Year : 2025 (High Roller Records Slipcase Edition)
Style : Thrash Metal
Country : Canada
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 97 mb
Bio:
Sacrifice is a Canadian thrash metal band from Toronto, Ontario. The band was formed by guitarists Rob Urbinati and Joe Rico in 1983. Sacrifice played a prominent role in the 1980s underground metal scene in Toronto, and grew to release four studio albums before parting ways in 1993. After coming back together to play a reunion concert in 2006, they released their fifth studio album The Ones I Condemn on Brazilian label Marquee Records in 2009. Although the band faced numerous lineup changes, especially in their early days, founding guitarists Urbinati, Rico and bassist Scott Watts recorded every studio album and demo and drummer Gus Pynn on everything but the Apocalypse Inside demo and CD.Friends and guitarists Rob Urbinati and Joe Rico decided to form a metal band in 1983, playing covers of some of their favourite songs. They recruited Rico's friend Scott Watts to play bass, and Andrew Banks on drums, who was replaced by Craig Boyle. Singer John Baldy, a friend of Boyle's, also joined the band.Together they recorded a pair of rehearsal tapes — featuring their first original song "Turn in Your Grave", along with a variety of covers of songs by bands such as Black Sabbath, Metallica, and Judas Priest.By early 1985, the majority of the band had decided to move towards a heavier and faster direction with Urbinati on vocals, ousting Baldy and Boyle, and were therefore in need of a new drummer. Ernst Flach filled the position for only a few live shows before leaving, as his drumming style did not fit the fast pace the band wanted to play. It was not until Gus Pynn had contacted the band for an audition that they finally found a permanent drummer.Now that they had a complete lineup, local record store employee Brian Taylor approached Sacrifice and local friends Slaughter to finance the recording of demos for these two bands in exchange for the profits made by selling the tapes at his shop.Both bands agreed, and Sacrifice released The Exorcism demo featuring new original songs.Later that year, Sacrifice opened a show in Toronto for Exodus, who were on their first North American tour. Sacrifice credits the growth of their band and the Toronto underground metal scene in general to their appearance at this show. As a result, the band signed a contract with Diabolic Force.In the fall of 1985, the band entered the Future Sound studio, to record the debut album Torment in Fire. The album was released in the same year in Canada on Diabolic Force, and in 1986 on Metal Blade Records in the United States and on Roadrunner Records in Europe. Until the album was released, the band worked on new material and finished it at the end of 1985.In July 1986, the band recorded another demo in the Open Sound Studio. This was followed by an appearance in Kitchener, Ontario, with Megadeth as the opening act for King Diamond.In September they played in Quebec City and the No Speed Limit Festival at the Spectrum in Montreal together with Possessed, Voivod, D.R.I. and Agnostic Front.In November 1986 Sacrifice opened up for Slayer on their Reign in Blood tour at the Concert Hall in Toronto.In January 1987, the first appearances outside Canada followed with concerts in Detroit and Chicago. There followed further appearances in Canada until April 1987. The Band then entered Grant Avenue Studio in Hamilton, to record the album Forward to Termination. It was released again on Diabolic Force, Metal Blade and Roadrunner Records for the US and Europe.A music video for the song "Re-Animation" was also filmed.These were followed by the Milwaukee Metal Festival in July 1987 along with bands such as Death Angel, Trouble and King Diamond. In November 1987, they played with Nuclear Assault.Appearances in Ottawa, Quebec City and Montreal followed in December.In December 1988 the band went into the Studio to record a new demo; Bassist Scott Watts played the electric guitar on a couple of out-take songs. A few days later Sacrifice performed as opening act along with the Goo Goo Dolls for Motörhead in Buffalo and Rochester. In 1989 the band recorded another demo. A few months later the band entered Phase One Studios in Toronto to record another album. It was produced by Joe Primeau and Brian Taylor. Again released on Diabolic Force, the album was titled Soldiers of Misfortune.The album was released in March 5, 1991.They also released a video for the song "S.O.M.". Towards the end of the year a tour followed with Razor.Drummer Gus Pynn left the band and was replaced by Mike Rosenthal, formerly of Dark Legion.In 1991 the band toured the U.S with British band Bolt Thrower and American thrash band Believer.In 1993 Sacrifice went back to Phase One Studios to record the album Apocalypse Inside which was released on Metal Blade records. It was co-produced by Dave Carlo (guitarist with Razor).During that summer bassist Scott Watts parted ways with the band and was replaced by Kevin Wimberley.After a tour of the United States in the same year in which the band supported Death, Sacrifice called it quits.Urbinati went on to form Interzone (with Wimberley), Tenet (in 2002), and War Amp (in 2005).In 2004 Brazilian record label Marquee reissued the Bands first 3 Albums on CD .Although the band faced numerous lineup changes, especially in their early days, founding guitarists Urbinati and Rico and bassist Scott Watts recorded every studio album and demo and drummer Gus Pynn played on everything but the Apocalypse Inside demo and CD.
Album:
Sacrifice is often mentioned in the same breath as Razor and Infernäl Mäjesty as representatives of the more vicious side of Canadian thrash metal. And yet, I have always considered them better than either of those bands, simply because Sacrifice’s songwriting is surprisingly sophisticated. Sure, they can fire high-speed riffs at the listener like there’s no tomorrow, but they are better aware of the power of dynamics than their peers. And while ‘Volume Six’ is the first Sacrifice album in a decade and a half, it has many of the same strengths and sonic characteristics as 2009’s excellent comeback ‘The Ones I Condemn’.While 1990’s ‘Soldiers of Misfortune‘ will probably always remain my favorite Sacrifice album, ‘The Ones I Condemn’ was better than I expected it would be. Unlike many reunited thrash bands of the era, Sacrifice wasn’t desperately trying to get with the times. All they needed was a slightly more modern production job to add some more bite to the sharp riffs of Rob Urbinati and Joe Rico, but essentially, Sacrifice was still the same band that released ‘Forward to Termination’ back in 1987. This made Sacrifice’s return one of the most welcome in the thrash metal scene, with their full classic line-up, no less.‘Volume Six’ basically picks up where ‘The Ones I Condemn’ left off. That much is clear when the first riffs of the fantastic opening track ‘Comatose’ burst out of the speakers. Sacrifice still masters the art of the hyper-aggressive riff, and Urbinati’s high-pitched bark is still as powerful as it ever was. Also, judging from his precise and highly energetic performance, it’s hard to believe that drummer Gus Pynn is already in his late fifties. The band blasts through tracks like ‘We Will Not Survive’, the classic Sacrifice track ‘Missile’, and the annihilating ‘Explode’ like a bunch of rabid teenagers, only with the refinement that comes with experience.One aspect in which Sacrifice truly outshines its peers, however, is their slower material. Most thrash bands attempting slow or mid-tempo material these days end up with dull, plodding tracks that appear to just be there to make the barrage of uptempo riffs more palatable. ‘Underneath Millenia’, for instance, has a truly grimy, evil feel that works exceptionally well within the context of the album. ‘Black Hashish’ is the most atypical track on here. It’s a lengthy instrumental that is actually quite atmospheric by Sacrifice standards, if that is a term you could use for something this riffy. Most of the riffs are crushing, yet surprisingly catchy. A true highlight.Weirdly, ‘Volume Six’ is one of those albums that manages to surprise by being exactly what a fan of the band’s classic material would hope it to be. The balance between the boiling aggression of thrash metal and the depth of songwriting is something that Sacrifice has mastered way back in the mid-eighties, and they’ve still got it. If you’re being super critical, one could argue that Sacrifice isn’t doing much original here – save for maybe ‘Black Hashish’ – but let’s be frank: what the band’s audience wants is more of what made Sacrifice so good to begin with. And that is here in spades.Recommended tracks: ‘Missile’, ‘Comatose’, ‘Black Hashish’, ‘We Will Not Survive’
Line-Up:
Rob Urbinati - Guitars (1983-1993, 2006-present), Vocals (1985-1993, 2006-present) - see also: Interzone, ex-Tenet
Joe Rico - Guitars (1983-1993, 2006-present)
Scott Watts - Bass (1983-1993, 2006-present)
Gus Pynn - Drums (1985-1990, 2006-present) - see also: ex-The 3Tards
Tracklist:
01. Comatose 03:21
02. Antidote of Poison 04:08
03. Missile 03:26
04. Underneath Millennia 04:26
05. Your Hunger for War 05:03
06. Incoming Mass Extinction 02:01
07. Lunar Eclipse 02:02 instrumental
08. Explode 03:50
09. Black Hashish 06:33 instrumental
10. We Will Not Survive 03:54
11. Trapped in a World (Direct Action cover) 02:09
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