AMEBIX
– NO SANCTUARY
From the Spiderleg label
came a 7 track, 12” EP by Amebix entitled No Sanctuary, that
in a way was far more suited to the general mood of the time due to
it being very dark and bleak. With this record Amebix were finally
discovering and revealing their own unique sound and in hindsight
were actually on their way to creating a whole new musical genre,
combining Punk and Heavy Metal to create Crust – a slow but very
powerful and heavy form of Punk Rock plumbing sub-Black Sabbath areas
of gloom, outrage and horror.
Like a tortured and
distorted Discharge on bad drugs, Amebix were emitting an almighty
howl of rage from the innermost core of their beings; racked with
pain and sick with the state of the world: “And in our ignorance
we let them take control, and in their wisdom they decreed that we
should bow. When we put our lives into their hands, we put our hands
into their chains,” from the track Control, and “They lead
you to your slaughter like they lead a horse to water. They can't
force you to drink – but you do,” from the track Progress.
Not that Amebix were
without humour, however, as shown in such lines as “Roses are
red, sometimes violets are blue but we're always puking on cider and
glue,” from the track Sunshine Ward. Interestingly, their sense
of humour was reminiscent of Disorder's as in “Vomiting green-
haired Punks standing on the dole. No money, no clothes, no place
left to go,” from Today's World on the Complete Disorder EP.
This made sense, however, due to Amebix and Disorder sharing the same
squats (and the same drugs) in Bristol.
Disorder were by this
time well on their way to being an influence upon squat Punk bands
throughout the world whilst Amebix's time was still to come though
their influence would eventually turn out to be far greater.
