Sacrifice [Import]

Black Widow | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 25, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Repertoire
• ASIN: B00005QE59
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,096 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Reissue of the British prog rock outfit's debut album, originally released in 1970 on CBS. The group were pioneers of dark metal & featured Jim Gannon, later a member of Fox. Seven tracks. Also contains the original cover art. 1999 release. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Black Prog?, May 21, 2002

By 

Crypt "thecrypt777" (Arkham) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sacrifice (Audio CD)

No, this band is NOT a Metal pioneer. Their music is WAY too laid back to even be considered being called hard rock or Metal. Lead instruments include the organ, flute, sax, acoustic guitar, some violins, and what sounds like a trumpet. No heavy guitars to be found anywhere, so don't listen to anyone who compares them to Black Sabbath. I suppose their association with heavy metal is most likely a result of their strongly occultic and mystical lyrics dealing with witchcraft, diabolism, reincarnation and necromancy. So this obviously isn't something to play at a church social. But if you listen closely and with an open mind, you'll find that it's really a cautionary tale about the danger of playing with black magic.
The album opens with the atmospheric "In Ancient Days" complete with a creepy organ intro. The song is very jazzy, yet at the same time quite dark and mysterious, with a dark tinted fairy-tale atmosphere. "Way to Power" is a great tune filled with subtly dark and dreamy soundscapes to match the equally arcane lyrics dealing with magical grimoirs. Next follows the infamous "Come To The Sabbat" which actually got some radio play. It opens with a spooky chant and flute and moves into a sort of upbeat medieval/renaissance folk inspired song that is diabolically infectious. The chorus, which is actually a mantra-like chant, "Come, come, come to the Sabbat. Come to the Sabbat, Satan's there!" makes it hard to believe that this song was allowed to be played on the radio in 1970. "Conjuration" is a moody dark piece with a trumpet (I think) playing the sad lead melody. "Seduction" gets a bit tedious for me, and it's really the only downside to this album. It's a ballad with some uninspired jamming thrown in. "Attack of the Demon" is a great Jefferson Airplane-esque song about a sorcerer condemned to hell for his sins. And the energetic title track which features some killer flute and organ soloing, ends the album. Overall this is a highly enjoyable album with the exception of "Seduction" which I usually skip over. A must for prog fans, and anyone interested in dark music or in obscure novelties. Worth every penny you pay for it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Devil Music? Oh, yeah..., August 23, 2006

By 

Mark Gatzke (Plant City, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sacrifice (Audio CD)

Black Widow might have survived longer and with a serious cult following if they had stuck to the theme expressed so perfectly on Sacrifice. Whatever reasons they had for backing away from their controversial subject matter relegated them to a relatively short career and obscurity in the annals of rock music. Sacrifice itself is a seamless album, at least thematically. It's only fair to say that if you fear for your immortal soul or the idea of devil worship set to music disturbs you, move along and forget you ever heard of this album. However, if you can get past the mock seriousness of it, Sacrifice is quirky, funny, and propelled by some really good and interesting music. Parts of it are cluttered with a little too much instrumentation, but overall it's a well produced album and a significant document of late 60s/early 70s free form rock.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent prog rock, August 20, 2001

By 

BENJAMIN MILER (Veneta, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sacrifice (Audio CD)

Sacrifice, first released in 1970 on CBS, was the first album by this prog band under the Black Widow name (the band went under the previous name of Pesky Gee prior to Sacrifice with female vocalist Kay Garret and released an album called Exclamation Mark in 1969). Anyway, Sacrifice really seems to be liked by black metal fans everywhere, simply because the lyrics have heavy satanic themes. But this is a public service announcement: if you're a black metal fan, don't buy Sacrifice expecting another Black Sabbath. You won't find heavy guitar riffs, you won't hear lots of fuzz bass. In fact I hear mostly acoustic guitar, and some lead electric played in that late '60s style. More often than not, the flute, sax, and Hammond organ dominate and very often the guitar isn't used. On the other hand, if you're a diehard prog rock enthusiast, like myself, and you like bands such as Jethro Tull, Cressida, Gracious, and Beggars Opera (particularly "The Witch" and "Madame Doubtfire" off Pathfinder), you're sure to like this, if you aren't bothered by the lyrics, that is. This is the kind of album you wouldn't want to play around kids, especially the chanting you hear on the hit "Come to the Sabbat". And speaking of that cut, I am surprised that was a hit over in the UK simply because of the content and any American DJ attempting to play that song would probably be without a job if he even thinks of playing that song. None of the songs on this album are particularly complex (since many prog fans like their music complex) and tends to the song-oriented side (as typical of British prog at that time). Some of my favorites are "In Ancient Days", "Way to Power", "Attack of the Demon" and the title track. "Conjuration" is pretty interesting for its bolero beat and some spooky spoken dialog. Black Widow did not endear themselves to the Christian fundamentalists over in Britain and there were stories of priests waving crosses and bibles at their concerts to try to lure the audience away from that music. Eventually the band turned away from the satanic image and turned to more typical prog rock lyrics, so if you buy their next two releases, the album simply called "Black Widow" from 1971 and "Black Widow III" from 1972, you won't find much in the way of satanic lyrics.By the way, the recently released Return to the Sabbat was actually an original 1969 recording of Sacrfice with vocalist Kay Garret. That version collected dust and wasn't heard for nearly 30 years. The band re-recorded Sacrifice without Garret and is the version people got to hear back in 1970.So in conclusion, Sacrifice is a good example of what prog rock was all about in Britain back in 1970, might not be the best album I've heard, but it gives reminders how prog was once like, rather than bland '80s pop pretending to be prog like Asia. So if you're curious of how satanic prog music is like, give Sacrifice a try.