Catching the tail-end of the first wave of the 1980's American thrash scene, Sanctuary came up alongside metal heavyweights Anthrax, Metallica, Testament, and Megadeth, the latter of whom helped land the Seattle-based group a record deal. Founded in 1985 by vocalist Warrel Dane, guitarists Lenny Rutledge and Sean Blosl, bassist Jim Sheppard, and drummer Dave Budbil, the group's 1988 debut album for Epic, Refuge Denied, was produced by Megadeth guitarist Dave Mustaine. The following year saw the departure of Blosl and the arrival of new guitarist Jeff Loomis. Sanctuary's sophomore outing, 1990's Into the Mirror Black, was well-received, but internal conflicts resulting from pressure from Epic to adapt to the burgeoning grunge scene, eventually led to the group's demise in 1992 -- Warrel Dane, Jim Sheppard, and Jeff Loomis would go on to find success with the group Nevermore. In 2010, the founding members of Sanctuary re-formed for a handful of live performances, and in 2014, they released their long-awaited third studio long-player, The Year the Sun Died (their first in 24 years) via Century Media Records. 2017 saw the release of Inception, which featured remixed and remastered lost studio recordings from 1986. ~ Steve Huey