With a whole plethora of 1980’s Thrash bands resurfacing at such a rapid rate, it is almost impossible to keep track. From Anthrax to Testament, from Exodus to Heathen, all have in one guise or another began peddling their own particular brand of Thrash; all be it with varying degrees of success. So what possible impact could one more band make in this ever expanding market?

For those old enough to remember Sacred Reich will recall their not so subtle blend of what is now ‘old school’ Thrash, and very early Hardcore. A blend of DRI meets Metallica with a healthy slug of Corrosion Of Conformity thrown in for good measure. Distinctly removed from what was then the over populated Bay Area scene, the Scottsdale quartet made a name for themselves from their trademark sound along with their oh so very Hardcore inspired political flavoured lyrics; standing them apart from so many that claimed to be their piers.

“Ignorance”, the bands debut full length album and the equally excellent “Surf Nicaragua ” have been remastered and repackaged and released in celebration of the albums twentieth anniversary. This three disc edition comes crammed to the rafters with extras and is in quite honesty worth a purchase for “Ignorance” and “Surf Nicaragua ” alone. That is however not all that is on offer, as in addition to the superb remastered editions of such classics as “Death Squads”, “Violent Solutions”, “One Nation” and “Draining You Of Life”, are rare live and studio tracks which have not before seen the light of day. The pick of which being the magnificent rendition of Judas Priests “Rapid Fire”, which comes with none other than Rob Halford himself on vocals.

The bonus DVD will serve as a heart warming reminder to many of who can recall the days of the Dynamo Festival, and the awe in which this Festival was held, as the bands 1989 performance is included in its entity. This is in addition to a raft of early interviews, promo clips and promo videos. All of which make you feel like it’s 1989 all over again.

Even for those fans who own the original releases, this beautifully repackaged offering should really be a must have addition to complete any self respecting Thrash collection. We all know the importance of the likes of "Master Of Puppets" and "Killing Is My Business" to the development of Thrash as a whole, but in Sacred Reich the genre found a band not only capable of punishing chug and crunch riffs, but also a group of individuals with the social awareness of the Hardcore underground. The mixture was (and still is) a potent brew that gets better with age. The ultimate accolade I can pay to "Ignorance" & "Surf Nicaragua" is they sound as good now as twenty years ago.