Vengeance Rising-Human Sacrifice (25th Anniversary)

Roxx Records
2013

For those of you who already know the name and know the importance of this album then I'd just like to point out that this 25th Anniversary edition will only be available on vinyl and is limited to just 300 picture discs (or make that 299 as I've already pre-ordered my own personal copy). If you've ever wanted to own a copy of this groundbreaking album for yourself (especially on vinyl!) then you can skip everything that follows and just click on the link at the bottom of this article. I promise you will not be disappointed. Seeing as these 13 tracks, which were remastered exclusively for vinyl by J Powell at Steinhaus Remastering, have never sounded better it really seems as if this is one of those cases where if you're a fan then it's a easy call.  For everyone else out there who might not be that familiar with this one-time Christian metal band then we'll cover a little bit of ground/back-story and (hopefully) you will see why this California band was/is considered to be so important. There are very few bands, Christian or not, that have the kind of legacy (and not to mention rich history) as L.A.'s Vengeance Rising, but I'll leave you to do your own homework if you want the full story (as it is kind of long and all). I will simply cover the basics of this thrash band that was originally formed in 1985 as simply Vengeance. The name change came about in 1988 and I have always assumed that it was because of the Vengeance who hailed from the Netherlands that the change was in order. Looking through the Metal Archives though shined a bit more light on the subject as there were (And still are?) tons of bands named Vengeance. But, that's neither here nor there when it comes down to what these metalheads were packing when they released this album back in 1988. Originally released on Intense Records, and surprising out of print on both vinyl and CD these days, the album was well-received by both the Christian and secular press. Up until that point there were few Christian bands willing to really push the envelope and play brutal heavy metal. We're talking about a time when Stryper was the big "name" in Christian heavy metal and, even though they too had faced criticism from fundamentalists about playing "the devil's music", no one had seem a Christian that was willing to get their hands dirty and put it all on the line like Vengeance Rising. There was really no alternative for metalheads that we're looking for an alternative to bands like Metallica, Slayer, Dark Angel and Exodus so when this album was released it sent shock-waves through the Christian industry! Despite originally having a somewhat rough production and (depending on how you perceive them) being plagued with a couple of potentially throw-away tracks ("Receive Him", "Salvation" and "He Is God" are all under a minute in length and come across as more like punk thrash) the album hit all the right notes for a generation of metal fans that wanted to praise God while thrashing like a maniac! Speed metal and thrash combined for an album that brutal enough to reach out to the unsaved while also being Biblical enough for Christian teens to feel like they weren't missing out. True, there were Christian bookstores who refused to stock the album back in 1988 because of it's graphic cover, but the album ended up in more then enough Mom and Pop record stores that it all balanced out. And now here it is 25 years later and while Christian metal has come a very LONG way there will always be a place for "Human Sacrifice" in the hearts and mind of speed metal/thrash metal fans. With this limited edition/hand-numbered picture disc, which really has been re-mastered for a superior listening experience!, the good folks at Roxx Records are celebrating the 25th Anniversary of this classic album in grand style! Again, it's limited to only 300 pieces folks. Thanks to prints from the original photo sessions of "Human Sacrifice" the new LP's artwork is being created so that it will resemble the original artwork. It's also worth noting that everyone who purchases this special re-release will  be receiving a similar digital download version so that you can have the best of both words! Oh, there is also a limited edition poster being released in conjunction with the limited edition LP. So, you can either buy the picture disc by itself, the poster by itself or, better yet, buy a combo of the two which is what I did. Supplies are extremely limited my friends so it's a good idea to act fast while there is still time. The fact is 300 copies is next to nothing in the grand scheme of things so once their gone their gone. Trust me you do not want to sleep on this one!

Pre Order Information Available at
http://roxxproductions.storenvy.com/products/