SACRIFICE
Apocalypse Inside
(Marquee Records)
156:47min

Even though Canada’s SACRIFICE never really got the attention they deserved, they left an impact in the extreme Metal scene. Some cover tunes like the one THANATOS did (classic slaughter tune ‘Re-Animation’) should prove this more than clearly. SACRIFICE’s debut "Torment In Fire" or its absolutely brilliant follow-up "Forward To Termination" are concerned classics nowadays. But after these albums, things went pretty wrong for the Canadian four piece. It took them four years to release their pretty good third album "Soldiers Of Misfortune", that saw the light of day in 1991. It was a time when Thrash Metal was not all the rage anymore, so the album didn’t blow up dust. Two years later, "Apocalypse Inside" became a temporary swan song for SACRIFICE. Even though Metal Blade was in charge of the release, and times were better for Thrash Metal again, the album was a bust. And it is not really a wonder to me. "Apocalypse Inside" showed neither the best of SACRIFICE, nor it took the direction the band was known and loved for. The main tempo changed to mid paced and grooving elements slipped into the sound of the Canadians. It just wasn’t SACRIFICE anymore. Thankfully, the album starts off in a pretty familiar manner with ‘My Eyes See Red’, a mainly instrumental short opening tune, and the title track. But then, dilemma took its course with ‘Flesh’, a groovin’ mid-tempo song, and ‘Salvation’, that showed SACRIFICE in a style that was pretty to date back in those times. No more riff barrages, no more high speed roller coaster rides. ‘Beneath What You See’ and ‘Ruins Of The Old’ marked the lowlights of "Apocalypse Inside", even with modern effects and boring riffing, that just didn’t fit SACRIFICE. It fuckin’ sucks! On the other hand, there are songs like ‘Incarcerated’ or ‘Freedom Slave’, that showed what this band was known (by not too many) and loved for (by too few). SACRIFICE broke up immediately after "Apocalypse Inside", so the band was buried by time and dust for more than one and a half decades until their furious return "The Ones I Condemn" five years ago. But that’s another story… Since it was the twentieth anniversary of the release of "Apocalypse Inside", Marquee Records also released the up to now missing SACRIFICE album in the same form they did with the first three albums. Aside from the original albums, we have tons of bonus material, making the re-release another double pack disc. Due to the fact that there were no official studio demos made, we have a longer rehearsal recording from February 1990, that features ‘In Defiance’, ‘Existence Within Eternity’ and ‘Soldiers Of Misfortune’ from that particular album as well as two early versions of ‘The Lost’ from "Apocalypse Inside". These recordings include some fuck-ups, naturally, and to call the sound raw would be more than flattering. Yes, and of course there is a lot of live material added too. Six songs are taken from a SACRIFICE show in Tampa, Florida in November 1991, two from each of the first three albums. It’s a classical audience recording, so don’t expect a polished sound here. But check the cool version of ‘Re-Animation’, it rages! And as a special treat, we have a full SACRIFICE show, recorded close to their home in Hamilton, Ontario in March 1991. It sounds a little better than the recordings from Tampa and features no less than twelve songs, spawning the whole career of SACRIFICE back then. Of course these live recordings are mainly for fans of the Toronto quartet, but they will have their fun for sure. If you need to keep your SACRIFICE collection as complete as possible, if you dig more modern Thrash Metal or if you want to find out about the Canadian Thrash masters, check www.marquee.com.br. Their double disc re-releases of the classic first three SACRIFICE albums are now available again, without limitation.

Thomas Meyer

Thomas Meyer

Related reviews / interviews:
SACRIFICE - The Ones I Condemn (Matthias Auch)
SACRIFICE - The Ones I Condemn (Manolis A.)
SACRIFICE - Forward To Termination (Frank Stöver)
SACRIFICE - 198666 (Laurent Ramadier)
SACRIFICE - Torment In Fire (Frank Stöver)
SACRIFICE - Soldiers Of Misfortune (Frank Stöver)
SACRIFICE - Re-Animated (Frank Stöver)
SACRIFICE - Interview (Laurent Ramadier)
SACRIFICE - Interview (Frank Stöver)

Leave a Reply