"Four spiky-haired, bullet belt-wearing punks playing D-beat-influenced tunes to skinhead crowds at CBGB's"
FREDDY ALVA, 2013
Featuring ex & future members of Agnostic Front, Reagan Youth, Murphy's Law & Nausea, New Yorks's SACRILEGE short lived span [circa 1984-1985] as a band being brought back alive with the release of the 1985 DEMOS LP, by WARDANCE RECORDS & RADIO RAHEEM RECORDS with double sided inner sleeve with photos, original demo lyrics, flyers & recollections by band members VICTOR VENOM & ADAM MUCCI.
Tracks from their two 1985 demos [on side A - Don Fury 1985 Demo & on side B - Bolt Studio Sessions EP] were combined to slaughter ears with DISCHARGE/CRUCIFIX-youthful retaliation along side with SODOM/KREATOR-crushing destruction volumed up to a raw and fast enchantment namely New York styled D-Beat.
Thus, 'SPIKY HAIR & BULLET BELTS IN NYHC', that's the entry of the liner notes by FREDDY ALVA [WARDANCE RECORDS].
"1985 was a weird transitional time for the hardcore scene in NYC. A lot of the original class of '82 bands were either in limbo, had disbanded or were heading into a more crossover metal direction. The Revelation/straight edge scene and second wave of NYHC bands were a year away from fully exploding. Along comes Sacrilege, formed in late '84, and their aim to couple Discharge-inspired sonic fury with a peace punk aesthetic. Bassist Adam Mucci's previous tenure in Agnostic Front gave them a safe pass from skinheads, and along with guitarist Victor Venom, previously in Reagan Youth, they recruited 2 Virginia Beach transplants and Sacrilege was born.
Their confrontational style of spiky hair, Crass/Flux Of Pink Indians stencils on jackets and military fatigues give voice to a totally separate group that longs for a band of their own. They played less than a dozen shows & imploded by late 1985. One can only guess how they would have fared as their sound & style laid the foundation for the parallel Squat Or Rot scene that sprung up during the late 1980's. Victor would take several Sacrilege songs into his next project, Nausea, the most notable being Fallout, which became the signature Nausea tune as heard on the Revelation Records' "The Way It Is" compilation LP.
The nine short, sharp cuts from the Don Fury sessions and the six howling, primitive metal workouts from Bolt Studios, both recorded in 1985, bear witness to an overlooked band that provides a missing link to the development of hardcore punk in this rat cage of a big city we know as New York"
FREDDY ALVA, 2013
"Oh, we stood out! The scene, of course, was centered around CBGB's, Agnostic Front, Warzone, Murphy's Law, Cro-Mags, the list goes on. We were alone in the wilderness with long, spiked, colored hair, studded leather jackets, tight pants, Doc Martens, and bullet/studded belts. Yeah, we were peace punks in a great, big field of Oi! Seems like that wouldn't be a problem now, but then it was!"
CLAY RICE, 2014
The two demos can be stream/download online below here via WARDANCE RECORDS Bandcamp and do support the band and the labels by buying this NYHC's best kept gem's LP at BIGCARTEL. Punks do support each others!!!
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