SUNRUNNER „Sacred Arts Of Navigation”

FastBall Music & Bob-Media Distribution & Illegal Eagle Productions, 2021

Music: Hard Rock / Progressive Heavy Metal
Website:
https://sunrunnermusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sunrunnermusic/
https://fastball-music.bandcamp.com/album/sacred-arts-of-navigation
Duration: 56:38 (11 tracks)
Country: U.S.A.

SUNRUNNER comes from Portland, United States. They started their adventure in 2008, and “Sacred Arts Of Navigation” is their fifth album.

The cover of the album is once again decorated by a painting of Jan Barlow. The cover-art clearly refers with its theme to the previous album “Ancient Arts Of Survival” from 2018. An interesting combination of a futuristic world with native Indian’s accents. This probably reveals a continuation of a concept. In turn, inside the booklet, next to each of the texts, there are graphics by Frank Navarro, which are marked with a certain symbolism.

Honestly, not knowing the band’s work, I expected something more musically characterized by native Indian’s folklore. However, the cover influenced me too much, or rather to my imagination.

Musically, the album revolves between three genres that it unites with each other. Namely, an important feature is the hard-rock sound and some guitar patents (maybe a bit DEEP PURPLE, maybe LED ZEPPELIN), which in many places, with their heaviness and dynamics, turn into heavy metal playing (a bit of aggression in the style of JUDAS PRIEST, or galloping melodiousness of IRON MAIDEN – especially specific themes of bass guitar or guitar riffs or catchy melodies in the style of HELLOWEEN). In turn, some riffs of distorted guitars bring to mind similarities to BLACK SABBATH (with Ozzy Osoburne), even in doom-metal moods. And this hard rock-heavy-metal themes are joined by the clear influences of Progressive Rock from the 1960s and 1970s (with blues-jazz inspirations) and its approach to combining rhythms, bass guitar parts, solo guitar parts or diversifying the compositions with a variety of themes.

Vocally, it is quite diverse, in the sense of hard’n’heavy… Somewhat dark, predatory melorecitation, screaming singing and falsetto hoarse singing dominate here, which also brings SUNRUNNER even closer towards Progressive Rock / Metal. They also reminded me a bit of SAVATAGE with this hoarse falsetto.

So here we have both fast, quite heavy and very dynamic playing, with quite heavy slowdowns interspersed with various, usually melodic solos and calm parts of clean guitars. A variety for the typical rock instruments was the incidental use of dobro guitar and bouzouki or bongos, which combined with specific percussion rhythms and chords of clean guitars, brought an element of “folk”.

“Sacred Arts Of Navigation” also means moments of mood, a bit melancholy atmosphere, and even short ballad-like soothing and emotional delights.

However, I miss here a greater dose of this musical epicness, moody spaciousness and atmospheric space that I expect from progressive-rock-metal compositions. Especially since this cover really put me in a mood, even before listening to this album.

Tracklist:
01. The Launch
02. Promise Of Gold
03. Faraway Worlds
04. Invisible Demon Of Technology
05. Where Is My Home
06. Acadia Morning Ride
07. Obstacle Illusion
08. Dragonship
09. Last Night In Tulum
10. No Mess, No Magic
11. Navigating The Apocalypse

Line-up:
David Joy – Bass & Backing Vocals
Ted MacInnes – Drums, Percussions & Backing Vocals
Joe Martignetti – Guitars, Bouzouki & BackingVocals
Bruno Neves – Vocals

Guest musicians:
Marcus Jidell – Slide Guitar & Backing Vocals
Frank Navarro – Bass

Rate: 8.0/10