Within the Prophecy

Sacrilege are a very unique band. They formed in 1984 in Birmingham, England, the birthplace of Black Sabbath. It makes perfect sense that Sacrilege were influenced by Sabbath a great deal, considering that the riffs are heavy and doom inspired. Sacrilege started out as a crust punk influenced band but soon dropped most crust influence in favor of thrash/doom. The band signed to Under One Flag and released their sophomore effort titled "Within the Prophecy" in 1987. Let's take a look at this underrated classic!

So the album opens with "Sight Of The Wise" which contains a fuck ton of heavy riffs right off the bat! Guitarist Damian Thompson's riffs are downtuned, very heavy, and they can be very fast at times. His solos are killer too. The riffs are varied, and the clean guitar section on "Winds Of Vengeance" is just beautiful. Especially when the distorted parts come in, then it reminds me of Sabbath. Thompson does a fantastic job on this record. He also recorded the bass, but it is sadly buried under the mix. It's a shame, because the bass could of easily added to the riffs and flow of the songs. Vocalist Lynda "Tam" Simpson is one of my favorite female thrash vocalists of all time. She has a aggressive edge to her vocals, but maintains the slight melodic characteristics of female vocals. Her best performance on the album in my opinion is on "The Captive". Overall, she adds to the unique sound of the record. Drummer Andy Baker is a decent drummer. He's not the best drummer ever, but he does a good job. His double bass is fairly audible, and he goes hard during those fast parts. Overall, he does pretty well.

As for recommended tracks, well "Winds Of Vengeance" is one of the highlights for sure. Especially that aforementioned clean interlude which is bound to give you intense frission. "The Fear Within" has some killer riffs, and Tam's vocals are very good on this particular track. The ultimate masterpiece on the record though is "Search Eternal", a epic 10 minute monster with some amazing guitar work, amazing vocals, and a absolutely legendary finale. Near the end of the track, the clean guitar serves as a counterpart to the distorted guitar, and it sounds amazing. That part is definitely one of my favorite parts of the song.

Overall, Sacrilege were an amazing doom thrash band that was sadly left behind. There are many who know about them, but I sadly don't see them get mentioned by thrash fans that often. Within The Prophecy just got remastered on CD and vinyl, so hopefully this album will get some new found appreciation among thrash fans. I recommend this to fans of Black Sabbath, Witchfinder General, Dark Angel, Znowhite, and Holy Moses.

Highlights: "Sight Of The Wise", "The Captive", "Winds Of Vengeance", "The Fear Within", and "Search Eternal"

Only three reviews for this cult album? An average of 73%? Metalheads, you must be kidding. Sacrilege's second full-length deserves definitively more affection and attention. As far as I can see, "Within the Prophecy" is one of the few albums that possess really unique features. Just concentrate on the vocals of Tam Simpson. She has a powerful yet feminine voice. Her performance cannot be compared with that of other female thrash vocalists. Come on, all these ladies like Sabina from Holy Moses or Nocturnal's Tyrannizer do not sound very feminine, if I am not mistaken. Okay, one might say that natural female vocals alone are no unique feature. Of course, I cannot contradict this opinion. But I guess it is hardly possible to find the here presented combination of these clear vocals with the very dark and extremely dense riffing on an other album. However, before I want to talk about the riffs, let me add that Tam Simpson's vocals are also charismatic and expressive. In a nutshell, it is a pleasure to listen to her performance.

But now come the riffs. They are very exceptional for a thrash album and to be honest, I am really unsure whether this amazing work can be categorized as thrash metal. The guitar work has absolutely nothing in common with the sharp attacks that were created by some violent dudes from the Bay Area. Instead, the gelatinous riffing appears as an impenetrable dark stream. The flow of incandescent lava is maybe a fitting metaphor as well. But do not think of slow-moving guitars that want to create a doom metal album. Certainly they are not as swift as an arrow but they reach a satisfactory degree of velocity while mainly following simple, mid-paced rhythms. The sound of the guitars expresses the atmosphere of the spine-chilling artwork acoustically so that it marks a very important component of the album.

The full-length offers a very homogeneous overall impression. Sacrilege make no experiments. They avoid high velocity eruptions as well as annoying acoustic breaks or lukewarm keyboard interludes. The "Speed Kills" sampler presents a non-album song of the band called "Insurrection". It is a fast-paced neckbreaker, a fanatic double bass thrasher which is based on mercilessness and velocity. But in the context of "Within the Prophecy", it would have been more or less a foreign body. Speedy parts like that of "Sight of the Wise" remain exceptional. However, the entire A side is a monument of blackness. The aforementioned opener pulls the listener into the album in an irresistible manner, the roaring guitars during the solo part of "The Captive" sound the alarm insistently, the aura of "Winds of Vengeance" is black as pitch and "Spirit Cry" delivers the most extrovert vocals of Tam Simpson. The B side achieves a good level as well. Only the overlong closer with a pompous playtime of almost eleven minutes lacks a bit of compactness.

"Within the Prophecy" has a fatalistic touch from the beginning to the end. I guess that Satan himself lists this album in his torrid top ten. Therefore, it may be a good idea to look for the phone number of your local exorcist after having listened to this output. But first of all, listen very closely and enjoy the songs.

By the time this full-length was released, Sacrilege had jettisoned much of their crust punk influence, replacing it with doom metal aspects while not ditching the overall thrash metal base. That rusty, filthy and massive guitar sound is still there, which acclimates itself quite well to the album's slower plodding sections, and there's still some moments when the rhythms kick into high-speed gear, but for the most part this is a mid-tempo affair that often lacks drive with that fat rhythm guitar overwhelming the drums on occasion to the point where the music resonates as slower than it actually is due to the lack of any bite or energy a sharper drum-mix could provide. Even the album cover reeks of doom metal posturing, like an homage to Black Sabbath's debut featuring a chubbier and uglier witch (although her skin tone is of a healthier shade).

This album opens with an absolute stunner. In fact, "Sight Of The Wise" seriously teeters towards being my favorite Sacrilege song full-stop. After the moody keyboard prelude, a barrage of mid-paced headbanging riffs churn, morph and flail away without vocals for half of the entire tune until all hell breaks loose after the four minute mark with a barely controlled ripping thrash attack. Lynda finally chimes in, and it's immediately noteworthy in that her vocals are much cleaner than what transpired on their earlier material, retaining some attitude but without all that feral shouting. The lyrics are still bleak and dystopian, though more mystic than harsh, another attribute to the burgeoning doom influence. It's a brilliant opening track that's as raging as their crustier work but with a majestic air that's as glorious as it is venomous.

The following track, "The Captive" aims to stay in that mid-paced zone while cooking up some thrashy riffs, and it's pretty decent on its own, but benefits by being the second cut off the album. If it were to switch places with any of the later tracks such as "Spirit Cry", I probably would have brushed it off as another 'going through the motions' exercise, as much of this release doesn't offer much in variety. That monolithic fuzzy guitar permeates over everything, busting out open E-chord riffs, or in this case, slightly down-tuned E-flat riffs, ad-nauseam until the urge to hear a progression based off any different note, a G, C, B-flat or a fucking H becomes all-consuming.

The diversions from mid-tempo open string worship after the opener can be counted on one hand. "Winds Of Vengeance", after a few minutes of Within The Prophecy's usual fare, segues into a mellow acoustic oasis for a breather, and then thrusts into a fast thrash break that's honestly more of a tease than a return to the first track's fury. Still, I'll take it. "Flight Of The Nazgul" wins the trophy for the most memorable riff, especially since it's the one time the ubiquitous E-flat is not utilized. Almost classic Judas Priest-like in nature, it washes over like a cool refreshing breeze for about a minute until it's back to the usual retread of "The Captive" blueprint. It's like the band didn't know where to go with that cool riff, and simply decided to resort to the same old shit because that's what they fucking do. Business as usual.

"The Fear Within", my second favorite track off the album, offers a bit of deviation from the norm in the vocal department in that Lynda here actually sings somewhat and lets her notes carry a bit. There's even a rare quasi-chorus, with the repeated line "He's tearing inside as alive but entombed!" delivered in classic black-robed doom mode. Granted, she's nothing to write home about technique-wise, but it works well enough as her voice cuts through the usual musical din to provide a hint of vocal melody and memorability. The album goes for broke with an epic length closer, but even that track offers only a modicum of slight acceleration at times, mainly trudging along just like everything else excluding the opener.

Individually, there's nothing wrong with any of these tunes. On various thrash mix-tapes I used to make, a random song from this album would easily stand out, as there weren't a whole lot of bands back then playing sludge-thrash fronted by someone who sounds like a Greenwich Village no-wave chick with a British accent. I also should mention the tasteful guitar soloing, nothing too flashy but certainly classy, almost as if the guitarist weaned his craft from early Mercyful Fate solos. Unfortunately, as a whole the album suffers due to repetition of their singular vision. I don't actually mind albums with a lot of similar sounding cuts, but they should at least be either blazing in intensity, or offer some level of variety. This is an issue Behind The Realms Of Madness avoided, and a track similar to that album's "Life Line" somewhere around the halfway mark would have done wonders to Within The Prophecy.

As disappointed as I I've always been with this release, it's still reasonably good, especially regarding individual songs. In fact, "Sight Of The Wise" is right up there with "At Dawn They Sleep", "Current Of Death" and "Circle Of The Tyrants" as far as my personal "essential 80's metal" list is concerned, and I also love "The Fear Within" as well. It's an interesting release in that although I've mentioned numerous traits that correspond to doom metal, this is still without a doubt a thrash metal album, just a bit slower for most of the long ride. The doom would really kick in concerning their next album, sounding nothing like the crusty thrash of their debut, while Within The Prophecy shares elements of both, remaining a curious work that could have been brilliant with more creativity in the riff department.

As soon as the opening space organs of Within the Prophecy part way for the shuffling drum march and melodic outpouring of the guitars, you know you are already in for something a little different than what you heard on Beyond the Realms of Madness. This is the 2nd album of English Sacrilege, and it has only a little in common with its predecessor, that being the filthy speed metal edge and the production of the guitars. Much of this album reminds me of early Slayer (the first two albums), it has that same raw fuel to the guitars, though Sacrilege had a more natural predisposition towards melody, and the album sounds really raw.

Tam's vocals are not a far cry from her prior work, but they pierce and cut here straight through the walls of guitar riffs. A little cleaner, but still pretty scratchy and gritty when they need to be. The rest of the band is rock tight, with driving rhythms, thundering if tinny drums courtesy of Spikey T. Smith, and a soft if present bass that hangs out below to center the very fuzzy, thick guitars. Within the Prophecy is not quite hooky enough to bring it level with an album like Show No Mercy, but that is certainly the tree up which it is barking, and it does get about half way there before the 45 minutes is out.

"Sight of the Wise" features the aforementioned proggy intro before its thrashing erupts, and I half expect Tom Araya to pipe in with his vitriol. There are some good leads here, and it's an enjoyable tune for the speed metal afficionado, though it has no specific riffs which stand out far. "The Captive" is carved out with plodding bass rhythms and burnin' rock & roll leads before a lyric pattern that wouldn't have been out of place on Hell Awaits breaks in, and "Winds of Vengeance", one of the longer tracks (at over 7 minutes), thunders forth with a rhythm that feels a LOT like "Angel of Death". There are not a lot of lyrics on this track, and probably too much time spent without them, because the riffs are not really good enough to support themselves. "Spirit Cry" has some mellow breaks with the lead and the bass, but again the song suffers from a general lack of vocals (when they do appear, they are great.) "Flight of the Nazgul" shows some pre-emptive doom leanings, and "The Fear Within" is passable. The final track of the album, "Search Eternal", is an epic at nearly 11 minutes in length, and it's the best thing you'll hear on Within the Prophecy, kind of a pastiche of rhythms from other songs with a lot more lyrics, and the song develops some fair moments of leads and balladry near its closure.

This is the least impressive of the Sacrilege albums, because it doesn't really find much of a footing on its own, and simply apes many other speed/thrash/power metal albums of the time, the only real difference being Simpson's voice. The lyrics are still as meaningful of the debut, simply more introspective and ponderous. Unfortunately I always compare this to Holy Moses' excellent Finished with the Dogs, which came out the same year and is leagues ahead of this in both songwriting, aggression and charisma. Though competently performed, few of the riffs of Within the Prophecy merit enough memory to revisit.


-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

“…why is life so precious when living is but shreds of joy and pain…”

Recorded right on the cusp of ‘86/’87, Within the Prophecy features a sound that isn’t Bay Area or German, but their own little niche in merry ‘ol England. Saying all thrash isn’t performed the same way is pretty obvious, especially for those who know their asses from a hole in the fence when speaking of the style. Sometimes it’s played like an aural technical report, sometimes like the camera work in an old Godzilla battle scene, sometimes like a mud-spitting demolition derby, and sometimes it’s like reading a tabloid out in the rain. The four-piece are planted in the center of those four corners: not out of control, not overtly diverse, and nothing outwardly explosive. Considering much of this lp doesn’t transcend the mid-pace rate and the thrash value that my be anticipated is more along traditional lines, all those ‘nothings’ and ‘nots’ are derogatory for a reason.

I’ve already gone over the advent of the female metal/thrash vocalist in the Détente review, so I’m not going to bore you with a paraphrased rehash, so I’ll just say often forgotten Lynda Simpson holds a place on that short list. Perhaps she’s overlooked because when compared to Dawn Crosby (RIP), Lori Bravo, and The Great Kat, she’s a bit on the expressionless side. She’s not a bad vocalist, but just doesn’t conjure the pizzazz her counterparts can control. The real power of Sacrilege comes from its rhythm section.

How many albums start out with an instrumental or a lengthy wordless medley of rhythms that lead into the meat of the first song? Simpson doesn’t utter her first note until halfway through the 7 minute “Sight of the Wise”, its initial moments a showcase of dynamic rhythmic prowess and impressive soloing (that is unfortunately turned down in the mix) via Damian Thompson. With a commanding gait, the rest of the track unfolds with great memorable rhythms and a tempo change or two. The guitar sound is interesting and strangely thick, a ways from downtuned and tight like a moody chainsaw. “The Captive” holds onto a mid pace that’s seconded by the vocal speed, and the most motivating aspect of the track is the dicey solo at midway. “Winds of Vengeance”, another 7+ minute track, roils to a start with a fairly intricate and sooty riff that helps command the slow-moderate pace thus far. An acoustic interlude cracks the door for an impassioned solo, then a brief burst of speed, and back to the original recipe. “Spirit Cry” is equal to “The Captive” on all fronts, ending side one.

“Flight of the Nazgul”, yet another longish track, rejuvenates with a dignified air of awakening. Unfortunately, the remainder of the track moves along like a slow-flowing brook, a timid mid-pace the band doesn’t seem interested in escaping. On the upside for you guitarists, it seems someone noticed the solos were drowning and gave the knob a turn, allowing them a new lease on life. “The Fear Within” is the best under six-minute track, still doesn’t jog past a medium gait, but tosses a few nifty rhythms together at the start to get the ball rolling. Finally the real epic (in length) strides into view, the near 11-minute “Search Eternal” that should twist and turn like an old Cray-Z straw, but is pretty much a close relative to most of the other tracks, yet another middle-of-the-road pace with some droning sections that were probably supposed to be dramatic but end up the area of the track they could’ve buried. Not exactly a flamethrower for an ending, but hey.

Notice I haven’t described a single chorus. You’ll discover these things that are usually song landmarks are extremely scarce if existent at all, and by excluding them the songs meander by without some expected familiarity to greet the listener.

For thrash fans, the probability of this lp churning up disappointment is conceivable. As long as you go into it with the knowledge it’s hardly the knockdown, drag-around-the-building affair and harks more toward edgy traditional you should be all right. This mindset easily lessens the blow.