When this CD hit the offices of RockEyez I was intrigued as I was not familiar with the band. So I popped “No Sacred Ground” by SILENT VICTORY into the CD player and after about 30 seconds of a grand intro I was pleasantly surprised with what I heard. The band is a 5-piece British act that has a sound that harkens back to the good ole days of straight-ahead melodic hard rock. It seems the Brits have always had a knack for this type of music with acts like PRAYING MANTIS, STRATUS or even SHOGUN. SILENT VICTORY take it a step further as they also have some American influences with acts like PROPHET or even the lesser-known New Jersey rocker John Taglieri coming to mind.

After the rockin’ lead track “Life Is Hard On Your Dreams”, which features some nice guitar work from Tony Rimmer and Des Walsh, the band kicks into “Adrenaline Rush”. The track reminds me of American indie rocker John Taglieri as heard on his debut “Leap Of Faith”. The song structure and especially the vocals of Rimmer remind me of Taglieri.

The same can be said of “Ain’t No Shame In Crying”; it’s a slightly more rocked-up version of Taglieri but just as catchy as some of those “Leap Of Faith” tunes.

The more aggressive “Bang Bang” is a straight-ahead rocker with great riff-based guitar work and a ripping solo. The song reminds me of something off the “Recycled” record from PROPHET. “Can’t Live Without Love” shows the band have a knack for writing a catchy hook and plugging in some nice guitar solos.

Further tunes like “Fight For Your Love”, with its melodic chorus and harmonious guitars and “Last Man Standing”, with its rougher attitude are good but there are some misses on the record too. The only ballad on offer, the dream-like “Stranded”, has its moments but doesn’t quite do it for me overall. “Stone Dead” is another OK track but doesn’t reach the heights of others on the record and the album closing “Waste Of Time” doesn’t seem to ever catch on either.

Overall, SILENT VICTORY have come up with a solid debut in “No Sacred Ground” and because the band seemed to have come out of nowhere (at least for me) it makes it that much more impressive. Its straight-ahead melodic rock sound, catchy songwriting and solid guitar work put it a notch above the norm. A few songs that don’t quite do it and the indie production not withstanding it still makes this debut worth looking into if you’re a fan of the sound or some of the bands mentioned.