Dear Bill Beadle, how are you doing?

I’m good thank Heiko

Please tell us something about your hometown?

I’m originally from London but moved to Gillingham Kent in 1989. Gillingham has a good history of musicians and venues and it’s also easy for us to travel into Europe as it’s only 30 miles from Dover and of course it’s only 30 miles from London so a perfect place to live.

Best of, compilation

How is the Heavy Metal scène in your area?

Like all areas in the UK it’s going through a sticky patch where a lot of venues are closing but that goes for all genres and not just Heavy Metal, we still have the famous Leo’s Red Lion in Gravesend going strong which is just a few miles from here and has many top bands playing. 

Can you tell us what happened after the release of  the demo’s; Gates of Hell,1983 and demo 1984. The band called it quits?

The Gates of Hell album was actually a Demo album that I never tried to get released. There were songs off off it that made their way to Europe which for instance got us a cult following in places like Italy. In the early 80s the band made such a remarkable start it was as though everything was going to happen and we would be a big named band without even trying. When I wrote the demo songs it was all about getting a few gigs rather than becoming rock stars but my father sent the Tape off to the TV company ITV who were trying to find the best band for a 6 part series featuring 6 genres of music to play on the David Jensen Show, he was a big name DJ from the USA who came across to do Radio one in the UK and was given this show on Television, so even before we had played a gig we were thrust on TV as the best band in the Metal genre, yes Sacrilege were picked out of many thousands of tapes and records as Best New band of 82/83. So I really don’t know how well we would have done if I had been more persistent or proactive like I am now. I think this is an advantage though as its fresh to people and not like a band that didn’t do to well in the 80s and is trying again. I only called it quits in 1987 as I got fed up with running the band I suppose. I was singer/songwriter/guitarist and also booked all the shows, booked Rehearsals, picked up and dropped off band members and just got fed up with it, as I say I wasn’t trying to be a rock star I was just trying to enjoy playing music and performing.


Please tell us about your point of view, when you think back about the exciting times in the 80’s and Heavy Metal..?

I’m a big Black Sabbath fan and went to see them all the time in the 70s and when the problem with Ozzy leaving arose I was distraught and all the bands I loved then weren’t playing so often, bands like Judas Priest, the scorpions, Ted Nugent etc so I wondered if I could write music. People seemed to like what I wrote and then we did the TV show, at this time I Heavy metal was making a comeback after the punk scene with Iron Maiden, Saxon, Def Leppard and a whole host of great bands that don’t get the credit for their music I don’t think and it was great as you could see a top band almost every night if you weren’t playing yourself.

What are your thoughts about the Metal scène at the moment and the Music scène in general Anno 2019?

I think its suffering from venues closing or only wanting tribute acts and cover bands, I don’t blame them to much as they seem to pull the crowd more but its not doing new music any favours that’s for sure.

Sacrilege, bandphoto six 6 six

When did you Guys found each other to form again… Sacrilege?

I’m the only original member and I have Neil Turnbull (The Devil Himself) on drums ex Dervish, Paul Macnamara ex Salem (who only joined us last year) and Jeff Rolland now and we have been together since 2012/13 apart from Paul of course. 

In 2013 the compilation/Best of Sacrilege  1983-2012 saw the light of day. How it was received by press and fans and how did the scène react that the band was reborn..?

It was crazy really as I took some persuasion by different people to get Sacrilege playing again and it was to be a one off gig but I enjoyed it so much I was hooked and wanted more so I started booking more shows that first gig back was at the Red Lion in 2012 was all but sold out. 

Then quickly after the best of.. came a new album; with the title; Sacrosanct. Please tell us about the writing process of this album and time you Guys had in the studio?

After Gates of Hell the next 3 Sacrilege albums were all made by myself with guest Lead guitarists on them as I didn’t have plans on getting the band back together to play live shows and this continued with Sacrosanct as I had written it before the Red Lion gig and Neil and Jeff joined me, this felt like a new beginning as they are such great musicians the albums were going to be better than the ones I recorded on my own, the tracks were all recorded in my home studio. 

In 2015 Ashes to Ashes another best of was released? What was the story behind it?

Many record labels were interested in our back catalogue by Pure Steel Records were also interested in a new Sacrilege album as well as the older stuff so we decided they were the label for us. 

And the same Year a new album was released; Six 6 Six. Please tell us about the lyrics that you Guys wrote for this album? What was the meaning behind the lyrics and where do you get the inspiration to write the lyrics?

I write all lyrics and music for Sacrilege and I wanted to try a concept album. With each Sacrilege album I have always tried to make it interesting and not write the same sort of album time and time again but without deserting the Sacrilege sound, The Wraith our 4 album for instance was a soundtrack album based on the TV show Stargate Atlantis and with six6six I wanted to tell a story of the battle between God and Lucifer and as you can hear with the prologue to the track Eyes of the lord it puts everything that came before that track into perspective I think.

And now, 2019 another album is released; The Court of the Insane. Please tell us about the writing process, time in the Ascape Studio’s and working with  David Lear?

I wrote and finished this album in 2017 but we have always had a problem finding the right guitarist for the band. Tony Vanner was with us for 3 years but retired just as we were recording The Court of the Insane and we were beginning to wonder if the album would ever get completed as Neil Jeff and Myself had recorded our parts but we needed the lead Guitar parts Dave liked our music and is a fab guitarist so I asked him to do one track and what he did was prefect for Sacrilege so we asked him to do the rest while we tried to get a new permanent guitarist in. Just as Dave finished doing the solos Paul came on the scene and it was to late for him to do the solo’s but he’s been touring with us and is now a permanent member of Sacrilege so will be on future albums but we are ever thankful to Dave for the superb work he did on the album.   

Who was responsible for the frontcover of the album?

We asked renown metal artwork artist Andy Pilkington to do the cover and Neil and I told him our thoughts which he has done a fab job of putting together our input, it was Neil’s idea to somehow have me on the cover so Andy decided to put my severed head on a plate, charming haha 

How did the press and fans received the new album?

The reviews have been fantastic and playing the new tracks live have been so well received. I don’t even know which is the best track as someone always has a different song as their favourite and its been voted album of the month in some magazines and got 9/10 in Powerplay Magazine. It also got rave reviews in Fireworks magazine and every major magazine who has listened to it so we couldn’t be happier.

The band, live Anno 2019

Any live shows planned?

We have shows planned for the UK, Belgium and Holland this year and so far we have shows lined up in Malta, Germany and the UK next year but more are being added all the time, you can find the gig list at www.sacrilegenwobhm.com/gigs

Which bands you consider to be your favorites back in the 80’s and anno 2019?

Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Kiss, Ted Nugent, Cathedral, Thin Lizzy, Motorhead the list goes on because I also like Saxon, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard so its really hard to pick a couple and now I really like Nightwish of the newer top bands.

Do you have a last word to the readers of Bonavox Magazine?

Thank you guys for all your support and I hope we can come and play for you bringing our show of Pyros, smoke, strobes, flame machines and even the Devil himself, which is all part of a Sacrilege show. cheers…..