1. Overkill Exposure
2. Rules Of Engagement
3. Nietzsche's Madness
4. Unfit To Live
5. The Training
6. Organized Lie
7. The Reckoning
8. Love Forgives
9. They Were One
10. God Is My Home
11. Apostasy
If I was a vaguely intelligent person I would have realised when I saw this band are signed to Solid State Records (Gwen Stacy, Oh, Sleeper) that I was in for something heavy, but I'm not, so I didn't. As the guitar bled into the album, I suddenly realised what was coming and it was a good thing. The harshness of the vocals came in at just the right time confirming the expectations the guitar had introduced.
I was ready for an album that demanded my attention and that I couldn't help but become absorbed in, but that wasn't what... Read More If I was a vaguely intelligent person I would have realised when I saw this band are signed to Solid State Records (Gwen Stacy, Oh, Sleeper) that I was in for something heavy, but I'm not, so I didn't. As the guitar bled into the album, I suddenly realised what was coming and it was a good thing. The harshness of the vocals came in at just the right time confirming the expectations the guitar had introduced.
I was ready for an album that demanded my attention and that I couldn't help but become absorbed in, but that wasn't what I got. Truthfully, I listened to this album twice and both times it managed to seep into the background as I did other things, not even attention grabbing things. That's not really what you expect when you hear this kind of music.
In the past few weeks I have been listening to music which is incredibly strong lyrically so maybe this just came at the wrong time for me as it's hard to hear the lyrics in the style they are being screamed at you. The ones I did catch were great, but my heart just wasn't in it.
The guitars save it though, with riffs that would fit perfectly on one of Wind-Up records (The Punisher & Daredevil soundtracks) compilations. Apostasy brings in some really nice acoustic guitars to end the album after 10 screaming tracks without ruining the flow of the album. It's a more sedate end than you might expect but there is a beauty about it that just seems to work.
It's a good offering from Living Sacrifice and one that, after breaking up in 2005 to reform in 2008, fans will have been waiting for. It has a certain rawness about it that makes it sound almost like a debut, but there is a lot of potential for greater things in future recordings.
Review by Suzanne Physick
LTTM Rating 3 out of 5 Stars Stand out Tracks Rules of Engagement
Apostasy
