skyacre - sacred ground

SkyAcre

Sacred Ground
MicroMega Records; 2014

3.7 out of 5

By Samantha Kane

A collected yet overwhelming mix of emotions is what I feel after listening to Austin-based band SkyAcre’s first full length album Sacred Ground. If ever you’re looking for contrast between high energy scream-singing and amphitheatre-filling indie guitar solos, SkyAcre’s mash up of the two should be your go-to.

Sacred Ground starts off strong with “Jeff Davis County Highway”, which is available for free download on their website, and sets the listener up with a great attitude from the  jump-worthy drums supplied by Daniel Jones and head thrashing guitar riffs via Marcos Delgado. And you can’t pass up that introductory bass line from Daniel Dietrick.

Normally “scream-o” doesn’t do it for me. I find it irrelevant and pointless, but here, mixed with the talented combination of Nirvana worthy bass lines and classic hard rock guitars, I’m actually sold. The second track, “Steps On Sacred Ground” slows it down a little with moaning lyrics from Delgado and a moody melody. But of course, the scream-singing isn’t amiss here; it’s sort of their staple as “scream-o indie rockers”.

My personal favorites are “Puppet Emperors” and “Stars Are Crashing”, the last two on the album. “Puppet Emperors” is slow and chill and a good contrast to the first two tracks. The bass definitely tickles my fancy as it grooves along with room-filling guitars. “Puppet Emperors” is a simple track and a nice little break from the first three songs on “Sacred Ground”.

Every album throughout time as it seems, has their upbeat tracks and their slower ones. SkyAcre took a slightly different route and made their slower tracks almost as equally upbeat as their others. It’s refreshing and it completely works.

There are only five tracks on “Sacred Ground” but they make a huge impact. With only half as many songs as the average album, you might want to feel as though you need more. But here, you are contently full. You’re not painfully overwhelmed but you’re not still hungry for more. Like Goldilocks, you’re just right.

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