SACRED REICH w/ SARCATOR

An American thrash metal outfit with a penchant for pairing political lyrics, personal politics, and a satiric sense of humor with an uncompromising sonic attack, Sacred Reich helped lead the second wave of the thrash metal movement in the late 1980s alongside contemporaries like , , , and . Based out of Phoenix, Arizona, the band unleashed an onslaught of socially and politically conscious speed metal via crushing albums like Ignorance (1987), The American Way (1990), Independent (1993), and Heal (1996) before calling it quits in 2000. In early 2018, the band announced that they had inked a deal with , resulting in the release of their long-awaited fifth full-length effort, Awakening, in 2019.

The group was founded in 1985 by bassist/vocalist Phil Rind, guitarists Jeff Martinek and Jason Rainey, and drummer . Wiley Arnett replaced Martinek on lead guitar ahead of the release of the band's -issued 1987 debut, Ignorance, which introduced audiences to Sacred Reich's signature blend of potent musicianship and politically charged invective. They continued to explore political themes on 1988's Surf Nicaragua and 1989's Alive at the Dynamo, both of which were EPs, and in 1990 they unleashed their uncompromising sophomore full-length effort, The American Way.

The group re-formed in 2006 for a series of European live dates.