Aqua Net prettyboy metal would yet rule Sunset Strip for a while. But Vengeance Rising’s Human Sacrifice drove a nail in its mascara’ed coffin with as much force as the spike through Christ’s palm pictured on this album’s still-bracing cover. Stryper may have been wanting to send the devil to hell, but Roger Martinez sung to Satan in guttural intelligibility that he’s going to “Burn” down there, too. You, bucko, were in line for the same infernal fate, were you not on the right side of the “White Throne” judgement. Martinez and his bandmates summoned the same scary muse as Slayer’s, down to a similar proto-death thrashing musicality, only using that super powerful assault for good. In retrospect, it’s a hoot to think that there were naysayers who thought Martinez to be mimicking demons with his throatscraping vocals. Didn’t the Lord say something about Beelzebub not being able to cast himself out of anybody?
Sadly, Martinez’s faith was lost amidst a label deal that left him disillusioned with both ministry and industry sides of professional music in a double minority niche (Christian and extreme metal). He has threatened to release another solo Vengeance Rising album in his current atheist mindset as his old bandmates have regrouped as Once Dead. Regardless of the controversies past and present, Human Sacrifice remains a bold introduction to godly metallurgy more interested in shredding than preening.
Other coverage for this album
Dead Zine 2002Reviewed by NecRoSarXThis is, arguably, the first true Christian thrash metal album. Sure, Bloodgood worked as the transition into what was the inevitable evolution of Christian hard music, but Vengeance Rising pushed it over the edge with their first album, Human Sacrifice. This was released in 1988, so to many, it may seem dated. That's because it is, really. To many in that era, and several in this day and age,…Adonai Metal Rock #3Reviewed by J. Le Bavouill'hardTranslated from the original French Imagine five explosive bipeds, weaned on speed, who, touched by Divine Grace, had tipped over, manes all out, into the radiant universe of White Metal...! But no need to let the imagination slog on any longer, since these eardrum descalers do very much exist and are currently imposing themselves as the number one of the Christian speed metal scene. These…Heaven's Metal #18Reviewed by Doug Van PeltThis album is utterly awesome! I used to not appreciate thrash. It used to not impress me. A friend once gave me tickets to see Metallica two years ago and I came away wondering what all the fuss over thrash was about. All these attitudes, of course, were demolished when I first heard the Vengeance demo. I love it! Vengeance is extremely tight. The vocal sound is very, very intense. When the band…Similar sounding releases
1993PossessionThe Unnameable Suffering
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Drop DeadDeath by FusionMore from Vengeance Rising
1990Once Dead
1993Anthology
1991Destruction Comes[title unknown]
1992Released Upon the Earth
