Search - Black Widow :: Sacrifice

Excellent prog rock

BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 08/20/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Early Occult Rock

Carl Slim | the factory | 11/11/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"No, not metal-although the influence on metal is very obvious. Prog rock could mean big dull productions like ELP, or occasionally, powerful things like this. The flute and extra percussion are color-they give the music a feel of ancient civilization. The arrangements are not particularly complex, and the story of Magic, satanism, and reincarnation is very upfront. take Merciful Fate, Venom, or Slayer and play their music acoustically-that's a close approximation of what this sounds like."