History & Biography Formed at the same time as its Japanese counterpart, Sabbat was a thrash metal band with the advantage of rich lyricism courtesy of singer Martin Walkyier. The group out of Nottingham was founded as Hydra in 1984 and changed its monicker a year later. There were multiple other Hydras running around the scene (including one in Japan). Three Sabbat members were previously band-mates in Mystic Wytch. The line-up was singer Martin 'Doom' Walkyier (previously a guitarist), guitarist Adam 'Grotch' Firman, bassist Frazer 'Scit' Craske and Russell 'Russ' Allcock. Guitarist Andy Sneap was swapped in for the departing Firman and the act changed names. The band had already written and demoed songs before Sneap joined. Fifteen-year-old Sneap had met bassist Craske at a Hell concert. Drummer Mark Daley would not last - he and Firman would bring Hydra back later and even open for Sabbat - and Simon Negus (formerly of a glam metal band called Brazzen Huzzy) would sit on the stool. Negus was introduced to the young act through Hell drummer Tim Bowler.
The first demo was 1985's Magick In Theory And Practice tape recorded at the act's rehearsal. Daley was on drums here. The band was obviously influenced by Raven, Venom and Hell. The last band was local to Sabbat and was famous for its inspirational live presentation. Vincent Crowley and the occult were other influences. The term Satanic Opera was brandished at one point. Hell's theatrics gave inspirational flourish to the group's presentation and stage show. The group appeared at a youth incarceration facility live! Fragments Of A Faith Forgotten and Stranger Than Fiction were the next demos. They featured the drumming of Simon Negus and the lyrical prowess of Walkyier. The band also managed to get a flexi disc, called Blood For The Blood God, into White Dwarf fantasy and game playing magazine. The single was produced by former Hell guitarist Kev Bower. Noise Records of Berlin, Germany was the company that would sign the band. The label had replied to the band's submitted tape asking for more music and Sabbat had obliged. Reportedly, the signatures were delayed as Sneap had to wait to become eighteen first.
The cleverly titled History Of A Time To Come would arrive to kick off 1988. It was recorded at Horus Studio in Germany. Coincidentally, the song Behind The Crooked Cross was based on a book called Hitler And The Age Of Horus. Lines like ""you born-again Christians are born again fools..." made no bones about the group's stance. The band had a gig with Necrosanct in Brighton, England. Risk, Sabbat and Rage toured Europe. Sabbat was also seen at Eindhoven. Richard Scott, of the London-based heavy metal band No Excuse, toured with the band as a second guitarist. The debut album was strong and sold 50,000 copies in short order, but Dreamweaver was much stronger. The music had improved and the complex riffing was tighter, but it was the lyrics and incessant vocals that set the album apart. The album was inspired by the novel The Way Of Wyrd by Brian Bates. It sang of druid and ancient Albion folklore on the surface. It mocked organised religion and its arrogance in substance. The author would assert that his book could apply to any ancient belief system and all nature and was not confined to the ways of the British isles. Incidentally, the record had introduced second guitarist Simon Jones from Holosade who had joined as the band recorded the sophomore album. There were gigs with Onslaught, a tour with Xentrix in the UK and shows with Manowar in Spain. The band broke apart at its height and Sneap and Negus picked up guitarist Neil Watson and recorded an industry-only demo called Mourning. Simon Jones had already quit during a UK Dreamweaver tour with British thrash metal band Xentrix supporting in 1989. A full-length video culled from a performance in Berlin in 1990 was called The End Of The Beginning. Kreator along with Coroner, Tankard and Sabbat had ventured into East Berlin in 1990. Kreator also released its own live video. The band had no money and Noise was not helping. Walkyier wanted more simple music with folk elements. Sneap preferred to become more progressive. Mourning Has Broken - recall the aforementioned demo's name - with American singer Ritchie Desmond (who was a candidate to join Celtic Frost on guitar earlier) was actually a nice try, but not good enough for the band's fans and the act went away in 1991. Noise had also dropped the group. Sneap and Banks founded Godsend. Negus was in the "Rock Against Communism white power skinhead" band Skrewdriver with neo-Nazi Ian Stuart and subsequently Glory Boys.
In the meantime, Martin Walkyier, guitarist Steve Ramsey (of Satan), bassist Graeme English (also of Satan) and drummer Keith Baxter would form a novel folk metal band called Skyclad and soon enough talk themselves into including female vocals, mandolin, violin, a fiddle and such. Walkyier would remain in this band until 2001 before attempting something called Return To The Sabbat. Walkyier and drummer Negus had attempted to bring the name Sabbat back and been stopped by Andy Sneap hence the 'Return To The Sabbat' monicker. This band would open a gig for Cradle Of Filth. Walkyier would repeat the abbat reformation attempt by forming a band called Martin Walkyier's Skyclad a few years after another project called The Clan Destined project did not last and, in fact, Walkyier declared after a fist failed attempt that he was done with music. Return To The Sabbat appeared at Bloodstock Indoor Festival. Walkyier had also joined Hell from 2008 until 2010. Sabbat would reform in 2006 and last until 2010. The immediate impetus was to tour with Cradle Of Filth. Sneap had gone on to become a record producer and was producing Cradle Of Filth when the idea was hatched. Walkyier and Sneap had to ring the other Dreamweaver members and persuade them to regroup. With Walkyier's help, Cradle of Filth had covered Sabbat's For Those Who Have Died in 2000 and placed the song on a limited edition CD version as a bonus. Sabbat also performed a one-off hometown gig. The group was invited to play at Keep It True Festival in Germany in April of 2007 and the Day Of Darkness in Ireland. Reformed thrash metal bands Sabbat, Onslaught, At War and others were to play at the Thrash Assault 2 festival, Which would take place on February 23rd, 2008 in Warzburg, Germany. Sabbat even booked a few USA gigs for the first time. A show at Hammerfest 2009 was cancelled as Andy Sneap was too busy and was working on a Megadeth recording. Arch Enemy asked Sabbat to drop off its November UK shows after the latter band decided to tour the UK on its own in August 2010. Bassist Fraser Craske was in the act to start (the reformation), but the last three years had Gizz Butt of English Dogs handle the bass. Regardless, the band did not record an album and had no such output. The act threw in the towel in 2010. And since Sabbat had to come back, there was a version of Sabbat with Walkyier and a version of Skyclad with Walkyier. Walkyier and Sneap arguing again had led to the break up again. Simon Jones too was part of a returning Holosade in 2011.
Andy Sneap would go on to become an in-demand producer working with groups like Napalm Death, Cradle Of Filth, Arch Enemy, Accept and eventually Judas Priest. He would join a reformed Hell in 2008 before eventually ending up a live member of Judas Priest in 2018 when that band's Glenn Tipton was forced into retirement. Sneap had also remastered the first two Sabbat albums in 2007.
Noise Records was apparently around enough to compile all the band's full-lengths into a box set called Mad Gods And Englishmen in 2023.
A Sabbat is a Wiccan celebration.
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