocalists of the era did not. The early days of prog metal were the best - when it was still rough and ready. And explorative. 

Ownership: LP: 1986 Enigma. Single sleeve with lyric inner bag. Acquired new from a record store in Lubbock (1986).

CD: 1994 Metal Blade. Standard jewel case release with lyrics. Even though it's a commodity CD, the music is just too good not to have a second option.

1986; 2012; 2/1/23 (LP 4.5) 3/23/23 (new entry)

Fates Warning - The Spectre Within. 1985 USA-Connecticut

My introduction to this album is an interesting story. While still in college in 1985, but flush with cash due to the summer intern engineering job (discussed elsewhere in this blog), I was desperate for new tuneage. I had yet to learn of Goldmine magazine, so I was completely unaware of the rarities I would soon know about. 1985 was a dire year in terms of new music. I suppose if you were an X-Wave fan, or loved corporate rock, it would have been the heyday. I wanted progressive rock or heavy metal! Of the latter, I had little interest in the bonehead variety that was proliferating the shelves at that time. The whole 'I Wanna Rock' scene was boring in 1980, much less 5 years later. So I decided to go through every record in the store to see if anything looked interesting. It was a Sound Warehouse, so a well stocked mainstream record store where everything was sealed. Only one stood out.

From a presentation standpoint, this had everything I was looking for. And the song titles looked appealing, as well as the lengths of the tracks (guessed that since the times weren't listed) indicated some thought would be applied to the compositions. Once I got it home and on the turntable, I knew I had struck gold. Not only was this my introduction to Fates Warning (having no clue this was actually their sophomore effort), but it also opened up a new world for me (and well for everyone really): Progressive Metal. Essentially Fates Warning took the Iron Maiden blueprint, and heaved it over the progressive rock goal line. Iron Maiden, for their part, were prog rock fans and dabbled in progressive themes, especially on the recent Powerslave (1984) album. But they stopped short of going too far, knowing their enormous fan base liked intelligent metal, but they didn't want to get too highbrow. 

What I like best about The Spectre Within is it's the anti-Dream Theater. It's dirty and messy. Well played and well executed - yes - but still grimy and "true" metal. I love John Arch's vocals which are way out of bounds, yet there's an odd control about them. The rhythms are complex but not crisp. And the guitar sound is appropriately heavy, more so than Maiden actually.

Historically speaking it was an instant classic. However in real time, not too many people were ready for what Fates Warning were up to. But I was hardly alone in the world looking for music just like this, and they built up a cult following rather quickly. For me, The Spectre Within ranks among my favorite metal albums of all-time. Hearing it again last night, after some 37 years of familiarity, still resulted in a +1 listen.

Ownership: LP: 1985 Metal Blade. Single sleeve. Purchased as told in the review above. 

CD: 1994 Metal Blade. Jewel case.

1985; 5/25/12; 7/22/22 (new entry)

Fates Warning - No Exit. 1988 USA-Connecticut

Fates Warning's 4th album is most noted for two things: 1) The introduction of new (and current) vocalist Ray Alder and 2) The introduction of the sidelong track to prog metal. Hello... Yes! Concerning the former, I think universally everyone has accepted and admired Ray Alder. He's more than an accomplished singer, and he's proven to be the perfect front man for the band. For most of their existence by this point. Personally I prefer the rawer, more amateurish John Arch, but you can also put me in the pro-Alder camp. As for the latter, the hype sticker is hilarious: "Features the epic 'Ivory Gate of Dreams' a twenty-one minute metal musical journey that makes rock history". Isn't that... cute? I mean technically each new album makes rock history, but I feel confident that the sidelong track had been done prior. Even in metal (Venom anyone?). But yea, I was super stoked metal was going in this direction too. The aforementioned side-longer isn't really a full composition, but rather 8 separate songs / interludes under one umbrella. I remember bristling about it at the time, rather than embracing the whole idea of the future of metal. Typical overcritical youthful perspective. Fates Warning were really the pioneers of prog metal, and I've always preferred their rougher Iron Maiden-ish take versus the more professional and sleek Dream Theater, though there's plenty of room for both in my world. I also happened to see the band live during this era at a small venue (November 1989, Dallas City Limits), so objectivity yields to nostalgia. Rates excellent in my book.

Ownership: LP: 1988 Metal Blade. Single sleeve with lyric insert. Recent online acquisition. Something of an outlier here. I first bought this at a Sound Warehouse in Dallas upon release. Kept it forever, and was part of my "silted port" metal collection. No way would I ever sell their first 3 LPs, but I felt this one was expendable and sold it off a few years ago. Ehhh, maybe I should not have done that. The only way I buy it back is if the new copy is better than the old one. That's going to be tough, because it was in super condition. But yes! Found one still in shrink, with hype sticker, and played maybe once (or not). Perfect. Paid the same price as what I sold the old one for. OK, good save. Whew. Honestly that rarely happens anymore, as I'm pretty guarded about what LPs get sold from the personal collection, but this came with a satisfying ending.

1/6/22 (new entry)

Legend - From the Fjords 40th Anniversary Edition. 1979 USA-Connecticut

Legend were a Connecticut based group whose sole album is truly a "legend" among early heavy rock collectors. You'll find scant evidence of music like this on the open market, especially from this era. What is today known as epic heavy metal, Legend were pioneers of a style that didn't find its audience until 20 years later. If you're a fan of early Manilla Road (Invasion, Metal, Crystal Logic, and especially the archival Mark of the Beast), then by all means seek this one out. Long, involved, semi-complex tracks with fantasy imagery is what you'll find here...and very heavy for 1979. 

Ownership: CD: 2019 Cult Rock Classics (Greece). Purchased at the end of 2019. 

Now this is some package and made the long wait for an official reissue worth it (originals are very pricey). Legend band leader and guitarist Kevin Nugent had passed away many years ago, and it was the other two gentlemen who stepped up to get behind this release. While bassist Fred Melilio stayed quiet, drummer Ray Frigon wrote a book for us, including quite an expose on his Christian faith and the psychology on why he couldn't continue with the group. There's also a lengthy interview with the Greek born album artist, who became somewhat famous in music circles. In addition to the extensive packaging, there are 5 relevant demo quality bonus tracks that are worth hearing. 

6/27/09; 12/11/20 (new entry)

Holding Pattern ~ USA ~ Hartford, Connecticut

Holding Pattern (1981) + Majestic (1981-1990 / 1991)

Holding Pattern were a very good progressive rock band from Hartford, Connecticut, and who released one EP in 1981, and resurfaced again in 2007 with their first full length album. Majestic is the first CD reissue of the EP, and also includes roughly 50 minutes of unique archival material - live and studio - from 1981 to 1990. Given its hodgepodge nature (modern home recordings with drum machines, live tracks from the early 80s, a lonely commercial styled single), the overall CD is not near as consistent or as satisfying as the EP itself. The highlights are clearly the live material from the band's progressive rock heyday (tracks 10-14) and represent ~30 minutes of music, making this CD clearly worth the effort to find.  Of course, you can expect the quality of the live recordings to be varied, but certainly more than acceptable.

---12/18/25

Some further notes: The EP is all instrumental, with lots of 70s analog keyboard gear. Tony Spada's guitar playing is very expressive. This was released in the American progressive rock private press heyday of the late 70s and early 80s. So many bands were too late to the dance, so it was a do-it-yourselfer culture. It's a pity there wasn't more of a focus from the majors at this time, as we could have experienced quite a different 80s landscape. Of course one has to follow the money in a capitalist society, so it certainly makes sense these albums were "in the closet" as it were.

I think the track ordering of this CD should have been different. I would have placed the 1981 live recordings immediately after the EP (which the band calls a mini-LP fwiw). Then the 1983 single, followed by the mid 80s material. The contemporary tracks from 1990 sound really out of place. I remember the mindset of the day, and many of the musicians didn't see themselves anywhere near "retirement", and felt their latest material was just as good as their earlier work. But truth is it sounds more like Joe Satriani than the prog rock theme the album projects.

I also didn't discuss the single 'Mercenary' in depth, but I like it from an historical perspective. It's true what the liner notes say, that Spada does sound somewhat like John Wetton. So, yes, one can't escape a certain Asia influence here. One with a true progressive rock mid-song break. The flip side is a slightly shorter version of one of the album tracks. Today this single is very rare. The liners say that 500 were pressed. If true, it would appear very few actually sold, or found there way into collections. As of today, only three claim ownership on Discogs. These numbers don't mesh.

Ownership: 1991 Art Sublime (CD). Housed in an LP gatefold jacket. Liner notes in the gatefold. Insert about the label and packaging concept.

7//91 (acquired); 11/6/16 (review); 12/18/25 (update)

Also own and need to review Breaking the Silence.

11/6/16 (new entry)

Baxter ~ USA ~ Connecticut

Baxter (1973)

Paramount were one of America's unsung labels. They signed some interesting acts, and I don't think any of them did very well from a revenue perspective. Baxter, hailing from New London, Connecticut, were one of their more original bands. Mellotron, Moog synthesizers, Hammond organ, wah wah guitar solos, and some wonderful nutty/unpredictable progressions. And of course, rural singer songwriter pieces in the CSN&Y mold ('Gentle Arms', 'Can't Find the Time'), boogie rock n' roll ('Give it All'), hard rock ('51'), Yes-like progressive ('By the Gates', 'Renaissance Woman'), Polyphony-like progressive (yea, exactly... who knew right?) ('Moonfire II'), and the amalgamation of every style featured here ('Doctor, Doctor', '197 Three'). Wildly inconsistent, but there are some truly inspiring progressions to be found here. Unfortunately no continuity, just like the label itself. 

Ownership: 1973 Paramount (LP) 

No reissues exists as of 2/21/25

9/9/93 (first listen); 2008; 1/19/14 (review / new entry); 12/27/15; 9/6/24 (update)

Flying Island ~ USA ~ Connecticut

Another Kind of Space (1976)

When I think of Flying Island, I tend to categorize them as a fusion band. But this listen proved to me that's not really the case. Even though there's a little funky business, I would say that Flying Island are more of an instrumental progressive rock band. The lead instruments are violin, guitar, and organ, and this is definitely no chops fest. Compositions are first and foremost, while instrumental dexterity backs up the highly melodic, but complex music charts. The violin in particular will remind the listener of Curved Air and Darryl Way's Wolf.

According to Chris Fox of Helmet of Gnats - the band are from his hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut.

And another interesting note: Violinist Faith Fraeoli later played on the Perfect Symmetry album by Fates Warning (also from Connecticut).

Ownership: 1976 Vanguard (LP)

No reissues exist as of 2/21/25.

2003 (first listen); 11//05; 3/3/11 (review)

3/3/11 (new entry)