Sacrament was a thrash metal band from the Philadelphia area that was active from about 1989 - 1993.
They were an especially heavy act, favorably compared to bands like early Testament or later Death. Their earlier work was less progressive and technical than their later work, though the band was always speedy and thrashy. Band members often cited bands like Pestilence, Destruction, Demolition Hammer, and Coroner as influences. However, Sacrament's lyrical content was steeped in Biblical scripture, and the band never shied away from presenting messages that warned listeners about the potential dangers of living in the world without acknowledging the spiritual realities of life as expressed in the Bible.
The original line-up included Brian Toy (guitar), Mike Torone (vocals), Mike DiDonato (guitar), Erik Ney (bass), & Paul Graham (drums). This line-up produced a demo called Presumed Dead in 1989 and a full length album on R.E.X. Records called Testimony of Apocalypse in 1990. Testimony of Apocalypse was favorably received in the heavy metal market and generated a respectable American and international fan base for the band.
Brian Toy and MIke Torone departed some time after 1990's R.E.X. release, but did do some touring with the band promoting it. It was reported that Torone had developed nodules on his vocal chords and had to discontinue singing. Toy left for personal reasons, but donated all of his sound equipment to the band when he left.
The remaining members continued on and picked up Robert Wolfe as vocalist while working on new music for their second album on R.E.X. Records. The remaining original members decided to remain a four-piece and did not pick up a second guitarist. This line up alteration resulted in an extremely tight and technical approach that resulted in a second album with a very different sound than the first. DiDonato's intricate, technical picking was highlighted more, and Wolfe's voice was not reminiscent of Torone's. A large part of the new sound fans were presented with on the second album has also got to be attributed to a very different sound mix from the first record, which was heavy on the low-end and at times muddy (however typical for the genre at that time). When the band's second full-length, Haunts of Violence, came out in 1992, their sound benefitted from far less reverb, and even tighter playing. With the vocals now handled by someone different as well, it sounded like a new band altogether at times. Haunts of Violence was quite favorably reviewed, and the band's fan base grew (though there were still many fans wondering how the same band had produced two completely different sounding records).
Unfortunately, traditional heavy metal and thrash metal were becoming less and less popular in America by this time, and the grunge metal and alternative rock movements were growing exponentially. Sacrament played out in support of this second album for about a year to fantastic reviews of their live performances.
Wolfe eventually decided to depart. The band did not produce any new music thereafter, and at some unknown point finally disbanded. Several members went on to play in other acts both secular and overtly Christian over the ensuing years. All of Sacrament's catalog would be reissued numerous times, especially Testimony of Apocalypse and Haunts of Violence, over the next nearly 30 years. In 2020, the song "Souls in Torment" was covered by newcomers Motivik on their full length album Death of the Gunman. Wolfe made a vocal appearance on the song.
They were an especially heavy act, favorably compared to bands like early Testament or later Death. Their earlier work was less progressive and technical than their later work, though the band was always speedy and thrashy. Band members often cited bands like Pestilence, Destruction, Demolition Hammer, and Coroner as influences. However, Sacrament's lyrical content was steeped in Biblical scripture, and the band never shied away from presenting messages that warned listeners about the potential dangers of living in the world without acknowledging the spiritual realities of life as expressed in the Bible.
The original line-up included Brian Toy (guitar), Mike Torone (vocals), Mike DiDonato (guitar), Erik Ney (bass), & Paul Graham (drums). This line-up produced a demo called Presumed Dead in 1989 and a full length album on R.E.X. Records called Testimony of Apocalypse in 1990. Testimony of Apocalypse was favorably received in the heavy metal market and generated a respectable American and international fan base for the band.
Brian Toy and MIke Torone departed some time after 1990's R.E.X. release, but did do some touring with the band promoting it. It was reported that Torone had developed nodules on his vocal chords and had to discontinue singing. Toy left for personal reasons, but donated all of his sound equipment to the band when he left.
The remaining members continued on and picked up Robert Wolfe as vocalist while working on new music for their second album on R.E.X. Records. The remaining original members decided to remain a four-piece and did not pick up a second guitarist. This line up alteration resulted in an extremely tight and technical approach that resulted in a second album with a very different sound than the first. DiDonato's intricate, technical picking was highlighted more, and Wolfe's voice was not reminiscent of Torone's. A large part of the new sound fans were presented with on the second album has also got to be attributed to a very different sound mix from the first record, which was heavy on the low-end and at times muddy (however typical for the genre at that time). When the band's second full-length, Haunts of Violence, came out in 1992, their sound benefitted from far less reverb, and even tighter playing. With the vocals now handled by someone different as well, it sounded like a new band altogether at times. Haunts of Violence was quite favorably reviewed, and the band's fan base grew (though there were still many fans wondering how the same band had produced two completely different sounding records).
Unfortunately, traditional heavy metal and thrash metal were becoming less and less popular in America by this time, and the grunge metal and alternative rock movements were growing exponentially. Sacrament played out in support of this second album for about a year to fantastic reviews of their live performances.
Wolfe eventually decided to depart. The band did not produce any new music thereafter, and at some unknown point finally disbanded. Several members went on to play in other acts both secular and overtly Christian over the ensuing years. All of Sacrament's catalog would be reissued numerous times, especially Testimony of Apocalypse and Haunts of Violence, over the next nearly 30 years. In 2020, the song "Souls in Torment" was covered by newcomers Motivik on their full length album Death of the Gunman. Wolfe made a vocal appearance on the song.