The Year the Sun Died
| The Year the Sun Died | ||||
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| Studio album by Sanctuary | ||||
| Released | October 6, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2014 | |||
| Studio | Soundhouse Studios, Seattle Metalcamp Studios, North Bend |
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| Genre | Power metal, thrash metal | |||
| Length | 49:46 | |||
| Label | Century Media Records | |||
| Producer | Chris "Zeuss" Harris | |||
| Sanctuary chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Blabbermouth.net | 7/10 |
| Metal Hammer | Favourable |
| Rock Hard | 8.5/10 |
| Sputnikmusic |    |
The Year the Sun Died is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Sanctuary, released on October 6, 2014 in Europe, and eight days later in North America. It is Sanctuary's first studio album in 24 years, since 1990's Into the Mirror Black, and their only release with former Forced Entry guitarist Brad Hull, making it the band's first studio album without guitarist Sean Blosl, as well as their final release with bassist Jim Sheppard. The Year the Sun Died is also the first Sanctuary album released on Century Media Records, making it their first album not to be released on Epic Records.
In 2010, four of the founding Sanctuary members — Warrel Dane, Jim Sheppard, Lenny Rutledge and Dave Budbill — came together for a few select reunion performances. At first, they just planned on playing a few shows together, but the chemistry on stage between the members and the response from fans was so overwhelming that they decided to record a new album.
Commenting about how Sanctuary's reformation came about, Dane told Rock My Monkey TV, "Lenny Rutledge and I always talked to each other, but never really been friends again. And when the whole thing came about, that we were actually friends again, that's when we started talking more about doing it. And it definitely wasn't because Nevermore was imploding... which it was, at that point . . . We all just started talking with each other again. That was kind of the groundwork for it. And then we started saying, 'Well, gosh, let's make music again.' And my god! Lenny is writing some stuff that is so friggin great! But he's really writing some great stuff that's really inspiring me, and making me fall in love with music again, with the creative process...everything that revolves around that. Really inspiring me to write really evil lyrics."
The band entered the studio on February 2, 2014 to begin recording. Warrel Dane commented on the album, saying: "This record is not going to sound like the other two. It might sound very similar to the second one ('Into The Mirror Black'). It's definitely not going to sound like the first one, because we're all a little bit older and I can't come up with a c-clamp for a scrotum and a helium tank...It's not going to sound like the old ones. It's still gonna be that good, I think, and there's gonna be high-pitched screaming. I'm making sure of that. With Nevermore, high-pitched screaming was never really called for. You know, with Sanctuary... of course it is."
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Wikipedia