'SACRED RITE' 'THE RITUAL' 'IS NOTHING SACRED?'

'RITES OF PASSAGE' CONCERTS

�SACRED RITE� (1984)

From �KERRANG!� no 101 (England): HONOLULU? Don�t worry lads, these geezers are no slant-eyed beach bums - they�re a s**t-hot Metal band! I mean, we�re talkin� Iron Maiden on acid, an� nuthin� sums it up better than the openin� track, �Wings of Pegasus�, which flies along on some rocket-handed riffery from axemen Mark Kaleiwahea and Jimmy Dee. With bass boy Peter Crane hurtlin� behind in scorchin� Steve �Arris style. �Angels Never Die� is slower and a bit Sabbaffy, and �White Boy� is a similar sort o�thing, but �The Blade� is much sharper and has us back on the bangin� rails in no time. I can�t hear a bleedin� word Kaleiwahea is singin�, but his solos make up for that! Side two? Well, just you step on the wrong side of �The Executioner� and you�ll cop some deadly axework (geddit?), while �R.I.P.� (dedicated by me to all dick-headed disco fans) is a fittin� follow-up and �Revelation� has these flyin� Rite Brothers (a joke!) swoopin� towards a Kamikaze endin� that�d singe the perfumed eyebrows off any Spandau Ballet fan within 200 yards. Great stuff, chaps, iron out a few creases and ya could be up there with the big �uns! 41/2 out of 5

From �METAL FORCES� no 5 (England)
Sacred Rite are a young four-piece metal band from Honolulu, Hawaii and on the strength of this, their debut album, look to have a bright future ahead of them.
The band can probably best be described as a progressive Iron Maiden with touches of early Tygers of Pan Tang, especially on the opening track �Wings Of Pegasus�, the albums best cut along with the very Maidenish �Revelation�. The musicianship is of the highest quality throughout and Mark Kaleiwahea�s vocals remind me a lot of Geoff Tate.
The remaining numbers �Angels Never Die�, �The Blade�, �Executioner� and the Queensryche sounding �R.I.P.� are all tinged with class metal while only the somewhat commercial HR of �White Boy� falls below the high standard of material set by a band who look likely to cause quite a stir around the metal world before too long. A great debut from a great band! (Bernard Doe)
9 out of 10

From �UNCHAINED ENERGY� no 2 (Denmark)
Sacred Rite has created their own style of Heavy Metal and their music is really original. There may be a bit of Rush influence in some of their riffs - don�t worry, Sacred Rite is much heavier - but this influence is one of the reasons why I think the music is so interesting to listen to. The tracks are all filled with a lot of great tempo- breaks and one of the things that comes to mind when you listen to Sacred Rite is that they are really great musicians. Peter�s bass-play reminds me of Steve Harris�, it is also very seldom that a lead vocalist, who also plays an instrument, has got such a great voice as Mark�s. Just listen to the ballad �R.I.P.� and you�ll probably agree with me.
The seven tracks on this album are that different that you actually can�t tell which tracks are in a typical Sacred Rite vein, and only one of the 7 tracks disappoints me a bit; I�m talking about �White Boy� which I think is too boogie inspired. The 6 other tracks are a mixture of fast (not Slayer speed) and powerful songs such as �Wings Of Pegasus� and �Angels Never Die� and then the darker songs �Executioner� and �Revelation�. These songs have also got a lot of drive in them but the compositions are more black than the other tracks mentioned above. (Jes K)

From �SUBERBIA� no 6 (California)
Excellent debut effort from Hawaii�s premier up and coming metal band Sacred Rite. Heavy guitar leads, throbbing bass, and a killer BIG drum sound makes for one of the heavier albums of the year. Recommended!!

From �HEADBANGER� (California)
Hawaii has again spilled forth another class metal act under the moniker of Sacred Rite. Formed in 1981, the band have undergone many hardships but have endured to release a great seven track demo. The band play a heavy brand of gothic progression metal, very appealing and lyrically flourishing. Songs off the demo worth mention are �Wings Of Pegasus�, �White Boy�, �The Blade�, and �Revelation�.

From �ROCK HARD� (New York)
Sacred Rite has released an excellent seven song demo. Each song on the tape demonstrates SR�s unique musical abilities. The band�s style of music is very similar to that of Iron Maiden. In fact, Peter Crane�s bass sounds ever so slightly like Steve Harris, and every once in a while the bass is in the forefront of the songs. Fortunately, all this takes place without the bass dominating the music. Each of the other members of the group gets to display their musical hardware also.
In order to really appreciate Sacred Rite�s music, you have to hear it for yourself. I strongly urge anybody reading this to check this band out.

All Music Guide
It doesn't get much more "indie" within the 50 United States than Hawaii's Sacred Rite, whose members spurned both surf and sun to don leather and bang their heads in the name of metal. Now that's hardcore. Recorded in the most precarious of circumstances, this eponymous debut nevertheless reveals a technically gifted young band just coming to grips with its inspirations to create a sound all its own. It doesn't happen here, since songs like "Wings of Pegasus" and "Angels Never Die" owe pretty much all of their gimmicks to the teachings of Priest, Sabbath, and especially Iron Maiden. Moreover, the group's underdeveloped songwriting simply can't measure up to its musicianship or enthusiasm, and it's only on the surprisingly mature "R.I.P." that Sacred Rite shows any serious potential. Too bad even this highlight sounds derivative, seeming almost like a carbon copy of Queensr�che's "Take Hold of the Flame" � though the fact that it was recorded in the same year does conjure questions as to who inspired who. � Ed Rivadavia.

�THE RITUAL� (1985)

From �AARDSHOK� no 27 (Netherlands?) After the release of their brilliant debut album, I was very curious to their new album. The LP would consist of one studio and one live side. The studio side contains four new songs, all of them are great. Very heavy, up tempo stuff with the necessary breaks and again great vocals of Mark Kaleiwahea. Fans of Maiden/Queensryche/Fates Warning will die for Sacred Rite! Height between the heights on side 1 is �1812 : The Battle�. Both guitarists Mark and Jim are well attuned to each other and put up a brilliant guitar-wall The production of Pierre Grille is tip-top, both on the studio and live side as well. The live side also contains four songs, of which two new ones and two of the first album, namely �Executioner� and �Revelation�. The performance of both songs is absolutely brilliant!. �Witch�s Fury� is one of the new songs; a very fast pounding song, with good vocals and melody are on the first place. �Second Row� starts with nice plucking, it�s just an intro for a very powerfulsong. �Revelation� closes the album in flashing tempo with great solos, pounding drumwork of Kevin Lum and super basswork. To my opinion the best band Hawaii ever had. Sacred Rite is one of my favorite bands with no doubt. 10 out of 10

From �METAL EMPIRE� no 2 (Netherlands)
Sacred Rite�s new album �The Ritual� is a brilliant metal album. The lyrics are good, the songs even better than on the first LP, the cover also better, and even the production is better! The music style is still a mixture of Queensryche (the older material), Maiden, Fates Warning, and Lizzy Borden. The basswork (Pete C.) is in every respect marvelous (like Steve Harris, including super flashing and fast riffs). The guitarwork (sometimes twin solos and part-playing solos) is splendid. Opening song �Teaser� is up-tempo with super flashing bass and guitar work. �Ritual� is mid-tempo and very stirring (with a few rhythm-changes, also this song is splendid). �Headfirst� is up-tempo and can easily touch the best Lizzy Borden/Fates Warning songs! The well-constructed �1812 : The Battle� is a very variety song (some up-tempo passages like Queensryche used to play, fascinating!). The live side is recorded in a concert hall with fanatic audience. 'Executioner' (up tempo, very variety) and �Revelation� (The absolute climax, a fast song with super guitar solos and fantastic drumwork) are both songs from the first album. The two new songs on the live side are �Witch�s Fury� (fast) and �Second Row� (begins like a ballad, but after a few seconds the song turns into a mid-tempo squatter with good vocals of Mark and pounding bass riffs of Pete.) Sacred Rite makes good changes to conquer the metal fans in USA. One piece of advise only : build a raft and beat out of that damned island!
9 out of 10

All Music Guide
Sacred Rite's second LP was pretty much a retread of its first, only shorter on the former's challenging progressive arrangements and fantasy lyrics, and longer on conventional (read: ho-hum) song structures and equally routine lyrical subject matter. Yet, far-fetched though they were, these greater ambitions actually lent some credence to the band's earlier material, which, when stripped to a simpler � some might say more commercial � aesthetic, only revealed the band's everyman qualities to its detriment. And what had seemed accidental with the first album was now being confirmed by its follow-up � namely, that the group was cursed with an inflexible, ultra-stiff delivery. In other words, though they could play up a storm and perform amazing feats of dexterous fingering, the members of Sacred Rite couldn't groove if their lives depended on it. Even the live material contained here often sounds wooden and unnatural, proving that the band would need one more year in which to ripen before showing any real promise. - Ed Rivadavia

�IS NOTHING SACRED?� (1986)

From �THE NOTE� (Kansas City) Music, like movies, runs through fads; and with �Metal� being the fad of the late �80�s, there is a lot of trash in this vein that has to be weeded through to find the truly worthwhile acts. Sacred Rite is one worth looking for. They combine some of the early metal sounds (early Judas Priest) with the newer metal (WASP) and add a touch of what has been called �Scruff Rock� (Agent Orange) to cook up some of the hottest metal around. �I Will Survive� and �Take Me To The Kingdom� will thrill rockers who still remember Priest�s �British Steel� album. �Ni4Ni� combines elements of Priest and Kansas, believe it or not, in the vein of �Magnum Opus�. Their version of The Beatles� �Eleanor Rigby� is worth purchase of the tape alone. Without changing the basic structure of the song, they combine the Metal sound with an Agent Orange guitar line to produce a brilliant new version of the song. Finally, �As It Was Told� takes the listener through a land where fantasy meets reality via a slow, grinding balladthat pits love against hatred...and these guys are from Honolulu, Hawaii! What a country! (Mike Nichols) 4 out of 5

Medusa Records Promotional Trailer
Just when you thought you've heard it all, here comes SACRED RITE. The music is melodic metal, backed by solid musicianship, but what gives this band that special twist is their roots. They're from (of all places) Hawaii! These youngsters have formulated quite a following on their native island, and now with this, their third album, plan to invade the mainland.

All Music Guide
Is Nothing Sacred? achieved what had seemed impossible over two very competent but ultimately unfulfilling LPs: getting the members of Sacred Rite to relax their technical-minded perfection and just groove a little (ferchrissake!). Were these the only guys in Hawaii using the left sides of their brains or something? Yeesh! All joking aside, their songwriting abilities had evolved by leaps and bounds by album number three, and their heightened sense of confidence was on clear display throughout, whether pounding out commercially savvy material like "Cold Hearted Girl" and a curious cover of "Eleanor Rigby" or tackling ambitious pieces of progressive metal like "Take Me to the Kingdom" and the strangely prophetic "The Last Rites." Striking a balance between the two is the excellent "I've Seen the Wizard," which is very much in the Queensr�che mold, but stands out nonetheless as a career highlight. And Sacred Rite's third outing did indeed prove to be the charm, obtaining the group its first taste of recognition and relatively widespread press coverage in the continental U.S., and even leading to interest from major labels � the last of which, sadly, proved to be the band's undoing. Still, even as Sacred Rite fell apart in the wake of these events, Is Nothing Sacred? has stood the test of time as a respectable final chapter for the group. � Ed Rivadavia

WITH �RONNIE MONTROSE�, 1984
The heavy metal was provided by opening act, Sacred Rite, the smooth and professional local Black Sabbath clone, whose figurehead, Mark Kaleiwahea, is no slouch on guitar, himself. Check out their debut album, issued locally, and hear for yourself.

WITH �QUIET RIOT�, 1985
Supporting local act, Sacred Rite, treated the audience to a set with more diversity than we might expect from an essentially heavy metal act. The bone-crushing attacks certainly came raining down. But there were also a few softer moments. We�ll be hearing more from these guys.