Sanctuary
The Year The Sun Died
His sky high vocals combined with guitarist Lenny Rutledge's classic thrash riffs, separated Sanctuary from the throes of metal bands struggling to get noticed at the time. Simply Sanctuary offered something fresh sounding in the muddled world of '80s thrash. They represented the perfect link between US Power Metal, technical Thrash, and the dark sounds that would later redefine 90s metal. By the time 1991 came to an end, the landscape of American heavy music looked completely different. They found themselves without a record deal or much support anywhere so in 1992 they officially disbanded. Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard went on to form Nevermore with a newly recruited young guitar player Jeff Loomis, who was set to join Sanctuary right before its collapse. Drummer David Budbill, guitarist Sean Blosl and Rutledge shied away from the music industry once Sanctuary dissolved, while Nevermore released several acclaimed albums and are recognized as one of modern metal's most influential bands, though towards its later years, inner turmoil found the band touring less, its members focusing on solo albums and eventually finding themselves on hiatus. Sanctuary announced in 2010 that they would be reuniting and played metal festivals in both Europe and the US with the original line up save for Blosl. Former Forced Entry guitarist, Brad Hull stepped in to fill his shoes as a permanent touring and recording member. In early 2014, they entered Soundhouse Studios and almost 25 years later, picked up right where they left off: progressing and pushing the boundaries of what metal is in the album "The Year The Sun Died". Given the fact that Rutledge, who wrote all the music with Dane, has essentially sat out the last quarter century of recording and playing music, some might question how he was able to write some of the most notable and striking metal songs heard in years.