| Sabazius | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Brighton/London, England, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Doom Metal, Drone, Spoken Word |
| Years active | 2006 - Present |
| Labels | Earache Records |
| Associated acts | Sea Bastard, Funeral Hag, Killing Mode, Landmine Spring, Pagan Terrorism Tactics |
| Website | Official website |
| Current members | Neville Taylor Steve Patton |
Sabazius are a doom metal duo from Brighton and London, England, United Kingdom consisting of Neville Taylor and Steve Patton that formed in June 2006. Their long discography spans 2 studio albums, one live album, one demo, 3 splits and 12 EPs.
The band originated as a continuation of previous ideas and bands before it evolved into what it has now become. As such they are indebted to Tatu Pier Makanda, and to all the other people they jammed with along the way under such titles as Delicious Monster, Batholith, Kaula Circle and finally Coelacanth, out of whom Sabazius was born.
Deciding to avoid the commercial aspects of making music, the band has made all of their releases available as free downloads, though some tracks have been released as very limited edition CD's as well.
History[]
Sabazius formed in June 2006 as a studio two piece intending to continue the work they had previously undertaken in earlier bands and projects.
Within a few weeks they had completed a demo featuring one track, Terror Is Thy Name, that was distributed free by request online in 2007 as a CDR, and of which around 70 copies were made and sent out.
Next they completed their first eponymous album and began working on subsequent EPs. The album was released as a free download in 2008, and over the following two years five new tracks were also released either as a physical limited-edition CD, individual downloads or as downloadable split EPs with other artists.
In 2009, the band released its second album Devotional Songs, followed by a split EP with Dronehouse, a digital EP titled Shadows on the Wall and another physical limited-edition CD release, Eighty Days and Four in 2010.
After a year hiatus to undertake another project, they completed previously unfinished songs and released two mini-albums in 2012, The Watchers and Parousia, and a limited-edition CD split EP with Hesper Payne.
In late 2012, they signed a contract with Earache Records and in 2013 released the 11 hour ‘live’ song "The Descent of Man".
Between 21–24 December 2014, they released four EP tracks that were part of the Dithyramb series.
The band is currently working on their third album Origin of the Species, which was originally intended for release in 2012, only to be pushed back to no release date.
On 20 August 2023, the band announced on Facebook that they will begin uploading their music on streaming platforms.
Music[]
The band is known for releasing their music for free, although they also made limited edition CDs as well. In an interview with Destructive Music magazine, Steve Patton stated:
| “ | "The decision to release everything as a free download, whilst also having some physical releases, was a combination of various events early on when we started the band. Initially we wrote the four tracks that are on the first album and then looked for a label that might be interested. After a year we’d also written three EPs but still not released the album, so we just did that as a download, with the intention of putting EPs out physically and if we did a subsequent album maybe releasing that free too." | ” |
Musical Style[]
Sabazius play a style of doom metal which incorporates elements of sludge metal and drone metal. Steve Patton's vocals are often whispered or spoken rather than shouted, although his vocals are sometimes manipulated with distortion effects to make it sound like a scream.
Most of the lyrics they use are taken from other sources, depending on what the songs are about, and they revolve around various themes depending on what they are interested in when they are being written. For example, "DCLXVI", "Torah" and "The Goat", as well as "The Song of Los", are comments on humans creating rules and laws for themselves, whereas "Shadows on the Wall" was more abstract about human consciousness and perceptions of reality.
Sabazius are also known for their extremely long songs, with some clocking at over an hour in length. For example, the song "Her Crimson Lotus Feet", from their second album Devotional Songs, is almost 72 minutes long. Their longest song however, is the 11-hour long "The Descent of Man", which is included in the USB drive that is contained inside a human skull. It was released as a digital live album in February 2013.
Influences[]
The band's influences include Black Sabbath, Cathedral, Burning Witch, Khanate, Electric Wizard, Sleep etc. Other influences include Sea of Bones, Yob, Hesper Payne and Asva.
Discography[]
Studio Albums[]
- Sabazius (2008)
- Devotional Songs (2009)
- Origin of the Species (TBA)
Demos[]
- Terror is Thy Name (2006)
Extended Plays[]
2008
- The Goat (2 October)
- Sympathy for the Devil (25 December)
2009
- The Song of Los (1 January)
- DCLXVI (1 March)
2010
- Eighty Days and Four (1 January)
- Shadows on the Wall (1 January)
2012
- The Watchers (6 April)
- Parousia (8 April)
2014
- Dithyramb I: Zagreus (21 December)
- Dithyramb II: Dionysus - The Bachhae (22 December)
- Dithyramb III: Sabazius Rising (23 December)
- Dithyramb IV: Omophagia (24 December)
Splits[]
- Sabazius / Dröne (Split with Dröne, 2008)
- Ruins Revisited / The Sermon to the Hypocrites (Split with Dronehouse, 2009)
- Under the Alum Shale (Split with Hesper Payne, 2012)
Live albums[]
- The Descent of Man (2013)
Members[]
Current Members[]
- Nev Taylor – Guitar, Bass, Drums, Synthesizer (2006-present)
- Steve Patton – Vocals (2006-present)