CD - 1
- Demo 4 (Aug. '86)
01. Search Eternal
02. The Fear Within
03. Winds of Vengeance
04. Spirit Cry
05. Insurrection
- Demo 3 (Jan. '86)
06. Flight of the Nazgul
07. Sight of the Wise
08. The Captive
- Behind the Realms... recording session (Aug. '85)
09. A Violation of Something Sacred (Dub Mix)
- Demo 2 (Feb. '85)
10. Stark Reality
11. Bloodrun
12. A Violation of Something Sacred
13. Out of Sight, Out of Mind
- Demo l ('84)
14. Apartheid
15. Bloodlust
16. Dig your Own Grave
17. Blind Acceptance
CD - 2
- Live Leeds, Adam & Eve 03.05.1986
01. Sight of the Wise
02. The Closing Irony
03. A Violation of Something Sacred
04. Flight of the Nazgul
05. Out of Sight, Out of Mind
06. At Death's Door
07. The Captive
08. Lifeline
09. Bloodrun
- The Rehearsals
(Live at Rich Bitch Studios, Sept. '87)
10. Shadow from Mordor
11. The Captive
12. Winds of Vengeance
13. Spirit Cry
14. Key to Nirvana
15. Out of Sight, Out of Mind
16. Awaken
Comment:
Official Double-CD including the 4 demos from '84 to '86 plus a rare unreleased track on disc one and a full live show from '86 and 7 tracks from an unreleased live-in-studio session from '87. A must-have release by this legendary & unique british Thrash Metal band showing all their non-album stuff from the early Crust/Punk beginnings to their latest Doomy days. 33 songs with a killer booklet featuring an exclusive in-depth exclusive interview with Andy Baker, liner notes, photos, discography, etc. Essential!!
In the stream of re-releases Xtreem Music sent recently, there was this compilation of British SACRILEGE featuring their four demos and some rare and live stuff. Shattered over two CDs and in two and half hours, you get plenty to enjoy. What surprised me is that this is the second compilation which features their demos, after "Time To Face The Reaper" which is released by Absurd Records in the same year. Reason behind it that both labels had plans to release compilations - part from each other and in collaboration with different former members. Since the version of Absurd Records turned to be some kind of Tony May tribute and lack in both quality and length compared to this version of Xtreem Music. Also this version not only includes a bunch of photos, but complete discography, exclusive interview and liner notes, so it's obvious you should go for this one. Although the soundquality obviously differs from each demo, the overall quality in performance and composition is simply stunning! Truely some of the best demos from the UK ever. Usually such demo-compilations start with the oldest stuff to chronologically show a band's development, but on this one is chosen for a reversed order because the later work features the better-sounding recordings and better shows the style that the band was more famous for. Well, every order whatsover would work fine, because each one is great and intense. It also learns that the Crust-influence decreased over time. That SACRILEGE didn't get the status they actually deserved is one of many mysteries of the music-industry. CD one features Demo 4 (Aug. '86), Demo 3 (Jan. '86), "Behind The Realms" recording session (Aug. '85), Demo 2 (Feb. '85) and Demo 1 ('84) with a total of 17 tracks. People who are unfamiliar with SACRILEGE, some structures in songwriting and cool riffing reminded me of something brutal like (old) BOLT THROWER and NAPALM DEATH (no, not in terms of speed, but because of a crusty / hardcorish edge!). It's no secret that BOLT THROWER admit themselves that they're very strongly influenced by SACRILEGE. Mixed with the venomous vocals of Linda Simpson makes this a hell of a Thrash storm. Each track seems to be ready to explode from aggression and power but is held under control in that way that every break builds in tension and intensity. Very effective. After the 2nd demo SACRILEGE released their debut "Behind The Realms Of Madness" in 1985 and later the thrashy "Within The Prophecy" (1987) and the doomy "Turn Back Trilobite" (1989) to called it the quits. Well, personally I prefer the demos because of the vocals. CD 2 features a 9-track liveshow from May 3th 1986 at Adam & Eve in Leeds. Especially Linda's vocals are cooler than ever and show the band as a tight quartet. Second part features The Rehearsals, a 7-track live recording at Rich Bitch Studios in Sept. 1987. As you might know, some members later showed up in bands like BENEDICTION, CEREBAL FIX and NAPALM DEATH. This is the one and only way to learn a lesson in UK classic Thrash Metal which everybody should know! Essential.
Sacrilege, en este caso nos referimos a los ingleses Sacrilege, es un antiguo grupo de thrash, creado a mediados de los 80, en sus orígenes muy influenciados por el crust/ punk macarrilla del lugar y de la época. "Reaping the Demo(n)s" reune sus demos y algunos directos en dos CDs, dándonos así información sobre la formacióny la primera etapa de la banda. El CD 1 contiene las demos del 84 al 86, mientras que en el segundo podemos escuchar directos y grabaciones del local de ensayo. Algunos de los temas de las demos aparecen más adelante en sus álbums. El último disco de estudio lo editaron en el 1989, pero en los últimos años ya ha habido varios recopilatorios; a pesar de esas "señales", al parecer el grupo no ha vuelto a reunirse. "Reaping the Demo(n)s" es un documento sonoro interesante para los fans del grupo y del thrash primordial, presentado con una buena calidad de sonido (la crudeza de las grabaciones sigue ahí, claro, y es mejor así), que nos acerca una banda bastante olvidada del metal británico de los 80.
The UK has a wealth of talent and starting back in 1984 in the Birmingham area, famous for spawning Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and more relevant to this band Cerebral Fix and Napalm Death. Sacrilege went down a doom route on latter albums, but these demos represent raw aggressive thrash mixed with a lot of the UK crust punk scene, what a stunning combination. Whilst bands also represented in this genre stood out in the press (namely the English Dogs, Wardance, Extreme Noise Terror and Cerebral Fix), Sacrilege still represent somewhat of an underground phenomenon. Of course, looking at your history, Sacrilege shared a couple of members (Frank Healy and Spike Smith) with Napalm Death, Cerebral Fix and English Dogs. The vocal talents of Tam, whilst being youthful and full of angst always give these songs on offer that element of energy. It is worth pointing out that these tunes have been re-issued previously, but this 2CD package includes the ‘Beyond the Realms’ recording sessions and a live set from 1986. Dave Rotten’s Xtreem Music has put together a cool collection of classics.
Even though some of these tracks appear here in their demo form, tracks like ‘Flight of the Nazgul’, ‘Bloodlust’ and ‘Dig Your Own Grave’ span their entire recorded career. Opening track from Demo 4 ‘Search Eternal’ thrashes out for over 7 minutes, towards the ending, the guitar solos and tone of the instruments sound as if it could have come off Metallica’s classic ‘Ride the Lightening’, I kid you not. It also strikes you how good the demos are in the quality stakes, although raw and 1980’s, the recorded sounds are vibrant and cohesive. Listen to ‘Sight of the Wise’; if that isn’t classic thrash then I don’t know what is on the intro. The mostly live CD, CD number 2, is raw, very tinny, but a live recording from 1986 is well represented, Tam is belting out those lyrics, especially on ‘At Death’s Door’. Apart from repeating myself over and over again, this release is special, if you love thrash, you will love this, if you like punk/crust, you will like this energy, basically, most metal fans should like this, but remember these are demos recordings so do not expect perfect listening clarity. Sacrilege are a classic UK band, hopefully this release will once again show everyone how good this band actually were and are.
At over 2.5 hours of music, this is a package very worthy of your hard earned cash.
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