This is metal made for the very best of reasons by Mr. Albert Bell, a long-time mainstay of the Maltese metal scene: for the love of the music and culture. For, make no mistake, fifty years down the line, metal is a legitimate culture, with a glorious past, exciting present, and much optimism for its future (another fifty years, I can see that happen!).
Praise must be given here to the excellently named Metal-On Metal Records, who have done a fabulous job on packaging this album, and are truly one of the best metal labels out there.
‘Codex Templarum’ is the third Sacro Santus album, and continues in the same historical vein as the first two. Albert’s research is painstaking and each track comes with notes explaining the historical background and context of the song.
The song-writing itself is first class, bringing to mind such greats as Venom, Celtic Frost and Bathory; the production, too, is just right.
An added dimensiuon to this album is the work of the talented Owen Grech and Steve Lombardo (well, if your name is Lombardo you have to play the metal!).
I eager await Liber IV!
(Metal-On-Metal Records)
