# Sacred Reich

Sacred Reich is an American thrash metal band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 1985. Since 2019, the band's lineup has consisted of vocalist-bassist Phil Rind, lead guitarist Wiley Arnett, rhythm guitarist Joey Radziwill, and drummer Dave McClain. Former members include rhythm guitarist Jason Rainey and drummer Greg Hall. Their music often features mid-tempo song structures and musical and lyrical influences from punk rock and hardcore punk, with their lyrics focusing on political and social topics. The band is credited (along with Testament, Destruction, Death Angel, and Dark Angel) with leading the second wave of thrash metal in the late 1980s.
Sacred Reich gathered initial success with the release of their debut album, Ignorance (1987), but remained relatively underground. Upon the release of their first EP, Surf Nicaragua (1988), and second album The American Way (1990), the band gained significant acclaim, with the latter reaching No. 153 on the Billboard 200 chart. Their subsequent albums, Independent (1993) and Heal (1996), failed to attract attention, leading to Sacred Reich's disbanding in 2000. They reunited for a series of live shows in 2006, eventually reforming as a live act. In 2018, they began recording their first album after their reformation, Awakening, which was released in August 2019.

## History
### 1985–1989: Formation, early years, Ignorance, and Surf Nicaragua

Sacred Reich formed at Coronado High School in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1985. The original lineup consisted of rhythm guitarist Jason Rainey, lead guitarist Jeff Martinek, bassist Mike Andre, vocalist Dan Kelly, and drummer Ray Nay. Soon after, Phil Rind replaced Andre as the bassist and Greg Hall replaced Nay on the drums, and Rind became the vocalist after Kelly became ill. After Draining You of Life's release in 1986, Martinek left Sacred Reich to join the military, and the band hired guitarist Wiley Arnett.
With Arnett, they re-recorded the song "Sacred Reich" alongside a new song, "Ignorance". In 1987, recommended by Flotsam and Jetsam bassist Jason Newsted, "Ignorance" appeared on the Metal Blade Records compilation Metal Massacre VIII—which brought them significant attention. Soon after, Metal Blade signed a record deal with the band and released their debut album, Ignorance, in October of that year. Ignorance was influenced by punk rock and hardcore, and featured political and social commentary in their lyrics—using themes of war, racism, and political oppression among others. Ignorance was generally well received, with reviews citing its political themes and lyrics. On the album, Hit Parader proclaimed: "Intelligence and metal are two things not normally associated with each other, but in the case of Sacred Reich, they blend to form a powerful musical message." Kerrang! labeled the album the "best debut thrash LP this year." The band's members received several offers from other bands, including Flotsam and Jetsam offering positions to Rind and Arnett, Dark Angel offering Rind a vocalist slot, and Slayer offering Greg Hall a drummer position during Dave Lombardo's first departure.
In 1988, Sacred Reich released the EP Surf Nicaragua. It is regularly considered their first breakthrough into the world market. Surf Nicaragua showed a change in the band's sound, featuring better production, less hardcore influences, and slower tempos which Alex Henderson of AllMusic described as "more mature". After Surf Nicaragua's release, the band began an extensive world tour, including an appearance at Dynamo Open Air in 1989 which was recorded and released as their first live album, Alive at the Dynamo.

### 1990–2000: The American Way, Independent, Heal, and disbanding

In 1990, Sacred Reich released their second album, The American Way. The album saw Sacred Reich progress further from their debut Ignorance, featuring less use of double bass pedals and shredding and favoring slower tracks for a more diverse tempo and tone. It has been cited as one of the first groove metal albums, being released a few months before Pantera's Cowboys from Hell. As with previous releases, the album focused heavily on sociopolitical topics, but moved towards a more personal direction. Rind stated: "Although there are some political songs/overtones, we've tried to deal more with people than political systems." The album peaked at No. 153 on the Billboard 200 chart on September 1, 1990, staying on the chart for nine weeks. Sacred Reich toured for nearly two years in support of The American Way, including co-headlining with Sepultura and Napalm Death on the New Titans on the Bloc tour in 1991. In 1991, the band released an EP titled A Question. Later that year, Greg Hall parted ways with Sacred Reich and was replaced by former S.A. Slayer member Dave McClain.
Sacred Reich signed with major record label Hollywood Records and released their third album, Independent, in 1993. On the album, they continued experimenting with groove metal. Upon release, the album received little recognition, in part because of the drop in popularity of thrash metal and the gap between album releases. Dave McClain departed Sacred Reich to join Machine Head after receiving several offers from them earlier that year. Their fourth album, Heal (1996), received little to no recognition for similar reasons to their previous album Independent. Later that year, Greg Hall rejoined the band, but drummer Chuck Fitzgerald took over drumming duties for the world tour. The band released a live album, Still Ignorant, in 1997, but remained relatively inactive outside of touring. The band disbanded between 1999 and 2000.

### 2006–present: Reformation, Awakening, and upcoming sixth studio album

In November 2006, Sacred Reich announced they would play several shows in Europe in the summer of 2007 including Wacken Open Air, before reforming as a live act that year. They performed at Wacken Open Air again in 2009, which was recorded and later released as a live album, Live at Wacken, in 2012. In the spring of 2017, they announced their first North American tour in 21 years, titled "30 Years of Ignorance" after the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Ignorance.
In January 2018, Sacred Reich signed to Metal Blade Records and began working on their fifth album, Awakening. On Awakening, as a result of Rind's Buddhist practices and worldview, the lyrical themes became more positive. Later in January, Greg Hall was fired from the band and temporarily replaced by Tim Radziwill for the demos and touring. In September, Machine Head announced that Dave McClain was leaving their band, officially rejoining Sacred Reich in December. In February 2019, Rainey parted ways with the band for health reasons, being replaced by Tim Radziwill's son, Joey. In April, Sacred Reich released the split single "Don't Do it Donnie" alongside Iron Reagan, later co-headlining a monthlong tour with them in May. Awakening was released on August 23, 2019, being the band's first full-length studio album since 1996's Heal and their first studio album in 23 years. Awakening was well received by critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, giving the album a 76 out of 100 rating based on 4 reviews. In support of the album, Sacred Reich toured in Europe alongside Night Demon, and supported Gwar on their Use Your Collusion tour that year. Rainey later died on March 16, 2020, at the age of 53 from a heart attack.
At the beginning of 2024, Sacred Reich announced they were recording their upcoming sixth studio album, which was expected to be released at the end of the year. Rind announced in a post on New Year's Eve of 2024 that the band would soon be entering the studio to record their new album for a late August 2025 release.

## Artistry
### Musical style and lyrics

Sacred Reich is known for their political and social lyrics, which often focus on topics such as war, racism, and ecology. The band's style, generally considered thrash metal, frequently uses mid-tempo song structures and takes influences from other genres such as punk rock and hardcore punk. They have used elements of groove metal on their later releases and have been considered a progenitor of the genre, although the band has said they were "unaware of the assessment."

### Name

According to Wiley Arnett, the name "Sacred Reich" originated from a road trip taken by Dan Kelly and Paul Stottler—a friend of and artist for the band—to Hollywood, where they spotted graffiti tagged by a gang, labeled "SR-13", in the form of "[an] equal sign with the SR, and then a jagged 13 below it." They took the idea of the "SR" and brainstormed what the "SR" could be an acronym of, eventually picking the phrase "Sacred Reich". The band reportedly chose the name because "no one would ever think it was country", with Arnett telling the Phoenix New Times: "Sacred Reich came up, and one of the first comments ... was, 'well, look at this one—I'll tell you what, when someone reads that, they're gonna know it's not a fuckin' country band.' We started embracing it right then."

### Mascot

The band's mascot, named "Our Dude" (or simply "OD"), appears on the cover art of several of Sacred Reich's releases and merchandise. The mascot was created as a sketch by Paul Stottler during class at Coronado High School in either 1986 or 1987, and was later drawn in pen and ink and then colorized for merchandise. In a Facebook post, the band described Our Dude as a "post-apocalyptic mutant warrior", and its "story" being "Road Warrior meets Planet of the Apes meets Kung Fu."

## Influence and legacy

Revolver named Sacred Reich as "one of the most important thrash bands of the eighties and nineties," dubbing their debut album, Ignorance, as "a milestone in the thrash movement", with the album later appearing on their 25 Essential Thrash Albums list. Metal Hammer dubbed the band "among the few socially conscious thrashers in the 80s". The band is commonly attributed to helping lead the second wave of thrash metal during the late 1980s alongside bands such as Testament, Death Angel, Dark Angel, and Forbidden.

## Footnotes

* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Sharpe-Young, Garry (2007). McIver, Joel (ed.). Metal: The Definitive Guide : Heavy, NWOBH, Progressive, Thrash, Death, Black, Gothic, Doom, Nu. Doe, Bernard (consultant). Jawbone Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-906002-01-5. OCLC 123366186. OL 8776949M.
* 1 2 Masley, Ed. "'This is magical': Beloved Phoenix metal band returns with their first album in 23 years". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2024.Additional archives: archive.today, Megalodon.jp, WikiWix.
* 1 2 3 4 Aznar, Thierry (May 15, 2014). Camion Blanc: Hard Rock & Heavy Metal 40 années de purgatoire - Tome 2 (in French). Camion Blanc. Sacred Reich - The American Way. ISBN 978-2-35779-540-2. OCLC 882242500.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Enfield: Guinness Publishing. p. 307. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4. LCCN 2006018335. OCLC 70062973. OL 7392952M.
* 1 2 3 4 Atkinson, Peter (August 12, 1990). "Off The Record". Record-Journal. Meriden, Connecticut: Hearst Communications. p. 34. ISSN 1091-6946. OCLC 1333824778. Archived from the original on January 11, 2025. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
* ↑ Savvidis, John (August 21, 2017). "Spotlight: Sacred Reich – 30 Years Of Ignorance". Metal Paths. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
* ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Ignorance | Sacred Reich". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
* ↑ Masley, Ed (October 30, 2020). "100 essential Arizona records: The 1980s and 1990s". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024. When "Ignorance" was first released, Kerrang! said it "stands as the best debut thrash LP this year," while Hit Parader raved, "Intelligence and metal are two things not normally associated with each other, but in the case of Sacred Reich, they blend to form a powerful musical message."
* 1 2 3 Chaney, Damien; Petite, Antoine; Chaney, Ludovic (December 15, 2011). Camion Blanc: Etat Des Lieux Des Muisuqes Extremes (in French). Camion Blanc. ISBN 978-2-35779-158-9. OCLC 778422377. OL 57645474M.
* 1 2 Henderson, Alex. "Surf Nicaragua - Sacred Reich". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024. Sacred Reich continued to progress with Surf Nicaragua, which boasts better production than Ignorance, as well as stronger and more confident singing from Phil Rind. The band used speed more judiciously this time, and its members continued to grow as musicians. Additional archives: archive.today, Megalodon.jp, WikiWix.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Monger, James Christopher. "Sacred Reich Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2024.Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ Henderson, Alex. "The American Way | Sacred Reich". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2024. As they evolved, Sacred Reich not only became one of the more accessible thrash metal units, but also one of the most lyrically compelling. ... The American Way makes us glad that lead singer/bassist Phil Rind had become fairly easy to understand. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ Rind, Phil (1990). The American Way (Liner notes). Metal Blade Records.
* ↑ "Top Pop Albums" (PDF). Billboard. September 1, 1990. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 15, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2024 – via WorldRadioHistory.com.
* ↑ "Top Pop Albums" (PDF). Billboard. September 22, 1990. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 15, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2024 – via WorldRadioHistory.com.
* ↑ "Sacred Reich The American Way Chart History". Billboard.
* ↑ Pratt, Greg (January 25, 2018). "That Tour Was Awesome: New Titans on the Bloc (1991)". Decibel. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp.
* 1 2 Arnett, Wiley (August 15, 2007). "Interview with Wiley Arnett of Sacred Reich, Part 1" (interview). Interviewed by Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby. Text by D'Andrea, Niki. Phoenix New Times (published September 7, 2007). Archived from the original on January 12, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2025. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* 1 2 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Independent - Sacred Reich". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2024. But almost three years would go by before anything was heard from them again, and by the time they finally returned with 1993's Independent, their momentum was lost and thrash metal in general was pretty much yesterday's news. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ McIver, Joel (October 15, 2012). Machine Head: Inside the Machine. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857127983. OCLC 992804675. OL 57292242M.
* ↑ Anderson, Jason. "Heal - Sacred Reich". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2024. By the time Phoenix thrash band Sacred Reich released Heal in 1996, the excitement that surrounded their particular brand of hard-edged metal had indeed dissipated, as bands like Korn and Deftones began moving mainstream metal in a new direction. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* 1 2 3 4 Pessaro, Fred (June 18, 2019). "Sacred Reich: Thrash Icons on Trump, Buddhism, First Album in 20 Years 'Awakening'". Revolver. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megalodon.jp.
* 1 2 Phillips, William; Cogan, Brian (March 20, 2009). Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal Music. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 204. doi:10.5040/9798400662614. ISBN 9780313348013. LCCN 2008034199. OCLC 475534546. OL 37091855M. (a)... before calling it quits in 1999." (b) "The band reunited for several shows in 2007, but it is unclear if the tour will continue or will lead to any new music.
* ↑ Fons. "Sacred Reich Interview". Lords of Metal. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
* 1 2 "Sacred Reich". Metal Blade Records. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024. They would go on to reform in 2006 but strictly as a live act, dropping the Live At Wacken DVD in 2012 ... Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Live at Wacken - Sacred Reich". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ "Sacred Reich announces "30 Years of Ignorance" USA tour with Byzantine as support". Metal Blade Records. May 1, 2017. Archived from the original on August 12, 2024. Retrieved November 19, 2017. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.Pryor, Terrance. "Sacred Reich celebrate 30 years of 'Ignorance' with Byzantine this fall". Axs.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2017."SACRED REICH To Embark On 30 Years Of Ignorance Tour In 2017". Metal Forces. May 2, 2017. Archived from the original on November 24, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* 1 2 "SACRED REICH Signs With METAL BLADE; First Album in More Than Two Decades Due Next Year". Blabbermouth.net. January 24, 2018. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2018. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix."SACRED REICH To Release 'Awakening' Album In The Summer". Blabbermouth.net. February 11, 2019. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2019. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix."Sacred Reich To Release New Album "Awakening" In August, Debut Video For Title Track". Theprp.com. June 18, 2019. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2019. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.Keenan, Hesher (December 1, 2022). "Sacred Reich to Record a New Album Next Year". MetalSucks. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* 1 2 3 "Album Review: Sacred Reich – Awakening". Kerrang!. August 24, 2019. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ "SACRED REICH Parts Ways With Drummer GREG HALL". Blabbermouth.net. January 16, 2018. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2024. He [Greg Hall] wrote: "So... I want you all to hear this directly from me. I am no longer the drummer for SACRED REICH. I was (rather abruptly and by phone, I might add) fired. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix."SACRED REICH Recruits Drummer TIM RADZIWILL As Temporary Replacement For GREG HALL". Blabbermouth.net. August 31, 2018. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ "SACRED REICH Rejoined By Ex-MACHINE HEAD Drummer DAVE MCCLAIN". Blabbermouth.net. December 18, 2018. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2019. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix."Former Machine Head Drummer Dave McClain Rejoins Sacred Reich". Kerrang!. December 18, 2018. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.Winkie, Luke (December 18, 2018). "Former Machine Head Drummer Dave McClain Rejoins Sacred Reich". Revolver. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp."SACRED REICH Rejoined By Ex-MACHINE HEAD Drummer DAVE MCCLAIN". Blabbermouth.net. December 18, 2018. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2019. Additional archives: archive.today, Megalodon.jp, WikiWix."Longtime Members Phil Demmel & Dave McClain Are Leaving Machine Head After One Final Tour". Ultimate-Guitar.com. September 29, 2018. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018. Additional archives: archive.today, Megalodon.jp.
* ↑ "SACRED REICH Extends 'Cheeky Middle Finger' To Today's Politics In New Song 'Don't Do It Donnie'". Blabbermouth.net. March 27, 2019. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ "IRON REAGAN And SACRED REICH Announce North American Tour Dates With LEEWAY, ENFORCED". Blabbermouth.net. February 5, 2019. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ "Awakening - Sacred Reich | Album". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ Munro, Scott (June 19, 2019). "Sacred Reich Detail New Album Awakening". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ "Awakening by Sacred Reich". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 24, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ "Sacred Reich announces highly anticipated new album, 'Awakening' | Metal Blade Records". Metal Blade Records. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ Krovatin, Chris (July 9, 2019). "Sacred Reich's Phil Rind Is Thrash Metal's Most Positive Buddhist". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on December 8, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ Pasbani, Robert (June 25, 2019). "GWAR Announce "Use Your Collusion" Tour with SACRED REICH, TOXIC HOLOCAUST". Metal Injection. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix."GWAR Announce Massive North American Tour". Kerrang!. June 25, 2019. Archived from the original on June 15, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.DiVita, Joe (June 25, 2019). "GWAR Book Huge Fall Tour With Sacred Reich, Toxic Holocaust, More". Loudwire. Archived from the original on June 20, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today, Megaladon.jp, WikiWix.
* ↑ "Sacred Reich Guitarist Jason Rainey Has Passed Away". Kerrang!. March 17, 2020. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024.Slingerland, Calum (March 16, 2020). "Ex-Sacred Reich Guitarist Jason Rainey Dies of Heart Attack". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2024.{"Ex-Gitarrist Jason Rainey verstorben - RockHard". Rock Hard (in German). Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024.Reardon, Tom (March 24, 2020). "Sacred Reich Founder Jason Rainey Dead at 53". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
* ↑ Michels, Alexandra. "Sacred Reich: Neues Album für Ende 2024 geplant - RockHard". Rock Hard Magazine (in German). Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2024. (a) Wie SACRED REICH-Gitarrist Wiley Arnett im Gespräch mit "The Meista - Brews & Tunes" verrät, wollen die Thrasher Ende 2024 ein neues Album auf den Markt bringen." (b) Unser Ziel ist es, hoffentlich Anfang 2024 ins Studio zu gehen, mit der Veröffentlichung gegen Ende des Jahres. [(a) As SACRED REICH guitarist Wiley Arnett reveals in an interview with "The Meista - Brews & Tunes", the thrashers want to release a new album at the end of 2024." (b) "Wiley comments: [...] Our goal is to hopefully go into the studio in early 2024, with the release towards the end of the year.]"SACRED REICH Has Written Six Or Seven Songs For Next Studio Album; Late 2024 Release Expected". Blabbermouth.net. June 19, 2023. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
* ↑ "SACRED REICH Is Planning To Release New Album In August". Blabbermouth.net. January 2, 2025. Archived from the original on January 11, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
* ↑ Kennelty, Greg (January 11, 2025). "SACRED REICH Is Recording A New Album Due Out In August". Metal Injection. Archived from the original on January 12, 2025. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
* ↑ Masley, Ed. "'This is magical': Beloved Phoenix metal band returns with their first album in 23 years". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
* ↑ Trey, Willie (August 24, 2019). "Review: Sacred Reich - Awakening". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
* ↑ "SACRED REICH's PHIL RIND: 'We're Not Going To Stop Saying What We Believe In Because We're Afraid Of Losing Some Sales'". Blabbermouth.net. August 27, 2019. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
* ↑ O'Neill, Brian (August 20, 2019). "Album Review: Sacred Reich – Awakening". New Noise Magazine. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
* 1 2 Ustunol, Serhan; Thompson, Christina (June 9, 2017). ""SACRED REICH" INTERVIEW". Metalheads Forever Magazine. Archived from the original on January 5, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
* 1 2 3 Arnett, Wiley (August 15, 2007). "Interview with Wiley Arnett of Sacred Reich, Part 2". Interviewed by Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby. Text by D'Andrea, Niki. Phoenix New Times (published September 7, 2007). Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
* 1 2 Halbe, David (October 22, 2019). "SACRED REICH's Joey Radziwill Talks Awakening, New Videos and 'Our Dude'". The Metal Channel. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025. (a) I know your mascot "OD" was created at Coronado High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. Was it important to have "Our Dude" on the new record's cover?" (b) "Of course, you know Paul Stottler one of Phil's best friends designed it, so it's been on a lot of cool album covers like Surf Nicaragua and The American Way. ... And he (Paul Stottler) designed OD when he was still in high school, which is really cool.
* 1 2 3 "Sacred Reich - OD (Our Dude). Created in 1986 while still ..." Facebook. June 26, 2023. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025. OD (Our Dude). Created in 1986 while still at Coronado High School. Originally drawn in black and white by our friend and longtime artist Paul Stottler."Sacred Reich - OD, Our Dude. Paul Stottler drew a sketch ..." Facebook. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025. (a) OD, Our Dude. Paul Stottler drew a sketch of OD in 1987 during one of my classes at Coronado High School. He then drew the pen and ink version ... and it got colorized for our first t-shirts we printed in Phoenix." (b) "We describe OD as a post-apocalyptic mutant warrior. His story is Road Warrior meets Planet of the Apes meets Kung Fu.
* ↑ "25 Essential Thrash Albums". Revolver. August 4, 2022. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
* ↑ Metal Hammer (July 9, 2019). "30 Essential thrash metal bands that aren't the big four". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
* ↑ "Ignorance/Surf Nicaragua - Sacred Reich". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2024. Additional archives: archive.today.