them gigging alongside the likes of Candlemass, Girlschool, and Sabbat. This album, although now regarded as a classic of its day, was met with many puzzled expressions from fans and press alike as the band strayed away from thrash into highly experimental pieces which were difficult for people to pigeon hole (mixing doom metal, folk, multi-layered harmony vocals, extended acoustic pieces, and even touches of jazz). This was the band's parting shot at that time. 1989–2014 Shortly after recording Turn Back Trilobite, the band quietly went their separate ways. Damian and Tam grew disillusioned by the restrictions and expectations they felt were heaped upon the band. The pair, who were partners throughout this period, went off to live in a converted bus and have two daughters. No official statement was ever made regarding the ceasing of the band at this point. The band has since stated that they never officially split up, preferring to say that they took a 25-year rest. Whilst Bassist Frank Healy went on to eventually join Benediction (after stints in Cerebral Fix and Napalm Death) with whom he still plays, and drummer Spike T Smith joining forces with artists such as Morrissey, The Damned, Steve Ignorant, Conflict, English Dogs, and many others. Guitarist Damian Thompson went on immerse himself into purer forms of 'folk' music, becoming an accomplished wooden flute player within traditional Irish music and taking several extended trips to study classical Indian music in India. Sacrilege are today cited by many people as being ahead of their time during the 1980s in terms of their sound. They are now recognized as a major influence on many later bands and for being unafraid to use musical and idealistic experimentation within the confines of a certain musical genre, even to the detriment of greater commercial appeal. The band has thus maintained a strong underground following amongst its fans. Several unofficial and sometimes poor quality bootleg releases of the band's back catalogue and early demos have appeared during their long absence much to the disappointment of founder members Damian Thompson and Lynda 'Tam' Simpson (who between them wrote the entirety of the group's musical and lyrical content). 2014–present In July 2014, Sacrilege began writing their first new album (provisionally titled Emptiness Intoxication) in 25 years, partly to commemorate 30 years since the band formed and Behind the Realms of Madness was originally released. November 2015 saw the