Sabbat (Japanese band)


Sabbat is a Japanese black metal band, formed in the early 1980s. On some releases, they showcase a more thrash and heavy metal influenced sound.

History

Sabbat started in 1983 when a band called Evil consisting of bassist Gezol, guitarists Ozny and Elizaveat, drummer Valvin and vocalist Toshiya was formed. Except for Ozny they had been playing together since 1981 in high school bands like Aburamushi, Hot Rod and Black Beast. With the high school bands they played mostly cover versions of new wave of British heavy metal acts like Iron Maiden and Demon, but with Evil the aim was immediately set higher. The band started to write material of their own and the first gig was played in August 1983.
In early 1984, Toshiya left the band and Gezol started to take care of vocals as well. During the summer the foursome decided to make the band a number one priority in their lives and the name of the band changed to Sabbat. The foundation for their history was laid and during the autumn Sabbat delivered their hard, raw and fast metal spiced with Venom covers to the audiences in their hometown of Kuwana and the surrounding area.
In April 1985, Sabbat recorded two songs for their first single. The single was released by Gezol's own record label Evil Records and the pressing was 300 copies. In June, Sabbat went through the first line-up change as Gezol's brother Samm replaced Valvin on drums.
In 1986, Sabbat were busy playing gigs throughout Japan which resulted in an appearance at Under The Castle festival on August 3 that was broadcast on television. Less than two weeks later they found themselves in a middle of a crisis. The second night of a two-night gig in Tokyo was played without Ozny who had engaged in an altercation after the first night's show. Two weeks later Ozny played one more gig with Sabbat but after that it was mutually agreed that he was out of the band and Sabbat would continue as a trio.
In June 1987, Sabbat entered the studio again to record their second 7" record entitled Born by Evil Blood. Again the record was released by Evil Records and things looked bright until August came with yet another setback. Because of a death in the family circle Gezol and Samm decided to stop playing live. The farewell show was played in Nagoya on September 13 in front of only 43 people.
The decision not to play live was not the end of Sabbat. In October the band was in the studio again and in early 1988 Evil Records released The third 7" record entitled Desecration, and a year later The Devil's Sperm Is Cold.
With these 7" singles and EPs, Sabbat had started to gain popularity also outside Japan and in early 1989 Gezol wanted to return to the limelight. Unfortunately, Elizaveat was not quite as fond of the idea and Samm had already joined Sacrifice. Despite all this, Sabbat played a gig in May with one-night-only line-up: Gezol, Barraveat, Zorugelion and Possessed Hammer. Eventually Gezol succeeded to persuade Elizaveat to play live with Sabbat one more time and the official reunion gig was played October 10 with the following line-up: Gezol, Elizaveat and Zorugelion.
Zorugelion was now officially a member of the band replacing Samm permanently on drums. The agreement with Elizaveat was for one show only, so in order to keep on playing live Sabbat had to find a new guitar player.
Finding the right person to replace Elizaveat was far from easy and Sabbat did not play a single show in 1990 but the fifth 7" record on Evil Records was released. The Seven Deadly Sins EP consisted of three songs recorded with Samm still on drums. Although unwilling to play live, Elizaveat agreed to help Sabbat in the studio until a new guitar player was found. This made it possible for Sabbat to record a demo tape called Sabbatical Demon which is Zorugelion's first studio recording with the band and also Sabbat's only official demo.
Almost a year had passed since the reunion gig and there was still no sign of a suitable guitar player. In fact, the two shows played in 1989 were the only shows Sabbat had played during the last three years. Without a new guitarist there would not be any gigs and without any gigs the only sensible option was to go to the studio and this is what Sabbat did in October 1990. With Elizaveat doing the guitars the threesome started to record Sabbat's debut full length album Envenom. The recordings were almost finished when a man called Temis Osmond was discovered and it was soon clear he was the guitar player Sabbat had desperately been looking for.
Temis Osmond played a couple of solos on Envenom and although in the album credits he is mentioned only as a special guest he was a full member replacing Elizaveat when the CD came out in 1991. After a long struggle with line-up problems Sabbat were suddenly in a most desirable situation. A fresh debut album out and a new line-up: Gezol, Temis Osmond and Zorugelion.
In September 1991, Sabbat flew to Europe to promote the band and make contacts. A gig was planned in Germany but this did not end up happening. There were also plans for an Austrian label, Lethal Records, to release Envenom in Europe but this as well did not end up taking place.
In early 1992, it was time to enter the studio again to record the second full length album with Temis Osmond doing all the guitars for the first time. Not only did Temis Osmond play all the guitars but he also shared lead vocals with Gezol. Zorugelion provided some vocals for the album as well. Evoke CD was released in the summer of 1992 by Evil Records.
In December 1992, Sabbat were in the studio again in order to record their third album and on top of this Japan's number one underground metal magazine F.E.T.U. released its 13th issue in January 1993 which was dedicated to Sabbat; 33 out of the 36 pages of the magazine were full of Sabbat interviews, pictures and detailed information. The third album Disembody was released by Evil Records in early 1993 but already in the autumn Sabbat were back in the studio again.
1994 was to be the 10th anniversary for the band so a special anniversary album consisting of re-recorded versions of old songs was recorded in autumn 1993. Before this album was released, however, in early 1994 Sabbat recorded the fourth album Fetishism and the CD was swiftly released by Evil Records. Right after Fetishism they released the first part of the anniversary album entitled Black Up Your Soul featuring Elizaveat as a special guest. The 10th anniversary celebrations were marked by a special live show that took place in Nagoya on June 6. During the show the band was joined by special guest stars Samm on drums and Ozny on guitar.
Additionally, a record was released outside Japan for the first time. In the autumn of 1994, Holycaust Records, from the United States, released an MCD entitled Sabbatical Devilucifer that consisted of old unreleased demo recordings. The following year Italian label Entropy Records re-released the debut album Envenom for the European market.

Members

Current members

Discography

Studio albums