Sabbath Assembly - Restored to One

Release Date: June 22, 2010
Label: Ajna Offensive

TRACK LISTING

1.  Glory to the Gods in the Highest
2.  Hymn of Consecration
3.  And the Phoenix is Reborn
4.  The Saints Shall Inherit the Earth
5.  The Power That is Love
6.  Glory Hallelujah
7.  Judge of Mankind
8.  We give Our Lives
9.  In the Time of Abaddon

Total playing time:  40:25

May 25, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Sabbath Assembly is from Los Angeles and issues its first effort Restored to One, a sonically beautiful undertaking that sheds musical light on the cult known as The Process Church of the Final Judgment. The “organization” was famed for its Gnostic leanings and its somewhat disarming presence (complete with wearing black robes in public). They were considered Satanists, even linked to the Manson Family murders of the late ‘60s. While shrouded in mystery, the organization continued to thrive with chapters all over the United States and Europe. The verses and hymns of the group are both interesting and provocative, to say the least. 

So you know it would make on hell of an album.

If you mentally rewind to the ‘60s and picture the flower children of that era singing in the streets and parks, flashing peace signs and dancing limply, wildly around each other with reckless freedom you’ll get the perfect feel of this album. Its conceptual nature is what also makes its serene beauty. The music is hardly as dark or unambiguous as Coven, but more in tune with a sort of subdued Fairport Convention, though again not as obvious. It certainly captures the period perfectly, complete with obligatory Moog-sounding organ/keyboard for the ‘60s feel. 

Vocalist Jex Thoth captures the subtle delivery of the era’s typical female vocalist with indelible ease, haunting both your psyche and your room with a brilliance not easily administered these days. Even when she’s crooning about Satan in “Judge of Mankind” one can’t help but be soothed by her sonic presence. Her voice is believable and strong, certainly capable of inclusion with the likes of Jinx Dawson and F. the Mouth of Satan from The Devil’s Blood.

Musically the album moves along like a religious experience; the piece as a whole is both testament and warning about the lack of love and light in your life. Whatever the vision one might carry going into the album, you’ll certainly be somewhat changed with its culmination. It’s an uplifting experience just for the musical experience alone as its lyrical content is interesting if not at all educational or reaffirming. The sincerity of the recording is not lost on even the most casual listener; it houses both an uplifting and slightly oppressive quality that can’t help but reflect the time period.

Again, rarely can I say there is no one stand-out track as this should be consumed as a whole part; it certainly leaves a stronger, complete feeling afterward. Both haunting and delicate, Restored to One marks its charter with nothing trite or dull. It’s certainly worth a listen simply due to its fine musicianship and sincerity too oft lost in tangled chords or occasional filler tracks.        

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