This album, originally released by R.E.X. in 1991, has just been re-released by Solid State. If you've just been introduced to the band with Reborn, be advised that Living Sacrifice has reinvented themselves more often and dramatically than any other band I can think of. One recording gives you very little idea of what to expect with any other.
This album is pretty much what you would expect out of a 1991 speed metal band. Driven by blistering thrash beats and shredding rhythm guitars, it's metal to the smoldering core. The music, specifically the guitars, are more involved and intricate in many ways than Reborn, but the odd-meter stuff is gone and replaced with the standard 4/4 feel of the day. The vocals are just shouted and sometimes sound a bit bland, but they get the job done. Musically this is a fine album, and almost every track is worthwhile. Also, this is the only LS album where I'm able to enjoy the guitar solos (which appear often, but not intrusively).
My main gripe is that, purposefully or not (who am I to tell?), it really sounds like a Slayer clone. As far as their sound goes, I have to say that Slayer remain kings of their castle. This album, then, is to me sort of like non-fat frozen yogurt is to Ben & Jerry's. It's good for you and tastes better than a lot of things, but can't quite measure up to the "real" stuff. This is NOT an endorsement for Slayer -- they are NOT HEALTHY for anybody who values their soul or their relationship with God
For anybody reading this who may have been too young to have caught the thrash craze when it was fresh, this reissue is well done and could turn you on to a genre that I still love (although I'd sooner recommend the double cd reissues of Vengeance Rising or Deliverance). If you're looking for pre-Reborn, I'm afraid you'll have to dig up a hard-to-find demo, cause this is a whole different carton of eggs.
6.5/10
Other coverage for this album
Dead Zine 2002Reviewed by NecRoSarXStraight-up thrash. Another CD that receives massive amounts of playtime in my player. Most who know Living Sacrifice only through Reborn may not get into their debut release much, but for those longing for more speed and thrash-oriented metal in the vein of classic Slayer and Kill 'Em All-era Metallica, Living Sacrifice is something you don't want to pass up. And, thanks to Solid State Records,…Dead Zine 2002Reviewed by D_ListerHow much does nostalgia count when reviewing an album? I'm not sure, but I know I liked this so very much the first time I heard it...YEARS ago. So when I heard Solid State was repressing the older LS albums, and I knew I didn't have a CD of this one, I was excited. I went to the store pretty quickly after the release and was even more excited to see the original artwork on the cover, and not…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Josh SpencerI still remember when I first heard this album back in 1991, and how wide my eyes got as the first sick wall of dirty distortion blasted into my ears. To this day, no other Christian metal album has captured pounding pure heavy thrash like Living Sacrifice's debut. Younger fans who only know Reborn will either recoil from this or embrace it as a classic from the era of aggression they never knew.…Heaven's Metal #31Reviewed by Jeff LottThrash fans, get ready: the debut album by Living Sacrifice smokes! Being on R.E.X., I expected Believer or Sacrament clones, but clones they are not. They have borrowed elements of these bands, Lance Garvin's drumming reminds me of Sacrament, while D.J.'s vocals remind me of Believer; but overall, for a thrash band, they do have their own sound (if that's possible in thrash). Musically this CD…Similar sounding releases
1993PossessionThe Unnameable Suffering
Drop DeadDeath by Fusion
1996UltimatumSymphonic Extremities
1990SacramentTestimony of Apocalypse
1988Vengeance RisingHuman Sacrifice
1994Six Feet DeepStruggleMore from Living Sacrifice
2000The Hammering Process
1992Nonexistent
1994Inhabit
2005In Memoriam
1990No Yielding to Ungodly
2002Conceived In Fire
