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Sacred Rite (not to be confused with Arizona-based thrashers Sacred Reich) was a heavy metal band out of Hawaii. Formed in Honolulu circa 1980 by guitarist Jimmy "Dee" Caterine and drummer Kevin Lum, with singer/guitarist Mark Kaleiwahea and bassist Peter Crane, the band (briefly called Sabre) soon became known around town for its highly proficient, ultra-technical style of classic metal. Eventually graduating from covering Judas Priest and Iron Maiden tunes to writing their own material, the group scored a deal with local indie Rendezvous and recorded their self-titled debut on a shoestring budget in 1984. Picked up for European release by Axe Killer Records, it slowly started spreading the band's fan base and earned them a slot opening for Canadian power trio Triumph on its Hawaiian tour stop. The half-studio, half-live follow-up, The Ritual, was released a year later, but it wasn't until 1986's much improved Is Nothing Sacred? that the band enjoyed some greater exposure on the American mainland, where similar-sounding bands like Queensryche and Crimson Glory were growing quite popular. Courted by major Polygram, the band relocated to Atlanta, GA, for a series of ill-fated, commercially driven demo sessions and a conditional label agreement that sadly only kept them in limbo for months on end, then never materialized. Disappointment, disillusion, and even disease eventually splintered Sacred Rite around 1989, with different members forming different bands in the ensuing years. Nothing ever came of any of them, but come 2002, the band re-issued its entire discography, plus a number of early singles on two discs entitled Rites of Passage, Vols. 1 & 2. ~ Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide |
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