Sacrilege is a band from the

Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...

region of England originally formed in 1984 by guitarist Damian Thompson and vocalist Lynda "Tam" Simpson and Tony May. Originally rooted in

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

, their sound later changed to

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

and

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

. Despite having played relatively few gigs during their original existence, Sacrilege is recognized as an important band, both as an influence on later crust punk, thrash metal and doom metal bands and as an example of the blending of

, radical politics, and thrash/death metal that occurred during the mid-1980s, making Sacrilege one of the prototypical crust punk (that term not coined then) bands of the time. In July 2014, Sacrilege announced work on a brand new album, tentatively titled ''Emptiness Intoxication'' after a 25-year hiatus. The line-up includes its founding members Tam and Damian, as well as

Frank Healy Francis "Frank" Healy (born in Handsworth, Birmingham, England) is a former Napalm Death guitarist. Healy also was the bass player for Cerebral Fix. He also played bass in the first live Anaal Nathrakh session for the John Peel show. He was t ...

(bass) and Spike T. Smith (drums); it is the same line-up that recorded ''Turn Back Trilobite'', the band's last official release in 1989.

History

Prior to the formation of Sacrilege, guitarist Damian Thompson and drummer Andrew Baker released a pair of D-beat punk demos under the moniker Warwound.Warwound biography @ MusicMight
/ref> In 1983, the duo joined

The Varukers The Varukers are a British punk rock band formed in 1979 by vocalist Anthony "Rat" Martin. They produced their most influential recordings in the early 1980s. The band play in D-beat, the musical style of Discharge. Also like Discharge, the ...

. Damian left the Varukers after less than a year in 1984 to form Sacrilege with Lynda 'Tam' Simpson (vocals), Liam Pickering (drums), and Tony May (bass). In 1984 and 1985, the band recorded demos and contributed tracks to the compilations ''We Won't Be Your Fucking Poor'' (Mortarhate, 1985)Sacrilege biography @ MusicMight
/ref> and ''Anglican Scrape Attic'' (a pre-

Earache Ear pain, also known as earache or otalgia, is pain in the ear. Primary ear pain is pain that originates from the ear. Secondary ear pain is a type of referred pain, meaning that the source of the pain differs from the location where the pain i ...

release from

Digby Pearson Digby Pearson (born 1962), also known as "Dig", is an English musician, producer and businessman. He is the founder of independent record label Earache Records. Biography Born and raised in Nottingham, he was introduced to extreme music whilst ...

).Earache catalogue @ earache.com
/ref> The band also played several gigs at this time alongside bands such as

Chumbawamba Chumbawamba () were a British rock band formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the 1998 Brit Awards. Other singles include "Amnesia", " Enou ...

Antisect Antisect are a punk rock band based in London, England. Their roots are in hardcore/ anarcho punk and metal. Formed in Daventry in 1982, their debut album, ''In Darkness There Is No Choice'', was released in 1983. 1985's follow-up EP ''Out fr ...

, D.I.R.T, Icons of filth,

Concrete Sox Concrete Sox are a British crust punk band. They are largely seen as an early crossover thrash band who incorporated many thrash metal-like riffs in the style of their earlier recordings. History Formed in 1984 following jam sessions with Gabb ...

, Indecent Assault, etc., supporting causes from the 1984 miners strike to squatters rights. After replacing drummer Liam Pickering with Andrew Baker, Sacrilege recorded their first album, ''Behind the Realms of Madness'' in July 1985 at Rich Bitch studios in Birmingham. The album was an uncompromising mix of Damian Thompson's down tuned riff laden guitar, Lynda 'Tam' Simpson's screaming (almost anguished) vocals, along with powerhouse drumming and bass. It drew from early influences such as Discharge and

Crass Crass were an English art collective and punk rock band formed in Epping, Essex in 1977, who promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a way of life, and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the punk s ...

, and the newly emerging thrash/death metal sound of Metallica, Venom, and Slayer. The lyrical content, though, was far from typical for metal bands; subject matter such as global power corruption, inequality, world poverty, and the (then constant) threat of nuclear war was paramount were woven by Lynda (Tam) Simpson into Tolkien-esque and metaphorical storylines (something then unheard of in underground punk circles, these themes continued through all three of their early albums). This was released in the U.K through the

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

-based label Children of the Revolution (COR) records, a small independent label run by Tim Bennett which specialized in underground crossover punk/metal acts, and by Pusmort Records in the USA (a limited edition run of 50 copies in blue vinyl are now a valuable collectors item).COR Records discography @ discogs.com
/ref> The album was moderately successful at the time, selling a respectable estimated 7000 copies (and bringing the group to the attention of a much larger audience/labels). Since then, this album has become widely regarded as a game-changer within underground punk-metal circles and has gone on through various re-issues/bootlegs to sell many thousands more worldwide, influencing numerous bands (the highly successful

Bolt Thrower Bolt Thrower were an English death metal band from Coventry. They formed in 1986 and released their first album with Vinyl Solution in 1988. The band then shifted to a new record label, Earache Records, soon becoming one of the best selling b ...

cite the band as an enormous influence, whilst

Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in 1981 in Meriden, West Midlands. None of the band's original members has been in the group since 1986. But since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch ...

also recorded their first album at Rich Bitch, so impressed were they with Sacrilege's sound). The album was also released at this time in the USA through Pusmort records run by Brian Schroeder a.k.a.

Pushead Brian Schroeder, better known as Pushead, is an American graphic artist. He is best known for his album covers and other merchandise for bands in the hardcore punk and heavy metal genres. Career Originally from Boise, Idaho, Schoeder formed t ...

. A USA only limited edition blue vinyl pressing is now a rare collectors item. Their second release, ''Within the Prophecy'', which saw the band heading further into thrash metal territory, was recorded in January 1987, again at Rich Bitch Studios with engineer Rob Bruce and producer Mike Ivory. It was released later that year through Under One Flag Records, a subsidiary of

Music for Nations Music For Nations (MFN) is a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. It was a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records, which was a division of BMG and later Sony Music Entertainment. Launched in 1 ...

, and in the USA by

Metal Blade Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distri ...

records. The album was well received although the production was far from perfect, though some of the band's original punk following did not appreciate the group's more metal direction. Frustrated by a general lack of creative talent, Sacrilege underwent a significant line-up change at this juncture, replacing drummer Baker with Paul Brookes, bassist May with Paul Morrisey, and adding

rhythm guitarist In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

. After another change in which they replaced Brookes with new drummer Spike T. Smith, the new line-up recorded the band's third album, ''Turn Back Trilobite'', issued in April 1989. This record saw the band moving away from their punk/thrash metal roots into a more

musical direction with touches of

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

, something virtually unheard of within the contemporaries of the time. New members Frank and Spike rose naturally to the ambitious project. This period of the band saw them gigging alongside the likes of Candlemass,

Girlschool Girlschool are a British rock band that formed in the new wave of British heavy metal scene in 1978. Frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead, they are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active after more than 40 ye ...

, and

Sabbat The Wheel of the Year is an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, observed by many modern pagans, consisting of the year's chief solar events (solstices and equinoxes) and the midpoints between them. While names for each festival vary among dive ...

. This album, although now regarded as a classic of its day, was met with many puzzled expressions from fans and press alike as the band strayed away from thrash into highly experimental pieces which were difficult for people to pigeon hole (mixing doom metal, folk, multi-layered harmony vocals, extended acoustic pieces, and even touches of jazz). This was the band's parting shot at that time.

1989–2014

Shortly after recording ''Turn Back Trilobite'', the band quietly went their separate ways. Damian and Tam grew disillusioned by the restrictions and expectations they felt were heaped upon the band. The pair, who were partners throughout this period, went off to live in a converted bus and have two daughters. No official statement was ever made regarding the ceasing of the band at this point. The band has since stated that they never officially split up, preferring to say that they took a 25-year rest. Whilst Bassist Frank Healy went on to eventually join

Benediction A benediction ( Latin: ''bene'', well + ''dicere'', to speak) is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service. It can also refer to a specific Christian religious service including the exposit ...

(after stints in

Cerebral Fix Cerebral Fix are an English thrash metal band formed in Birmingham in 1986. They became members of the UK thrash metal and death metal scenes through four albums, three of which were on major labels before finally disbanding in 1993. In 2006, ...

and

) with whom he still plays, and drummer Spike T Smith joining forces with artists such as

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

, The Damned,

Steve Ignorant Steve Ignorant (born Steven Williams in 1957) is a singer and artist. Career Steve Ignorant was born in Stoke-on-Trent but grew up in Dagenham, East London. He later lived at Dial House, which since 1967 has been a self-sustaining anarchist- ...

Conflict Conflict may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton * ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne * ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...

English Dogs English Dogs were a British hardcore punk band that began life in the early eighties. Two versions of the band exist, the punk and metal crossover band featuring original drummer Andrew "Pinch" Pinching and second-era members Graham "Gizz" But ...

, and many others. Guitarist Damian Thompson went on immerse himself into purer forms of 'folk' music, becoming an accomplished wooden flute player within traditional Irish music and taking several extended trips to study classical Indian music in India. Sacrilege are today cited by many people as being ahead of their time during the 1980s in terms of their sound. They are now recognized as a major influence on many later bands and for being unafraid to use musical and idealistic experimentation within the confines of a certain musical genre, even to the detriment of greater commercial appeal. The band has thus maintained a strong underground following amongst its fans. Several unofficial and sometimes poor quality bootleg releases of the band's back catalogue and early demos have appeared during their long absence much to the disappointment of founder members Damian Thompson and Lynda 'Tam' Simpson (who between them wrote the entirety of the group's musical and lyrical content). Sacrilege biography @ Allmusic/ref>

2014–present

In July 2014, Sacrilege began writing their first new album (provisionally titled ''Emptiness Intoxication'') in 25 years, partly to commemorate 30 years since the band formed and ''Behind the Realms of Madness'' was originally released. November 2015 saw the first ever fully authorized re-issue of ''Behind the Realms of Madness'' on

Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists. History The label was ...

, featuring unreleased and brand new material from the band.''Behind the Realms of Madness''
at www.discogs.com

Legacy

Groups who cited Sacrilege among their major influences include

and

covered Sacrilege's 'The Closing Irony' on their 1990 album 'Tower of Spite', using it as the final track and making a slight name alteration 'Closing Irony'.

covered the track 'Lifeline' on 2012's 'Respect your roots' compilation.

Line-up

Last known (and current) line-up

* Lynda "Tam" Simpson (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

) * Damian Thompson (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, also of Warwound, Cadaverous Clan,

) * Frank Healey ( bass, also of

) * Spike T. Smith (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, also of

Conflict (band) Conflict is an English anarcho-punk band originally based in Eltham in South London. Formed in 1981, the band's original line up consisted of: Colin Jerwood (vocals), Francisco 'Paco' Carreno (drums), John (bass guitar), Steve (guitars), Pauli ...

. Alternative Attack,

The Damned (band) The Damned are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1976 by lead vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist (and later guitarist) Captain Sensible, and drummer Rat Scabies. They were the first punk band from the United Kingd ...

, Destroy Babylon,

, The More I See)

Former members

* Mitch Dickinson (guitar, also of

Heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

Unseen Terror Unseen Terror was a British extreme metal band formed by Mitch Dickinson (Heresy) and Shane Embury (later of Napalm Death), and played extreme metal with a technical edge along with elements of hardcore punk.Liner notes of Earache Records' ...

,(Warhammer) * Tony May (bass, also of

, Indecent Assault) * Paul Morrisey (bass) * Liam Pickering (drums) * Andrew Baker (drums,

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

, Cerebral Fix) * Paul Brookes (drums, also of Benediction)

Discography

Sacrilege

* Demo I (1984) * Demo II (1985) * ''Behind the Realms of Madness'' LP (COR Records, 1985) * Demo 1/86 (1986) * Demo 8/86 (1986) * ''Within the Prophecy'' LP ( Under One Flag Records, 1987;

(US) * ''Turn Back Trilobite'' LP (Under One Flag Records, 1989; released in the US on

) * ''Behind the Realms of Madness'' 2 x LP (

) 2015

Compilation appearances

* ''We Won't Be Your Fucking Poor'' LP x 2 (track: "Dig Your Own Grave"; Mortarhate Records, 1985) * ''Anglican Scrape Attic'' split 7-inch with

Hirax The Hydrogen Intensity and Real-time Analysis eXperiment (HIRAX) is an interferometric array of 1024 6-meter (20 ft) diameter radio telescopes, operating at 400-800MHz, that will be deployed at the Square Kilometer Array site in the Karoo regi ...

, Execute, Lip Cream and

(track: "Blood Run", pre-

, 1985) * ''Speed Kills'' LP ( Under One Flag) 1987

References

External links

* https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sacrilege-Official/503256849820198 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sacrilege English heavy metal musical groups Crossover thrash groups English doom metal musical groups English thrash metal musical groups Musical quartets British crust and d-beat groups