Reviewed by Dave Williams

If you are a regular reader of American heavy metal magazines (the Christian variety) then you will know that Vengeance Rising are hailed one of the leaders in the field of thrash metal, while British thrash offerings are given little if any praise for their efforts. It is true that Vengeance recorded what must be one of the finest debut albums ever with 'Human Sacrifice'. Since the, they have turned out three albums that have been praised to the heavens by the American magazines. However, anyone who is unbiased will tell you that the band's second album 'Once Dead' was a very poorly produced follow-up to 'Human Sacrifice'; the band's third album 'Destruction Comes' was pure dross and this, their fourth, is not really that much better. On the plus side at least lyrically this new project offers songs that make sense instead of passages of scripture strung together without any real purpose. And compositionally, it does at least seem that the band have spent more than a week writing -I would say about ten days. Spiritually, Vengeance Rising have impeccable credentials, their vocalist Roger Martinez is pastor of one the American 'heavy metal' Sanctuary churches. But musically, they are really not in the same league as our own home grown Seventh Angel and Detritus. I think in this case the Americans need to take a lesson from the inventors of metal music - the British.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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