Sacrifice: Torment in Fire (1986)
You know you're getting old when second wave '80s thrash metal albums are celebrating 40th anniversaries; albums like the oft-underrated Torment in Fire, by Canadian speed demons Sacrifice.
Technically released in 1985 through twin Canadian independent labels Diabolic Force and Fringe Product, the album's distribution was very limited until Metal Blade licensed it for the U.S. and Roadrunner for Europe, in the early days of 1986.
I, for one, don't recall ever seeing Sacrifice's debut in my local record stores that year (which started in Milan and ended in São Paulo), and I didn't get to hear it until the Internet began solving the music accessibility and affordability problem.
You Millennial and Gen Z music nuts will never really know how lucky you are ...
Anyway, despite those setbacks and sharing their name with over a dozen bands from almost as many countries (Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Ukraine, China!), nowadays these Toronto natives are usually top-of-mind when the Sacrifice name is uttered.
And with good reason, because vocalist and guitarist Rob Urbinati, lead guitarist Joe Rico, bassist Scott Watts, and drummer Gus Pynn arguably took pole position among Canadian thrash bands with this violent and explosive debut.
Younger and faster than the pioneering (but already fading) Exciter and rather cartoonish Anvil, more instrumentally adept than Slaughter (the other one) and Infernal Majesty, these guys were an absolutely devastating proposition by Great White North standards.
In fact, blistering assaults like "Sacrifice," "Turn in Your Grave," and "Beyond Death" share their harsh, melody-free vocals, blistering buzzsaw riffery, and occult subjects with some of the era's most extreme heavy metal warriors: Bathory, Kreator, Destruction, Possessed, Sepultura, and yes, Voivod.
What Sacrifice lacked at this point was songwriting distinction (that would come later), so even though sheer force and intensity will probably keep you riveted throughout these 36 minutes, just a few songs ("Warrior of Death," "Infernal Visions," "Necronomicon") may stick with you when all is said and done.
But for those of you who like a little hardcore influence in your metal, know that Sacrifice revealed a peripheral interest in crossover thrash with a pair of sub-two-minute efforts -- "Possession" and "Decapitation" -- tucked away near the end of the LP.
The following year's career-best Forward to Termination would find Sacrifice further honing their sound and songwriting around the classic Exodus Bay Area thrash model, but some purists may prefer the rougher charms of this first cult classic.
In any case, Sacrifice undoubtedly deserve belated discovery by modern-day thrash enthusiasts willing to sample the style's rich bounty beyond the Big Four and next dozen or so key contributors -- just don't ask me to rank them today.
I need to get my neck out of head-banging-induced traction first ...
More Sacrifice: Forward to Termination.
