One of the most important and influential bands to energe from the UK anarcho-punk scene in the wake of Crass, Amebix were also the heaviest, and it's no secret that Amebix were a huge influence on the burgeoning thrash/speed metal sound that developed in the 1980's. Bands like Sepultura, Nausea and Neurosis were all heavily influenced by the weird, apocalyptic punk that Amebix forged over the course of their existence. The members of Amebix were squatters, actually living the squalid, strung-out existence that they sang about in their songs, and their lifestyle and desperation gave their music a grave, apocalyptic power that hardly any other band has been able to replicate. And Amebix's sound was pretty unique, a combination of heavy metal, punk and biker rock influenced by Venom and early Killing Joke, Black Sabbath and Motorhead and the grime of late 70's punk. Their darkly anthemicsongs tended towards chugging, sludgy dirges with tribal drumming, cold droning synthesizers, and growling vocals; utterly bleak and doom-ridden punk that didn't reach the high velocity of hardcore, but was immensely heavier than any hardcore band.

No Sanctuary

features early Amebix recordings that have been locked up for the past twenty five years, previously only heard as grungy, nth-generation bootlegs. Available officially for the first time, this reissue on Alternative Tentacles is an essential piece of punk/metal history, as powerful today as ever, maybe even moreso as Amebix's apocalyptic visions synch up eerily with the current state of the world. Recorded between 1982 and 1984, the No Sanctuary, Who's The Enemy and Winter EPs are all collected here, remastered and packaged in a digipack case with a 12-page booklet filled with lots of fantastic Amebix artwork, those stark, eerie black and white images almost as important to the Amebix experience as the music itself. One of my favorite Amebix songs ever is included here, "Sunshine Ward", five minutes of misery and gloom that starts off with deep, melodic singing that reminds me of Jaz from Killing Joke over a bleak guitar melody, then mutates into warped proto-thrash. Crucial.