Majestic Serenity (Expanded Edition)
Artist: Sardonyx
Label: Retroactive Records
Time: 15 tracks/77:10 minutes

Sardonyx were a relatively unknown power thrash band that formed in the late '80s. Their sound is reminiscent of bands like Metal Church and Sacred Warrior, and their songs are focused, tight, and often of epic length (half the songs on this album are over seven minutes long!) The band released one demo tape and one full-length before breaking up in 1994. Both of these have been out of print for years, and have finally been remastered and re-released by Retroactive Records. 

The band is extremely ministry focused, with almost every line referring to a scripture verse. The lyrics are often bible studies set to music. Unfortunately for the most part they are marred by cheesy early '90s slang (Vocalist Tom Denlinger says "hey man" a few too many times).

The production is very raw, even on this remaster it is clear that the band recorded on a shoestring budget. Tape hiss abounds, the bass is buried, and the whole thing sounds more like a demo tape than a properly recorded album. This only serves to further draw attention to the record's dated early '90s sound. The four demo tracks at the end obviously sound the worst; yet ironically sound impressive considering the terrible audio quality of the album tracks.

The message is there, and the talent certainly is, but it is hard to get past the dated sound and lyrics. If you were there for this band back in the '90s, you'll want this for a trip down memory lane, and you better step on it cause this is a limited edition. However, if you've never heard of the band before you won't be missing much skipping this release. It would be interesting to hear what the band would be capable of in this decade with proper production.

Noah Salo