Sacrilege (UK) "Turn Back Trilobite"

Sacrilege is a band from the Midlands region of England originally formed in 1984 by guitarist Damian Thompson and vocalist Lynda "Tam" Simpson and Tony May. Originally rooted in hardcore punk, their sound later changed to thrash metal and doom metal. 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 hardcore punk, 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 (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.

This record saw the band moving away from their punk/thrash metal roots into a more doom metal musical direction with touches of folk, 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, and Sabbat. 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.

Tracklist:

1. Father Time (Beneath the Gaze) 05:49   
2. Silent Dark 07:48  
3. Soul Search 07:10   
4. Awaken (Suryanamaskar) 05:31  
5. Key to Nirvana 07:28   
6. Into the Sea of Tranquility (Parts I, II, III) 11:45   
7. Equinox 06:43   

Time:    52:14  

Recording information:

Recorded and mixed July - August 1988 at Rich Bitch Studios, Birmingham.