The Court of the Insane

This is not the Crust Punk/Thrash band from Birmingham, but the Gillingham band that only released a few demos before calling it quits in '87. Like many forgotten NWOBHM bands have done in recent years, they came back 15 years later with their full-length debut and have been steadily releasing albums since. Court of the Insane is their seventh album, and it rocks pretty fucking hard.

The backbone of this band is the ominous, Tony Iommi-esque riff work and the powerful voice of Bill Beadle, whose delivery ranges from soulful to downright scary in its intensity. This is, of course, all wrapped around the rocking energy that defines the NWOBHM sound. The title track sums up everything this band is about, but other highlights include the moving, Scorpions-esque "The Prophet", the dark and eerie steamroller "No Bequeath", and the rocking, Harley-obsessed jam of an album closer "Ride Free".

There are plenty of revival acts coming out these days, and while a lot of them remind us why some bands should stay forgotten, Sacrilege are one of those bands whose revival proves they were a gem that were unjustly buried in their time. If you love '80s NWOBHM, you'll love this.