Sabbat (English band)

Sabbat
Andy Sneap and Simon "Jack Hammer" Jones (2008)
Background information
Origin	Nottingham, England
Genres	Thrash metal
Years active	1985–1991, 2006–2011
Labels	Noise
Past members	Andy Sneap Simon Negus Martin Walkyier Simon Jones Gizz Butt Neil Watson Wayne Banks Richie Desmond Richard Scott Frazer Craske

Sabbat were an English thrash metal band from Nottingham consisting of Martin Walkyier (vocals), Andy Sneap (guitars), Simon Jones (guitars), Frazer Craske (bass), and Simon Negus (drums). They are considered one of the "big four" of British thrash metal along with Acid Reign, Onslaught, and Xentrix, who were all responsible for developing and popularizing the country's thrash metal scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Over their initial six-year run, Sabbat released three studio albums, four demos, two split singles/compilation albums, two singles, and a live VHS. In 1988, the band released their debut album History of a Time to Come, which garnered them further recognition. Their second album, Dreamweaver (Reflections of Our Yesterdays) (1989), was also critically acclaimed. Shortly after the release of Mourning Has Broken (1991), tensions within the band began to surface, primarily revolving around financial issues, leading to Sabbat's disbandment. After an attempted reunion in 2001 that was blocked by Sneap, the original Sabbat lineup reunited in 2006. In December of that year, they performed together for the first time in sixteen years at five different venues in England. One performance was a warm-up gig in Nottingham, while the other four were in support of Cradle of Filth. The band has continued to perform live around the world but has not released any new material since then. In a January 2014 interview with Decibel magazine, Andy Sneap confirmed that Sabbat had once again split up.

History

Early history (1985–1986)

The origins of the band date back to June 1985 with a group called Hydra. Future Sabbat vocalist Martin Walkyier and bassist Frazer Craske were members of Hydra, along with Andy Sneap, who joined the band as a second guitarist. The arrival of former Striptease and Fallen Angel drummer Simon Negus, who replaced Mark Daley, coincided with the departure of original guitarist Adam Ferman and a subsequent name change to Sabbat.

Andy Sneap:

"Let me shed a bit of light on things here. Martin and Frazer had this band called Hydra back in 84/85. The most impressive thing about the band was the fact that Frazer had already printed some 2 colour t shirts and he had a car! I met Frazer at a local Hell gig in Long Eaton and it turned out they were thinking of getting a second guitarist. I heard a tape (which I still have, it's priceless) of a show they did in a pub in Nottingham and decided to have a jam as I was wanting to get some experience playing, after all I was the ripe old age of 15. Hell, two weeks after I joined, the original guitarist quit (i think this was in the cards) and the drummer left (thankfully) after we did our first demo a couple of months later, I think this was due to me having a go at his girlfriend in the studio (you see: good work ethic back then!) It was Tim Bowler (the drummer from Hell) who introduced us to Simon Negus. The name Sabbat came from a book on witchcraft but I actually found some old school books of mine with ideas doodled on them so I'm sure I had some doing in suggesting it. I do remember we liked the way the word looked in the scrawly type of writing so we went with it. Yeah the flexi disc for white dwarf was an odd one, John Blanche, the art editor painted our first cover so it all came about quite easy. It does sound shockingly bad though."

After rehearsing for nearly a year, they released the Fragments of a Faith Forgotten demo, which was well received, garnering immediate interest from several record companies and a two-page spread in Kerrang! magazine.

Andy Sneap:

"Martin and Frazer were really into Venom, I was really into Mercyful Fate and Slayer. I remember the day we recorded Fragments Frazer had that Venom, Exodus and Slayer video from New York and we decided that's totally what we wanted to be doing.""We did Fragments of a Faith Forgotten on a little four track, we did it in two afternoons just threw it down. We didn't think much about it but off that we got a deal with Noise, two pages in Kerrang! and a Radio One session. It just snowballed. After the session the label were even more interested and then we got the Kerrang! cover after that."

After releasing a Warhammer-inspired flexi-disc on the front cover of White Dwarf magazine, the band secured a deal with German Noise Records in mid-1987. The signing had been previously delayed because Andy Sneap was under 18 years of age and not considered a legal adult.

Further recognition (1987–1990)

In September 1987, the band traveled to Hanover, Germany, to record their debut album, History of a Time to Come (1988). This release generated significant media attention among journalists and fans alike for its unique lyrical approach and its divergence from the "Big 4" style prevalent in the 1980s metal scene.

The second album, Dreamweaver (Reflections of Our Yesterdays) (1989), was a conceptual work based on the book The Way of Wyrd by Brian Bates. The album showcased Walkyier's deeply held beliefs in Wyrdism, Anglo-Saxon spirituality, Celtic mysticism, and paganism.

Fraser Craske:

"Well, we made the decision after our European tour [to add a second guitarist]. We had taken Richard Scott with us on tour for the extra sound and it had really worked out great. But Richard said he wouldn't join us full time because he wanted to continue with his other band, but we had to get another guitarist because of the improvement in the sound."

The introduction of new guitarist "Jack Hammer" – Simon Jones – significantly enhanced the band's guitar sound, as acknowledged by Andy Sneap in his interview with Renee Ackerman of Rockworldtv at his backstage studios in 2007.

Jack, as he was known professionally prior to joining Sabbat, and as he is still referred to within the band, previously played in Holosade. He was brought in midway through the recording of Dreamweaver as both a rhythm and lead guitarist to complement Sneap's contributions.

Breakup (1991–2000)

Tensions within the band began to mount, primarily revolving around financial issues. Although the band was developing a strong following and selling a significant amount of merchandise, they were victims of poor management and had a label (Noise) that seemed indifferent to their activities. Martin Walkyier recalled:

"With the Noise contract, people were telling us 'Don't sign it,' but we did. Bands who were doing well at the time - Celtic Frost, Helloween, Kreator - were all on Noise. We had complete artistic freedom, but not for the right reasons. It was because they didn't give a flying fuck."

The band almost split up during the Dreamweaver sessions but regrouped to finalize the recording and accept their differences. In hindsight, Andy Sneap reflects in interviews that it is fortunate he and Martin Walkyier were able to function within Sabbat again without arguing about money, musical direction, or the feud they previously experienced.

Martin Walkyier:

"There are stories that I quit Sabbat because the rest of the band didn't like my pagan lyrics. That's not true. All of us shared an interest in paganism. The paganism was never a problem; I was always left to get on with the lyrics the best way I saw fit. No, the truth was that I could see that the music was going to get even more complex. Andy was writing 11-minute musical epics, and I couldn't even begin to see how I'd write lyrics for something like that. I wanted to bring in other musical styles, to bring in violins, for instance. That would never have worked with Sabbat."

In late 2006, Martin Walkyier remarked that Sabbat was in severe financial distress in 1989 and that he was living on government state benefits due to the band's dire financial situation. He expressed that he felt they were becoming "like Rush" because of the overtly technical nature and length of their songs. These issues contributed to rising tensions within the band.

Martin Walkyier:

"All the things that went wrong with Sabbat in the old days were really nothing to do with me and Andy Sneap, even though we had our disagreements in the days when we were young. That was largely due to record labels and management and things that were happening around us – the fact that we were selling hod-loads of records and not actually seeing any money at all and having to live on benefits at the time."

First to jump ship was guitarist Simon Jones during their 1989 UK Dreamweaver tour with British thrashers Xentrix supporting. He left the band only moments before the gig at Sheffield University refectory on 15 November 1989. Sabbat did finish the gig, though, with just Andy Sneap on guitar. Andy Sneap has stated that this was a drink-related departure, and Jones himself has said he regrets his departure in a recent video on Andy Sneap's Myspace site.

Guitarist Neil Watson was brought in for guitar duties, and with only two weeks to learn all of the tracks, he appears on the live video *The End of the Beginning*. Walkyier left in 1990 along with Craske, with Walkyier going off to form Skyclad. Fraser Craske left the music industry completely at this time. Andy Sneap and Simon Negus overhauled the band and brought in vocalist Richie Desmond and bassist Wayne Banks. In 1991, they released Mourning Has Broken, but it did not go down well with fans or critics, and the band performed a final show in Derby soon after, then shortly after, split up.

In Terrorizer (No. 152, Xmas 2006), Andy Sneap stated:

(Emphatically) "I don't listen to this (Mourning Has Broken). There is some mad guitar playing on there, some of the shredding is ridiculous, but it sounds thrown together, which is why it shouldn't have had the Sabbat name on it."

Simon Negus went on to join a band called the Glory Boys. Andy Sneap and Wayne Banks went on to form the group Godsend. Andy Sneap is now best known as a successful Grammy-winning producer with over 100 albums produced at his Backstage Recording studios in rural Derbyshire.

Unofficial reunion (2001–2003)

Martin Walkyier initially wanted to re-form the band as Sabbat in 2001 with Fraser Craske and Simon Jones; however, this was blocked by Andy Sneap at the time.

Andy Sneap stated:

"The way I originally heard about (the reunion) was from one of the guys at Earache (Records), who called me up to ask me about it. I knew nothing about it, so I called Martin to ask him about it. The conversation got a little heated, and I explained they couldn't do it under the name SABBAT as both he and (bassist) Fraser quit, leaving me and (drummer) Simon (Negus) with a lot of debts and financial problems to clear up. This was the reason we carried on as SABBAT and did a third album. Obviously, we wanted the new lineup to work out, but it didn't ... simple as that. What it came down to, though, was Simon Negus and myself, in theory, own the business and name as they left. If you left your employer, you couldn't go and start that business somewhere else under the same name."

Walkyier, Jones, and Craske performed under the name Return to the Sabbat from 2001 to 2003. Skyclad drummer Jay Graham played drums. After Simon Jones left and was replaced by Andy Newby, the band continued for a while, performing at the Bloodstock Indoor Festival and a gig in Camden, London, after which Return to the Sabbat disbanded.

Official reunion (2006–2011)

In 2006, the band reunited with the Dreamweaver line-up to support Cradle of Filth on their UK tour in December at four different venues.

A warm-up gig for this short tour was held at The Rig in Nottingham, England, on Saturday, 16 December 2006, marking the first time since 1989 that the Dreamweaver line-up had played live together. They received significant press attention and rave reviews for their support slot and confirmed plans to release their first two albums in a remastered format with additional bonus material.

They then performed at festival appearances, including the Keep It True Festival in Germany (15 April 2007) and the Day of Darkness festival in Co. Laois, Ireland, which took place on 6 and 7 July 2007.

Frazer Craske left Sabbat once again for personal and work-related reasons. He was replaced at the D.O.D. festival by Gizz Butt.

Simon Jones from the official Sabbat website, January 2008:

"First up was the Keep It True Fest', southern Germany April 14th. If anyone can recall, spring 2007 was particularly warm, and boy, we sweated a few pounds off thrashing to a sold-out venue. It was great to share the bill with Laaz Rocket and Diamond Head too. After this gig, Frazer broke the news that he wouldn't be doing any more gigs. Gizz Butt would take his place from now on. There was no pressure laid on Frazer; it was his decision, and the rest of us respected it. After all, we had gotten back together to play metal and enjoy it. If it wasn't working for him, then so be it. Miraculously, Gizz breathed new life into Sabbat as a band and brought a new perspective to the songs."

Andy Sneap and Martin Walkyier stated in interviews that the reunion was "a bit of fun" and that there was no long-term plan.

Andy Sneap performing in 2007

On 27 February 2007, Sabbat re-released History of a Time to Come and Dreamweaver. The re-releases feature new packaging, bonus live tracks, and a remastered sound. Sabbat's final album, 1991's Mourning Has Broken, was not re-released.

In 2010, the band entered a hiatus before ultimately splitting up once again. Inevitably, Martin and Andy would have another public falling out during a Facebook argument.

In a January 2014 interview with Decibel magazine, Andy Sneap confirmed that Sabbat was no more. One of the reasons for this breakup was reportedly due to a feud between Sneap and Walkyier.

In 2014, Andy Sneap stated on the "Talking Bollocks" podcast that Sabbat was over and that he was happier in his current band, Hell, doing what he wanted to do, and that it was better if he and Martin "did their own thing." Sneap joined Judas Priest in February 2018 as a touring guitarist, filling in for Glenn Tipton, who had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Musical style and lyrics

Sabbat were initially labeled as "thrash" and "satanic" in the Midlands metal scene. Fraser Craske stated, "We're not Satanists. It's more theatrical. We're interested in religion and philosophy, and it follows that we write tracks about things like that." The band's early lyrics were "primarily Satanic or [...] influenced by the Occult in some way." In Walkyier's interpretation, Satanism "doesn't say 'let's go out and kill people' or anything like that," referring to The Satanic Bible, which has "nothing to do with sacrifice" but instead promotes a selfish outlook. Walkyier views Satanism as a rebellion against orthodox Christianity, as he considers Satan and the Devil to be, "in a lot of ways [...] a bogeyman invented by the Christians" to compel people to follow them. He began to explore the old religions of Europe, stating, "and that's sort of where my... my kind of personal beliefs lie, really."

The late Dave G. Halliday was the singer/guitarist of the band Hell, a Derbyshire band that significantly influenced and inspired Sabbat in the mid-1980s.

Andy Sneap remarked:

"We are heavily influenced by Hell and don't mind admitting it," Andy says with obvious admiration. "The singer even taught me how to play guitar! We're not a deliberate copycat of Hell in any way, though. They were a great band, and it's a mystery to me why they never got anywhere. To be compared to them, we don't mind in the least; we would take it more as an honor than anything. We've just done a charity show at Trent Poly dedicated to Hell's guitarist Dave Halliday, who committed suicide in January. All the money went to his favorite charity, Cancer Research."

Martin Walkyier has left a fitting tribute to Dave G. Halliday within the sleeve notes of the 2006 release In the Big Ending by The Clan Destined, which reads:

"These recordings are dedicated to the memory of Dave G. Halliday. A man who was literally decades ahead of his time but tragically never had the chance to witness the enormous and positive influence he had upon the worldwide metal scene. Whilst I still have breath in my body, you will never be forgotten."

Line-up

Final line-up members

• Martin Walkyier - vocals (1985–1990, 2006–2011) (ex-Skyclad, The Clan Destined)
• Andy Sneap - guitar (1985–1991, 2006–2011) (Godsend, ex-Fozzy, Judas Priest)
• Simon Jones - guitar (1989, 2006–2011) (ex-Phantom, Holosade)
• Gizz Butt - bass (2007–2011) (The Prodigy, English Dogs)
• Simon Negus - drums (1985–1991, 2006–2011) (Fallen Angel!, Striptease)

Former members

• Fraser Craske – bass (1985–1990, 2006–2007)
• Neil Watson – rhythm guitar (1990–1991)
• Wayne Banks – bass (1990–1991) (Blaze, Messiah's Kiss, Godsend)
• Richie Desmond – vocals (1990–1991)
• Richard Scott – rhythm guitar (1988, live only) (No Excuses)

Discography

Albums

• History of a Time to Come (1988)
• Dreamweaver (Reflections of Our Yesterdays) (1989)
• Mourning Has Broken (1991)

Singles

• Blood for the Blood God (1987)
• Wildfire/The Best of Enemies (1989)

Split singles and compilation albums

• A Cautionary Tale/And the Brave Man Fails (split album with Vendetta) (1988)
• Doomsday News III – Thrashing East Live (Live) (1990)

Demos

• Magic in Practice and Theory (1985)
• BBC Sessions (1986)
• Fragments of a Faith Forgotten (1987)
• Stranger Than Fiction (1987)

Video

• Keep It True 8 (2008) DVD
• The End of the Beginning

External links

• Sabbat official Myspace website
• Sabbat.live
• Sabbat at AllMusic
• Sabbat history at Rockdetector