review by: Roberto Martinelli

Before Warrell Dane was in Nevermore, he was the singer for Sanctuary. From the silly cover art and dodgy semi-glam band photo, this album looks like a stinker. It's really a gem of dark heavy metal.

The album's most important quality is the vocal performance of Dane. It's strange to hear him now in comparison on Nevermore's Dead Heart in a Dead World. On Refuge Denied, Dane uses his full range, hitting godly high notes in abundance. Contrasting the depth of his performance (even the high notes on Refuge Denied have shades to them) in Sanctuary with Nevermore, I can't help thinking "what happened?" Why would Dane stop doing that?

Certainly, anyone who enjoys high, power metal style singing will really get into Dane's voice on Refuge Denied. Of course, the vocal performance might have been wasted if not for the strength of the material. The songs aren't fast, galloping affairs, and possess a dark vibe that isn't in your face like doom or black metal has.

As should be the case from any From the Vault pick, every song on the album is killer, as each has a special flavor to offer. The album's opener, "Battle Angels," is one hell of a song, and has one of the coolest choruses in metal. You'll be listening to it a lot. The only real minus about the album is the slightly muffled production, courtesy of Dave Mustaine. However, after you get used to it, even the production adds to Refuge Denied's unique ambiance. Don't pay attention to the packaging, trust me, and get this. Crawl on your knees, the slaughter is on!!!!