Customer Reviews

Refuge Denied

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First and foremost, the music on this highly overlooked and rather obscure metal album is MIND BOGGLING...This is Power Metal at its finest.If you are lucky enough to pick up this rare gem the first key element you will notice is the godly vocalist Warrel Dane,now of the thrash metal outfit Nevermore. I personaly haven't listened to any of Nevermore's material, but Dane's range and power on this album is amazing,and take into consideration that it's his actual RANGE and not falsetto-you will be pleased. Next is the incredibly talented guitar playing. Lenny Rutledge and Sean Blosl shred like no one's business.Period.The riffage is HUGE and way ahead of its time. While not too introspective or "deep", the lyirc writing conjures up images of power,war and fantasy, and even the afterlife; but at the same time remains carefree and well written. Simply Amazing.
So why only 4 stars you ask? Musicianship aside, the production on this album leaves a lot to be desired. At first listen one will notice that, no matter how much you turn up the stereo,the volume and sheer TONE of the music is minimal, but these are petty complaints.


So set aside a weekend and give this disc a spin.While doing so wonder where the hell the world was at while these guys were tearing it up...For this disc was released in 1988 but is not hair metal at all, and very little if any compairisons can be drawn to other metal bands now or even then. This material in no way sounds dated. Yeah, its THAT good...

Ultimately, if you are fan of heavy metal or great power rock in general, cough up the 13 bucks or so and give your ears a present. Someone should call EPIC records and request that this disc be remastered because it surely deserves it and you'd be hard pressed to find anything remotely relating to this band on the web or even its former members(i.e. now in Nevermore). Even as I write this I'm uploading the songs to my computer, and its 2005! These guys certainly did things their own way, and boy they did it well...

No doubt about it.... this is one of the best metal albums of all time!

Battle Angels starts this album right where it needs to be - in the awesome zone! Warrel Dane's vocals will drive a stake right through your heart, while simultaneously soothing your soul. Thanks to the producing by Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) and one of the best solos of his music career on White Rabbit, this band had too much potential to receive what little attention it received.

Battle Angels, Die For My Sins, Sanctuary, White Rabbit, Ascension to Your Destiny & Veil of Disguise are all hair-raising, pulse-pounding tracks that will seriously change the way you look at 90's and Y2K metal. You will ask: "Where did all the good stuff like this go?" Fortunately, you can still have it! Out of the ashes of Sanctuary came Nevermore - a band definitely worth checking out. Their latest release: 'Dreaming Neon Black' will satisfy your innermost craving for Sanctuary-style music, if you don't have access to this album.

I listened to this album so much in the late 80's and early 90's that I went through 4 copies of it, then was unable to purchase it again until a month ago. I have missed this album terribly! And I am VERY happy to have it as part of my TRUE metal collection once again. For all SERIOUS metal fans out there.... THIS ALBUM'S FOR YOU!

wow,where to start...
when this album came out,it was the height of the Thrash metal domination of the Metal scene.i cant recall why i purchased this(cool cover?on sale?)but BOY was i in for a treat!!
Warrell's Rob-Halford-on-helium vocals explode out of your speakers and grab you by the short-hairs!the guitar playing is well-produced,heavy and mid-tempo a'la Priest,but this is no copy-cat act as the riffs keep coming and coming..
in my opinion,their is no filler - every track is catchy and again,with Warrel's shrieking,very emotionally charged.
even the cover of "white Rabbit" works here,faithful to the original but heavy and in line with the rest of the album.
so,if you have never heard this,and "classic" metal is your thing,what are you waiting for??!!???

One of the best debut albums by any band anywhere, anytime. This is Warrel Dane's real voice, and it's unfortunate that he chose (or was forced) to suppress it on subsequent albums.
Dave Mustaine's production is terrible, but I think I understand why: when he heard their demo tape and liked it so much that he agreed to produce them, he realized that Sanctuary was much better than his own band and decided to make them sound [bad] just so they wouldn't put him out of work. Of course, most of the songs are so godly that even bad production couldn't keep them down. Some high points:
The song "Sanctuary", with its funereal opening chords, is our introduction to Warrel's death fetish, and is simply one of the best metal songs ever written. This is the tune by which all other Lenny Rutledge compositions are judged. Hell, by which all other METAL songs are judged. Everything about this song is perfect, down the the awesome guitar solo.
"White Rabbit": superb cover track and IMHO Warrel's finest moment ("...TELL 'EM A HOOKAH smoking caterpillar...") I, too, have always believed that Dave Mustaine's solo at the beginning is the best he'd ever done. It's not fancy or a shred-fest, it's just a great metal guitar solo.
"Soldiers of Steel": Warrel himself confirmed my suspicions about this song when I met him ten years ago in a local club that Nevermore was playing (Long live Mad Dogs), soon after they formed. It is based on F. Paul Wilson's book "The Keep". Great song, awesome book.
"Veil of Disguise": This final song really sets the stage for their songwriting style in the future. It is a bit more complex than the rest, almost epic.
"Die For My Sins": just a powerhouse metal song, with classic metal riffs. "DIE FOR ME!!!" Godly.
The rest of the songs are all excellent as well. The only one I tend to skip is "Termination Force", but that's just me.
Sanctuary brought a sense of drama to their power metal, resulting from the intelligent, philosophical lyrics and Lenny Rutledge's way-ahead-of-their-time riffs and arrangements. No offense to Sean Blosl, the 2nd guitarist, who did a great job composing "Battle Angels", but Lenny was the most prolific and couldn't write a bad metal song if he tried.

I gave this album a 5 out of 5 because this is simply the one of the best albums ever conceived by mankind! The guitars are simply stunning! Truly talented musicians! You will never find riffs like these anywhere else! The vocals are certainly the most unique and awe inspiring I've ever heard! most likely the best metal singer of all time! The drumms and bass are excellent as well! Indeed the production quality is lacking but the music is so powerful that it can't be held back! This is truly one of the albums no matter how many times you listen to it, it never gets old! This is truly an EPIC album!

Wow,when I first heard this album a long time ago I was blown away,because I am not a fan of Nevermore,but you know what this album is nothing like Nevermore.Every headbanger will like this album.Every song rules on this album.Warrel Dane does not sing on this album the way he does in Nevermore,he sings high on every song on this album,his voice is amazing.They cover White Rabbit,and you know what it's one of the best covers you will hear,Dave Mustaine,the all time greatest metal person does a solo in the beginning of White Rabbit and it's awesome just because it's Dave Mustaine.Die For My Sins is an awesome song,get Labyrinth's Timeless Crime ep and you will hear Labyrinth cover that song,they do an awesome job on that song,Rob Tyrant sings in a thrash voice on that song(amazing)other then his normal powermetal voice.Then Veil Of Disguise ends the album which just rules.The production isn't that good but who cares the album rules.Trust me it is nothing like Nevermore style,if you like real metal buy this album and you won't regret it.

First saw the light of day in 1988, as this was the second of three CD's this somewhat under-rated metal band has ever put out. What I remember the most about Sanctuary is they had maybe one video on MTV's Headbanger's Ball and Warren Dane (later of Nevermore} as lead vocalist and frontman. Even saw the band on the tour to support this very album. Tunes I dug the most here were the awesome "Battle Angels", "Die For My Sins", the band's namesake "Nevermore" and their cover of Airplane's "White Rabbit". Should indeed appeal to fans of Megadeth, Savatage, Metal Church and Testament.

A great, classic album, the highlight being Warrel Dane's stunning voice. The track "Battle Angels" is probably the best opening song on an album ever. If you are a fan of Nevermore you need to check this out to find out where all of that energy came from...if you're just a fan of classic metal or GREAT singing, pick this up and listen to it.

I am not a Nevermore fan, as what they produce NOW, is nothing compared to Refuge Denied, when they were Sanctuary! THIS cd is TOTALLY underated.

It was my favorite in 1987(?), and still is today 2003!

THIS FREAKIN ROCKS!
Its just way too bad the vocalist was told to calm his shouting down, cause on their next release, it was not NEAR as good as this! GET IT NOW!!!

this is classic metal sure to please...bit you can download it
on itunes for 9.99.i love amazon but this price can and should be avoided
if anyone has itunes!