To me Sacred Warrior is one of the best Christian metal bands ever! Hailing out of Chicago, IL - USA in 1986. They have been compared to Iron Maiden and Queensrÿche, but I think the band that comes closest to their sound are Haven and Lethal.

REHEARSAL TAPE (1987) DEMO (CDR)

I've had this demo laying around on CDR for ages. I just never took the time to listen to it. What you get here are pre-'Rebellion' recorded songs. And not all of them ended up on any of Sacred Warrior's finished albums. In fact, only "Heaven's Are Calling" and "Master Of Lies" were used on later occasions. The spoken intro is kind of cheesy, but fun too. "Nailed Down" is a good song, that definitely should have been properly recorded. It is a bit more progressive in nature that the songs that ended up on 'Rebellion'. The instrumental track is a short acoustic guitar thing. Nothing spectacular about that one. "Spiritual Warfare" is another choice cut, and this one is stellar! A heavy metal attack of sort. The sound on these recordings are what you can expect from a demo done by an unsigned Christian metal band back in the mid-80's. In other words, not that great. Still it is cool to have the songs to listen to every now and then.

I've later learned that according to Steve Watkins this is not a demo at all. But rather something the band recording at a rehearsal. But what baffles me about that is the intro, and the instrumental track. This doesn't sound like an old boombox recording at all.

Since this is only a CDR, there was no real artwork for this demo. So I've just added an old promo photo of the band to go with this entry.

REBELLION (1988) INTENSE/STAR SONG/MEDUSA

The first Sacred Warrior album is far better than it's reputation. All the songs are great metal tunes, and "He Died" is one of my all time favorite ballads. The lyrics to this song moves me so, it used to bring me to tears! Rey's voice is amazing, and the whole band sound like they are really enjoying to play this music. The title "Black Metal" is a bit misleading though. It has nothing to do with the genre with the same name. Just a killer metal album!

Killer tracks: Black Metal, He Died, Rebellion, Famine, Sword Of Victory

MASTER'S COMMAND (1989) INTENSE

This was he first Sacred Warrior album I bought. At first I owned the vinyl-version, but replaced it with a CD many years later. I had read that they sounded like a mix between Iron Maiden and Queensrÿche, so I was eager to hear them. I didn't agree with it at first, but now I can hear some similarities, mainly with Queensrÿche. And although I liked the album back then, I have listened to it so much, I grew tired of it. Rey's voice is also a bit strained at times, as he sings way to high most of the time. 'Master's Command' is still a good metal-platter, but I tend to listen to their other albums way more. Roger Martinez and Larry Farkas from Vengeance Rising guests on "The Flood".

Killer tracks: Master's Command, Beyond The Mountain, Unfailing Love, The Flood

WICKED GENERATION (1990) INTENSE

I'd never even seen this album before I found a used CD in a music-store. I snagged it right away, and was very happy with finding another Sacred Warrior record. And it turned out to be their best album so far! Not one dull moment on the entire disc. Just excellent melodic metal, with hints of progressive elements. This is sort of a concept album also, but not in the regular sense that there is a story involved. It's more like a red thread throughout the album, with different people telling their stories. From the molested child in "Little Secrets" to the backslidden Christian in "In The Night" they are all moving stories, sung with conviction by Rey Parra. This album suits his voice perfectly.

Killer tracks: All of them, but check out Little Secrets, Standing Free, Miss Linda and In The Night

OBSESSIONS (1991) INTENSE/FRONTLINE

Well, what can I say? Another excellent Sacred Warrior disc! I'm so glad I finally secured a copy of this album, and I want to thank Arttie so much for getting me it. I know so many people who hold this as their favorite album by this band, and I can agree that it is just as good as the others. But I still cannot pick any of the albums as favorites. Besides the mediocre song called 'Kamikazi', all the songs hold high quality. I really love the songs that have this kind of worship sound to them. This is the last album they recorded before they broke up.

Killer tracks: Wings Of A Dream, Sweet Memories, Remember Me

CLASSICS (1993) INTENSE/FRONTLINE

I bought this best of album owning only 2 other discs by the band. Back then it was good to have a few of the songs I was missing on CD. Nowadays I rarely blow the dust from it. It's a good compilation, but I prefer to listen to the regular albums instead. Cool cover art though.

LIVE AT CORNERSTONE 2001 (2001) M8

After almost 10 years in retirement, Sacred Warrior reunites for the 2001 Cornerstone 80's metal retro night. Their performance is documented on this live-album. And although I don't own all the other albums in the Cornerstone 2001-series, I dare to say this has to be the best one (maybe together with the Deliverance one). Rey's voice is outstanding, and it doesn't sound like the band has been apart for 1 day! One can always complain about the song-selection, but that would be petty in my opinion. There are tracks from all their albums, and even 2 new tracks. Sacred Warrior also brings in the element of worship to their sets, and their version of "Holy, Holy, Holy" is truly one the most anointed performances I've ever heard! It's way better than the studio-version. I'm very glad to have gotten this disc, as I love this band, and I miss them. They were supposed to reunite and record new material around the time of this albums release. But, unfortunately, Rey Parra decided not to pursue this career, and now I don't know what is happening with the band.

DEMO 2001 (2001) BOTTOMLINE (Demo) DEMO 2001 (2001, 2006) INDEPENDENT (Demo, remastered)

I thought I'd never come across this demo. I've never even heard about anyone owning a copy of it. Suddenly a copy for sale appears on a message board, and I grab it! And boy, am I pleased with my purchase! This little 5 track demo is awesome. OK, so you've already heard 3 of the songs if you own the 'Live At Cornerstone 2001' CD. But it's still cool to have them recorded in a studio. "Prince Of Peace" is 10 times better here. The thing that really gives me goose bumps though are the 2 additional tracks. "Come Save The Day" and "Draw Me Closer" are some of the finest moments in the Sacred Warrior history! They are so darn good I almost start to cry thinking about the fact that this reunion never got any further than this demo, and the live CD. The only downer here is the fact that this demo is so darn hard to find, and that it comes without any cover or artwork. The CD itself has a logo printed on it, and the song list.

In 2005 I was approached by Steve Watkins about this demo, and then later in 2006 about the 1987 demo. He wondered if I could send him copies of them, so he could get them remastered. I guess mostly to have them himself. I was happy to help out, and in return he sent me the finished remastered demo, with new artwork printed on the CD itself. Thanks Steve!!

Sacred Warrior also appear on:  

V/A - 'Metal Mission - The Sampler'

V/A - 'An Intense History Of Christian Metal'

V/A - 'Hot Metal Summer III'

Rey Parra guest appearances:

Scott Wenzel - 'Heart Like Thunder'

Whitecross - 'In The Kingdom'

Steve Watkins guest appearances:

Whitecross - 'In The Kingdom'

Whitecross - 'High Gear'

Tony Velasquez guest appearances:

Whitecross - 'High Gear'

Related artists:

Vengeance Rising