Sacrilege
Within the Prophecy

Sacrilege are among the thrash metal meteor bands of the '80s, decayed comets Made in England that appeared fleetingly in the ultra-heavy universe of 1985, leaving a trail of mixed reviews with two or three full-lengths, only to dissolve upon contact with the atmosphere of the '90s.

The band materialized in 1984 in Birmingham, England, with blonde Lynda "Tam" Simpson, representing the atypical group banner. The musical axe and server Damian Thompson composes the entire musical puzzle, aided by bassist Tony May and drummer Andrew Baker, all three former members of the punk band Varukers. After two demo tapes, the mini-LP "Behind The Realm Of Madness" was released in 1985, which, compared to Sabbat's superb demo "Fragments Of A Faith Forgotten", proved to be inferior in resonance within the metal scene of the land of Albion. However, a closer listen reveals the group's ability to create a personal sound, dark and fast-paced, residing in compositions lacking in tempo changes but rich in metal darkness. Sparse and dark riffs that would influence the deathsters Bolt Thrower, as stated in an interview by Gavin Ward.

The sonic blend is sweetened by Lynda Simpson's voice, which on this platter sings brazenly, almost like a sassy and carefree girl scolding her clumsy boyfriend for a poor performance. Her lyrics, however, are far from crude or bloodthirsty, as "Lifeline" speaks of the human soul:

"The knife slides through innocent minds/Cutting the road of reason/Replacing lives with goods and greed/Like blind children we frantically search/Our hands grasp the air for peace and light/But we are offering only anger and darkness...."

"At Deaths Door" describes an endless scourge:

"The new day is rising and the dead are already counted/The hard swollen bellies of malnourished children/Their land is dry and barren and they pray for rain/The slaughter continues again, once more/Year after year death rings the bell/Blind children have a sad story to tell in their eyes/Their limbs are bent and twisted, in their tender minds no spark/They cry in vain because no light breaks the dark..."

The band manages to release the album "Within The Prophecy" (which in the reissue includes the previously mentioned mini-LP), while the Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth tanks race on the battlefield, and even the fellow countrymen Sabbat, relegating this full-length to the rank of a falconet on a pirate-laden ship.

The album is pervaded by a fairly confused doom-thrash sound, like a radio station with an unstable frequency, undoubtedly heavy and spirited, consistent with the meager budget allocated by the label, but without turning this flaw into a virtue, as happens with low-budget productions heralded as extreme, delirious rams breaking some frontier, some sinister fantasy. These traits are flaunted chaotically: to the human ear, it sounds like the noise emitted by an old diesel boiler when opening the combustion control door. These minute prerogatives are detectable in the opener "Sight Of The Wise", permeated by a clear drum sound, which is then drowned out by a chaotic slayerian guitar, played with a brush, with a steel pick, with a nail file. It feels like disappearing into a blizzard. And, as if that weren’t enough, the bass goes in search of fortune in the snowstorm. By grace, amidst this pandemonium, Lynda Simpson's shocking pink voice emerges to season the sonic magma, thanks to non-trivial lyrics about the human being (in the first demo tape "Apartheid" stood out). Here comes "Winds Of Vengeance" that oxygenates the platter with a precious central acoustic break, a showcase for Damian Thompson, in contrast to the rhythm section which is completely in the shadows. Also decent is "The Captive" which again blends energetic riffs and doom agony, with an effective solo. The singing style of the attractive Linda does not change: no high notes, screams or vocal piglarities, but only clean, regular singing, more technical and composed compared to the debut, which may even tire as the surprise is awaited, the luciferian wing stroke that comes only in the closing track "Search Eternal", over 10 minutes long:

"Brighter than gold, hotter than the sun/ Lost in the muddy depths, like the vanished spirit warriors/The eagle flies with such sharp sight, hoping to see the jewel that is lost and cannot be found, seeks for eternity/The old wise guru awaits long with solemnity/The preachers' prayers fall void, myth or reality?/A screaming child, with no hope of soothing it, all efforts are futile, seeks for eternity..."

However, the piece is not to be discarded and will probably become excellent when the band reunites in the new millennium. The piece will be left to mature, and everyone will forget its actual value, but will remember the golden era of thrash metal; after all, this album had the misfortune of being released in 1987, had it been published in 1983 it would now be called a seminal masterpiece. Throughout the record, the tracks follow each other without significant strokes of genius, scattered with good, sometimes mediocre solos, but well iintegrated within the context of the songs; ultimately an album that can be listened to without the songwriting showing significant peaks. The alternation of slow and fast parts within the tracks is not satisfying, nor is the performance of drummer Andrew Baker, which appears flat and with few bursts, tired like his expression in the photo on the back cover (the first on the right).

Without a doubt, Sacrilege deserves respect because "Within The Prophecy" possesses an undeniable historical value, along with" The Force" by Onslaught, as a fine example of British thrash of the time (even though "Dreamweaver" by Sabbat is from another planet). But this is not enough to capture the ears and hearts of fans. The peculiarity of a female voice in the thrash field was the novelty of the period, consider Sabina Classen of Holy Moses, or, with different distinctions, Leather Leone of Chastain. And again Dawn Crosby, sui generis voice first with Detente and then with the innovative Fear Of God. However, the sound of "Within The Prophecy" seems dated. The attempt to fuse doom with thrash metal doesn’t go beyond a passable grade, undoubtedly due to the alternative compositional level, but also due to the lack of engaging ideas to break the funeral procession or rejuvenate the speed. The band will disappear from the scene after the release of the doom cornerstone album "Turn Back To Trilobite" in 1989, leaving no traces.