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Some Toxik, some King Diamond, Watchtower, Helstar, Agent Steel and lots of space things. This whole fucking salad of influences would be enough for me to take an interest on the awesome Greek Speed freaks of Sacral Rage, but there is a lot more here than what the eyes can see. Beyond Celestial Echoes, sophomore album by the Athens quartet, tries to top their marvelous debut launched in 2015 by being more virtuous and chaotic while trying to maintain musical quality.

However, this is not better than Illusions in Infinite Void, but there are moments when the band definitely reaches out to the awesomeness of their debut, especially in terms of atmosphere and riffs. Juggernauts like "Vaguely Decoded" and "The Glass" combine small elements of nearly every band I mentioned above, being it the speed and craziness of Toxik, the intricate instrumental of Helstar and Watchtower or the vocal elements seen in King Diamond albums. In fact, Dimitris K's voice could often be compared to that of the King, or in a few selected bits to John Cyriis.

There's no need for me to say that these dudes can play, but the way they play, how they play it and the speed at which they do it is something to praise. Despite the constant showcasing of prowess and the choice of speed in most of the record, there is plenty of space for displays of feeling and simpler songwriting; these two antagonistic approaches make for a killer album that puts Sacral Rage in a very special place. Beyond Celestial Echoes is a solid, way above average record and one of the better efforts of the year for the genre.