Review Fix Exclusive: Sacred Oath’s Rob Thorne Talks Twelve Bells And More

Review Fix chats with Sacred Oath’s Rob Thorne, founding member of the band and lead vocalist/guitarist since 1985, who discusses the band’s tenth album, Twelve Bells, as well as their creative process and goals for the rest of 2017.

Review Fix: How did the band get together?

Rob Thorne: Sacred Oath formed in 1985 in the kitchen at the famous Sycamore Restaurant in Bethel Connecticut.  Pete Altieri (bass) and Rob Thorne (vocals, guitar) were classmates at Bethel High and had afterschool jobs there as dishwashers. The two decided they’d had enough of washing dishes and came up with the idea of starting a metal band called Sacred Oath.  Within a few months, a cassette demo had been recorded and was spreading like wildfire through the local schools.

Review Fix: What makes you guys unique?

Thorne: Sacred Oath is often referred to as one of the very first American metal bands that combined the elements of thrash, speed, power, and progressive metal into one cohesive sound.

Review Fix: What groups inspire you?

Thorne: In the very beginning we were inspired by Mercyful Fate, Fates Warning, Metallica, and Megadeth, and those bands had a tremendous impact on our sound and style.  A band that we find inspirational today is Mastodon.

Review Fix: You’ve been together for over 30 years! How do you stay fresh and relevant?

Thorne: As the primary songwriter, I’m lucky in that I’m constantly introduced to new music through my private teaching studio.  I have over 40 students I work with on guitar, vocals, piano, drums, and bass, and they are always bringing new music to me that they’re excited about and want to learn.  It really keeps me up to speed with what’s going on in the current metal scene.  It certainly has influenced the way I’ve produced the last several albums, though I believe I’ve stayed true to maintaining a consistent “Sacred Oath” sound.  Of course, there are old school fans who would disagree with me on this.  But the fact is, for me, that each new album is being created in the ‘here and now’ and I’ve no desire to keep writing our first album over and over again.  Relevancy is always part of the equation for me, as a creative artist.

Review Fix: This is your tenth album. How did the other ones affect this one?

Thorne: First off, I always make an effort to have each album sound different sonically.  This is a priority, because I’ve produced the last six studio albums in my studio, and there is the very real danger that the productions can sound too similar (if not identical) on each album.  I mean, not only is the same guy at the board year after year, but it’s the same board in the same room!  And that goes for the band as well.  We’re performing in the same room year after year (since 2005!).  So I really make an effort from the get-go to change things up sonically.  It’s important to me that each album have it’s own character.  And this time around with Twelve Bells I really wanted dry, crisp, clean and present.  Ravensong (2015) was more of a big, distant “arena”  sound for the band, which I thought was perfect for the mood of that album, whereas Twelve Bells hits like your standing right in front of the band.  The last album that even came close to this sound was A Crystal Revision (2005).

Review Fix: What makes this one special?

Thorne: I’d like to say we worked harder on this album than any other, but that would be a lie.  We’ve worked hard on every album. But I’ll tell you, I think we’ve delivered an album that has a broader appeal than many of our previous albums.  Who can say why?  Timing is always a big part of it, and I feel like there is a renaissance in the metal genre right now for bands like Sacred Oath.  But the songs really clicked on this one, and everyone in the band was at the top of their game in the studio.  Just great enthusiasm in the sessions, and you can hear it in the music.

Review Fix: How was Twelve Bells written?

Thorne: Twelve Bells came together like most of our albums, only quicker.  I typically write and demo my ideas for the other guys, and they absorb it for a few weeks.  Then we schedule a few rehearsals and begin to work through the arrangements.  I think the whole thing came together in just a few months.  Originally, I had 9 songs written.  First were “Twelve Bells” and “No Man’s Land”, then “Fighter’s Heart” which I wrote for my 7 year-old son.  Then during the mix stage, Kenny (Evans, drums) had another idea for a tenth song, so I miked up the kit and there we were adding “Eat the Young” at the last possible minute, no rehearsals at all.  “Well of Souls” was actually a song I had written for Ravensong but we opted not to record it for that album.  It was Kenny’s idea to include that song on this album, and I’m glad we did.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Thorne: Right now we’re on the Twelve Bells at Midnight Tour and we plan to continue that through 2018.

Review Fix: What’s next anything else you’d like to add?

Thorne: If you haven’t heard Sacred Oath, give us a listen!  Come see us when we’re in your neck of the woods.  And definitely let us know what you think.  We’d love to know!