Quixotic Dreams: Spiky Hair & Bullet Belts in NYHC

   These are the liner notes for the recently released SACRILEGE NY 1985 Demos Lp. A split release on Radio Raheem & Wardance Records. Big thanks to Chris Minicucci & Rich Warwick for making this record possible. Pick it up here: http://wardancerecords.bigcartel.com/

Spiky Hair & Bullet Belts in NYHC

   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