1) A stenchcore / thrash … Read Full Bio ↴There are at least three artists by this name:
1) A stenchcore / thrash metal band from England.
2) An old school melodic death metal band from Sweden.
3) A doom Metal band from Italy.
1) The British Sacrilege was a female-fronted metal band from the Midlands region of England. Despite having played relatively few gigs during their existence, Sacrilege is today recognised as an important band, both as an influence on later and doom metal bands and as an example of the blending of hardcore punk, radical politics, and heavy metal that occurred during the 1980s, making Sacrilege one of the prototypical bands of the time.
Prior to the formation of Sacrilege, guitarist Damian Thompson,drummer Andy Baker released a pair of hardcore punk demos under the moniker Warwound. In 1983, the duo joined the Varukers, Damian left the Varukers in 1984 to form Sacrilege. In 1984 and '85, the band recorded demos and contributed tracks to the compilations "We Won't Be Your Fucking Poor" (Mortarhate, 1985) and "Anglican Scrape Attic" (a pre-Earache release from Digby Pearson)
After replacing drummer Liam Pickering with Andy Baker, Sacrilege recorded their first album, "Behind the Realms of Madness", in 1985, which was released through the Bristol-based label Children of the Revolution Records. The album was moderately successful, selling a respectable 7000 copies. Shortly after this, the band brought in former Warhammer member Mitch Dickinson on second guitar, although he never played live with the band and he soon left to join hardcore punk group Heresy and later Unseen Terror.
Their second release, "within the prophecy", was recorded in January 1987 at Birmingham's Rich Bitch Studios with Rob Bruce and producer Mike Ivory. It was released later that year through Under One Flag Records, a subsidiary of Music for Nations. Sacrilege underwent a significant line-up change at this juncture, replacing drummer Andy Baker with Paul Brookes, bassist Tony May with Paul Morrisey and adding rhythm guitarist Frank Healey. After a further change, this time replacing Paul Brookes with new drummer Spikey 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 thrash metal roots into a more doom metal musical direction, with touches of folk. Sacrilege split up quietly in the early 1990s.
After Sacrilege, Frank Healy and Andy Baker would go on to join Cerebral Fix, with Healy later joining Benediction and Baker also playing in an early incarnation of Cathedral. Paul Brookes would also join Benediction and then metal act Marshall Law in 1999.
Cerebral Fix covered Sacrilege's "The Closing Irony" on their 1990 album "Tower of Spite", suitably using it as the final track and making a slight name alteration, "Closing Irony".
Sacrilege's first two albums were re-released unofficially through Blackend Records in 1996.
Re-formed in 2014 with the same last line-up of Lynda 'Tam' Simpson-Vocals/Damian Thompson-Guitar/ Frank Healy-Bass/Spike T Smith-Drums. Re-Release of Behind the Realms of Madness due Summer (on Relapse Records) 2015 to mark the albums 30th anniversary. Bonus tracks of new and previouslt unheard material will be included. The band are also working on an album of all new material. More information and taster tracks can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sacrilege-Official/503256849820198
2) The Swedish Sacrilege, now known as Sacrilege GBG, is an old school melodic death metal band from Sweden, formed in 1993by Daniel Svensson (vocals, drums) and Daniel Dinsdale (guitar).
After having sacked and replaced some members, the band ended up recording their first demo, “To Where Light Can´t Reach” in early 1995. Shortly after, the band entered Studio Fredman to record their second demo called “…and Autumn Failed”. It was highly appreciated by many, especially by Black Sun, who got interested in the so far unknown band.
As Sacrilege reached the semi-final as the first death metal band ever in the Gothenburg rock competition “Rockslaget”, Black Sun decided to sign the band. In the summer of 1996 they recorded their full-length debut “Lost In The Beauty You Slay” in Studio Fredman. The album was released in October the same year. “Lost in the beauty you slay” gained Sacrilege many fans around the world with their great songs and beautiful melodies mixed with sheer brutality. An extra touch was added by Daniel Svensson's extremely dark and high vocal style.
A year later Sacrilege had grown both as songwriters and musicians and in July 1997 they recorded their second album, “The Fifth Season”, a far more technical, heavy, brutal, faster and better album. Once again Sacrilege received great reviews all over the world. In January, Sacrilege went on a German tour together with The Crown. On this tour, Tomas Lindberg of At The Gates fame did the vocals for the band, as Daniel Svensson had some difficulties with both singing and playing drums at the same time.
Shortly after the tour, Daniel Svensson helped In Flames’ songwriter/guitarist Jesper Strömblad by doing vocals for a song Jesper recorded with his project Dimension Zero. This contact led to Svensson being offered to play the drums for In Flames. Svensson accepted. This, of course, was a great setback for Sacrilege, since they now had to find both a drummer and a singer. After more than year of searching, the band decided to quit, being unable to find valid replacements. So, this was the end of one of the most respected melodic death metal bands in the underground scene. Or was it really?
The band reformed under the name of "Sacrilege GBG" in 2006. They are currently working on new Sacrilege material for an upcoming third studio album which will feature the original line-up with Daniel Svensson, Daniel Dinsdale, Richard Bergholtz and Daniel Kvist.
The band’s statement: “No release date is set yet and there’s no way in hell we’ll stress this third release. But know this, we are working night and day on these new songs. Keep your eyes and ears open.”.
3) In 1987 an obscure Italian Doom Metal band released the demo-tape simply called "Demo". The line-up consisted in vocalist Luca Gorna, guitarist Nicola Murari and drummer Mauro Tollini. The two last aforementioned members had connections to Italian bands, 80s Horror maniacs Black Hole and Epitaph formed in the 90s.
Flight of the Nazgul
Sacrilege Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of joy and pain, of loss and gain, of torment and resent
Hanging on a cliff edge, we are clawing for a hold
The weak are pushed, the strong held back, the quiet cowed by the bold
More rain than sunshine, the warm outdoes the cold
Safety in numbers, but now we're all alone
I'm stretching out my arms now, I'm yearning for your love
Mist is all around us now, dark shadows fly above.
The cold can kill you, your body keeps me warm
We survey the view now, in the cold light of the dawn
Out on the cliff edge. moss clings so easily
But now it's not so easy for the likes of you and me
The chorus of Sacrilege's song "Flight of the Nazgul" reflects on the struggle and fragility of life, questioning the value of existence when it is filled with pain, loss, and hardship. The lyrics depict a dangerous and precarious situation, as the singer hangs on a cliff and struggles to survive while grappling with feelings of loneliness and yearning for love. The verse points to the unfairness of life, where the strong hold back the weak and the bold subject the quiet to fear and intimidation. The song creates an atmosphere of despair and uncertainty, with dark shadows flying above and mist all around.
The second verse evokes a sense of survival and protection, as the singer seeks warmth from a companion and surveys the view in the light of dawn. However, the mood is still somber, as the moss that clings so easily to the cliff now poses a challenge to the singer's survival. The song metaphorically ties the singer's struggle for life to the Flight of the Nazgul, creatures from the Lord of the Rings universe who are wraiths enslaved by the power of the One Ring. The Nazgul embody the themes of fear, darkness, and corruption that run through the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Why is life so precious, when living is but shreds
Despite the fragility of our existence, we still cling to life's inherent worth.
Of joy and pain, of loss and gain, of torment and resent
Life is a balance of both positive and negative experiences, and we must accept both to grow.
Hanging on a cliff edge, we are clawing for a hold
We often find ourselves in precarious situations, struggling to find stability and security.
The weak are pushed, the strong held back, the quiet cowed by the bold
Those in power often suppress and oppress those who are weaker or more vulnerable.
More rain than sunshine, the warm outdoes the cold
Life can often feel overwhelming with more struggles than victories, but love and kindness can triumph over negativity.
Safety in numbers, but now we're all alone
The comfort of being part of a community or group is lost in isolation and loneliness.
I'm stretching out my arms now, I'm yearning for your love
Love is a powerful force that we all crave and seek to fill our emotional needs.
Mist is all around us now, dark shadows fly above.
In the face of uncertainty and danger, we must face our fears and push forward.
The cold can kill you, your body keeps me warm
Love has the ability to protect and sustain us, even in harsh conditions.
We survey the view now, in the cold light of the dawn
With a clear perspective, we can assess the reality of our situation and plan our next steps.
Out on the cliff edge. moss clings so easily
The slightest shift or misstep can have dire consequences, as life can be delicate and dangerous.
But now it's not so easy for the likes of you and me
While we may face challenges and hardships, we must persevere and face them head on.
Contributed by Michael J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.