Sacrifice

Established in Toronto during 1985, Sacrifice emerged as one of Canada’s earliest and perhaps finest examples of pure thrash metal. Their initial demos quickly secured a deal with the prominent independent label Metal Blade. Across three releases—Torment in Fire in 1986, Forward to Termination in 1987, and Soldiers of Misfortune in 1990, issued via Diabolic Force—the lineup featured Rob Urbinati handling vocals and guitar alongside Joe Rico on guitar, Scott Watts on bass, and Gus Pynn on drums. For the band’s final effort, Apocalypse Inside, which appeared in 1993 and signaled a return to Metal Blade, Kevin Wimberley took over bass duties while Michael Rosenthal handled drums. Despite their skill, commercial success eluded them, leading to a split in 1994 after Urbinati and Wimberley focused efforts on Interzone.