Sanctuary (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1985 in Seattle, United States |
| Founder | Lenny Rutledge, Sean Blosl |
| Headquarters | Seattle , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Lenny Rutledge (guitar), Joseph Michael (vocals), George Hernandez (bass), Dave Budbill (drums), Warrel Dane (former vocalist, deceased) |
| Products | Studio albums, live EPs |
Number of employees | 4 (current members) |
Sanctuary is a heavy metal group from the United States, established in 1985 in Seattle. The band experienced a hiatus between 1992 and 2010. Presently, the lineup features Lenny Rutledge on guitar, Joseph Michael handling vocals, George Hernandez playing bass, and Dave Budbill on drums. The original frontman, Warrel Dane, passed away in 2017. Sanctuary's discography comprises three studio albums along with one live EP.
While the band never broke into mainstream popularity, Sanctuary is recognized for its role in advancing the Seattle hard rock and heavy metal movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s. This scene also gave rise to influential groups such as Mother Love Bone, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Queensrÿche, Metal Church, among others.
Early years (1985–1992)
Sanctuary was created by cousins and guitarists Lenny Rutledge and Sean Blosl. After recruiting vocalist Warrel Dane, the band concentrated on original compositions and produced their first demo, which garnered considerable airplay on college radio station KCMU. Following a performance in Seattle supporting Megadeth, they presented their demo to Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine, who agreed to produce their debut.
Before recording their first album, Sanctuary toured as Megadeth’s opening act. Their debut record, Refuge Denied, was produced by Mustaine. Managed by Keith Rawls—who also managed Megadeth—the band secured a contract with Epic Records, which remixed and released the album in 1988. Sanctuary then embarked on international tours alongside groups such as Megadeth, Warlock, Savatage, Testament, Nuclear Assault, Flotsam and Jetsam, Vio-lence, Fates Warning, Meliah Rage, and Forced Entry.
In 1989, the band recorded their sophomore album Into the Mirror Black, released in 1990. The music video for "Future Tense" was featured on MTV's Headbangers Ball. During the subsequent tour with Fates Warning, Morbid Angel, Forbidden, Death Angel, Forced Entry, and Blitzspeer, guitarist Sean Blosl departed and was replaced by Jeff Loomis.
Epic Records pressured Sanctuary to shift toward the rising Seattle grunge style, resulting in internal conflicts over musical direction. The group ultimately disbanded in 1992. Although Epic intended to release a live album from their final tour, only a limited promotional live EP titled Into the Mirror Live was issued. Both Refuge Denied and Into the Mirror Black were reissued as a double CD package by IronBird Records on February 22, 2010.
Activities after disbanding (1992–2010)
Following Sanctuary’s breakup, Warrel Dane, Jim Sheppard, and Jeff Loomis formed Nevermore in 1992. Lenny Rutledge transitioned into music production with his own studio and contributed during Nevermore’s demo sessions for their 1998 release Dreaming Neon Black. Nevermore remained active until going on hiatus in April 2011 after nearly two decades and seven studio albums.
Reunion and The Year the Sun Died era (2010–2015)
In 2010, original members Warrel Dane, Jim Sheppard, Lenny Rutledge, and Dave Budbill reunited for select shows. The positive response prompted a full-fledged reunion. Jeff Loomis briefly returned as a second guitarist but exited alongside his departure from Nevermore. Brad Hull—formerly of Forced Entry and previously touring with Sanctuary—joined as a permanent guitarist.
The band performed at ProgPower USA in Atlanta on September 16, 2011, as well as at the 70000 Tons of Metal festival aboard Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas cruise ship in January 2011—a date that coincided with Nevermore’s presence there. In January 2013 Sanctuary signed with Century Media.
Dane attributed the reunion to renewed camaraderie among members and Rutledge’s inspiring new compositions after years of limited activity. He noted that this creative revival reignited his enthusiasm for both music composition and lyric writing.
Concerning their return sound, Dane indicated that the forthcoming album would diverge from their earlier work yet align more closely with their second record Into The Mirror Black, reflecting their growth while maintaining high-pitched vocals absent from Nevermore.
Sanctuary finalized their third studio effort, The Year the Sun Died, by June 2014. The album was released through Century Media on October 14 in North America and October 6 in Europe. Produced by Zeuss, its tracklist and artwork were revealed in August alongside the lead single "Arise and Purify." Subsequent lyric and music videos were created for "Exitium (Anthem of the Living)" and "Frozen." While Dane’s trademark high-register vocals featured on three tracks, most singing employed baritone and bass tones characteristic of his work with Nevermore.
In February 2015 Brad Hull left the band citing personal reasons but maintained amicable relations. To fulfill upcoming European tour dates in March and April without cancellations following Hull’s departure, producer Zeuss enlisted guitarist Nick Cordle—formerly of Arsis and Arch Enemy.
Dead Again and Inception (2015–2017)
In October 2015, lead vocalist Warrel Dane mentioned that guitarist Lenny Rutledge had composed several promising riffs and preliminary tracks intended for Sanctuary's fourth studio album. Among these was a fast and intense song that had been excluded from their prior record, The Year The Sun Died. At that time, the band was in the initial phase of developing new compositions, concentrating on crafting vocal melodies and lyrics.
By April 2016, George Hernandez, formerly with Panic and having toured with Sanctuary in 2015, was officially announced as the band's full-time bassist. In September of the same year, Dane disclosed that the forthcoming album was tentatively titled Dead Again, with a projected release date set for late the following year. He characterized the new material as faster and more rooted in classic thrash metal while incorporating a contemporary heavy sound. Alongside this, the band planned to release a collection of early demo recordings under the title Inception within a few months.
Death of Warrel Dane and the band's future (2017–present)
Warrel Dane passed away from a heart attack on December 13, 2017, in São Paulo, Brazil, during sessions for his second solo album.
In early 2018, Sanctuary embarked on a North American tour alongside Iced Earth to honor Dane’s memory. The lineup featured vocalist Joseph Michael from Witherfall and guitarist Joey Concepcion. The tour’s success inspired Rutledge and Michael to begin working on demos with the intention of preserving and continuing Sanctuary’s musical heritage.
On August 26, 2024, former guitarist Sean Blosl tragically died in a car accident in Seattle at the age of 58.
Members
Current members
- Lenny Rutledge – guitar (1985–1992, 2010–present)
- Dave Budbill – drums (1985–1992, 2010–present)
- George Hernandez – bass (2016–present; previously touring member 2014–2016)
- Joseph Michael – vocals (2018–present)
Former members
- Warrel Dane – vocals (1985–1992, 2010–2017; deceased)
- Jim Sheppard – bass (1985–1992, 2010–2016)
- Sean Blosl – guitar (1985–1990; deceased 2024)
- Jeff Loomis – guitar (1990–1992, 2010–2011)
- Brad Hull – guitar (2011–2015)
- Nick Cordle – guitar (2015–2016)
- Attila Vörös – guitar (2017, 2020)
- Joey Concepcion – guitar (2018–2020)
Studio albums
| Title | Album information | Highest chart positions | Sales | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUT | BEL (FL) | BEL (WA) | GER | NLD | SWI | |||
| Refuge Denied |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Into the Mirror Black |
|
— | 97 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The Year the Sun Died |
|
125 | 75 | 143 | 183 | 39 | 83 | 69 |
|
Live albums
| Title | Album information |
|---|---|
| Into the Mirror Live |
|
Compilations
| Title | Album information | Highest chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BEL (WA) | GER | ||
| Inception |
|
124 | 53 |