Will we ever get a new Living Sacrifice album?

It’s been over 10 years since Ghost Thief. Metal-archives still has them listed as Active. It’s about time for some new tunes!

I wish they would but have my doubts with it being this long.

Realize I may be overly opinionated, but I certainly hope not. Do we really need another mediocre metalcore album from a cover band that has borrowed the name of an influential Christian metal band from a bygone era when the Christian metal scene was in its prime?

A kind of Magic wrote:Realize I may be overly opinionated, but I certainly hope not. Do we really need another mediocre metalcore album from a cover band that has borrowed the name of an influential Christian metal band from a bygone era when the Christian metal scene was in its prime?

Do they have none of the original members?

Uncertain of the current lineup. But in my, vastly humble opinion, they are at this point, a cover band still playing generic metalcore originals. However, they still maintain a dedicated fan base I suppose, even if they no longer resemble the band I once knew and enjoyed.

And while we're at it, get off the lawn.

A kind of Magic wrote:Uncertain of the current lineup. But in my, vastly humble opinion, they are at this point, a cover band still playing generic metalcore originals. However, they still maintain a dedicated fan base I suppose, even if they no longer resemble the band I once knew and enjoyed.

Get outta here, troll.  What nonsense.  Living Sacrifice is as legendary as they ever were, and their mix of metalcore, groove metal, thrash, and death is far fresher than most of the metal or core out there.  Nothing generic about them.  My personal favorite is the s/t, as it has been when I bought the cassette upon release, but all their albums rip.

Bruce and Lance are original members, and the other original members Jason and DJ have also played with them in recent live shows the last few years.  The other members have been with them since '98.

They've been playing regular shows the last few years, for the documentary and Furnace Fests.  Hope they come out with some new material soon!

Of course, this is just one person's humble opinion, and you're certainly entitled to your own. During the thriving Christian metal scene of the raging 90s, the actual Living Sacrifice band - the real Living Sacrifice - maintained a consistent lineup for three consecutive albums, featuring Darren "D.J." Johnson, Bruce Fitzhugh, Lance Garvin and Jason Truby. They also had a different vocalist, among other things, on those three albums.

In contrast, the current cover band operating under the Living Sacrifice name is an entirely different musical entity, in my view possessing a rather generic Metalcore sound. I'll give them credit for  Reborn being fresh at the time, but anything they've done since has simply swam the tide of bad trend. The actual, one and only Living Sacrifice, followed trends and followed them well. Just my humble opinion of course.

I like everything they’ve done to varying degrees. My favorite is the s/t, and my least favorite is Nonexistent. 

Ghost Thief is the best “metal-core” album they made so far (imo). I also like The Infinite Order album a lot.

^^Pretty much the same for me, although I’d put Reborn over Ghost Thief.

I hope LS does another album (or at least an EP). 

I have a feeling they intend to, God willing…

And when they do, DJ will guest on some of the vocals! 

They need to do a full blown original member reunion with a live album (which will lead to the new studio album).

I want to hear LS do a cover of Sepultura’s song Arise.

A kind of Magic wrote:Of course, this is just one person's humble opinion, and you're certainly entitled to your own. During the thriving Christian metal scene of the raging 90s, the actual Living Sacrifice band - the real Living Sacrifice - maintained a consistent lineup for three consecutive albums, featuring Darren "D.J." Johnson, Bruce Fitzhugh, Lance Garvin and Jason Truby. They also had a different vocalist, among other things, on those three albums.

In contrast, the current cover band operating under the Living Sacrifice name is an entirely different musical entity, in my view possessing a rather generic Metalcore sound. I'll give them credit for  Reborn being fresh at the time, but anything they've done since has simply swam the tide of bad trend. The actual, one and only Living Sacrifice, followed trends and followed them well. Just my humble opinion of course.

So every band that changes members is a cover band? Aren't many real bands then.

Lance Garvin and Bruce Fitzhugh have both been on every album, up to and including Ghost Thief.

Black Rider wrote:

A kind of Magic wrote:Of course, this is just one person's humble opinion, and you're certainly entitled to your own. During the thriving Christian metal scene of the raging 90s, the actual Living Sacrifice band - the real Living Sacrifice - maintained a consistent lineup for three consecutive albums, featuring Darren "D.J." Johnson, Bruce Fitzhugh, Lance Garvin and Jason Truby. They also had a different vocalist, among other things, on those three albums.

In contrast, the current cover band operating under the Living Sacrifice name is an entirely different musical entity, in my view possessing a rather generic Metalcore sound. I'll give them credit for  Reborn being fresh at the time, but anything they've done since has simply swam the tide of bad trend. The actual, one and only Living Sacrifice, followed trends and followed them well. Just my humble opinion of course.

So every band that changes members is a cover band? Aren't you many real bands then.

Is Megadeth a cover band because Dave Mustaine is the only original member? Mustaine is Megadeth! 

Same with Testament… it was only Eric Peterson and Chuck Billy for a few years in the late 90’s. Even now, there’s only three original guys. They still are Testament.

Also, I understand not liking the post-DJ stuff, but they’ve had a way more consistent sound from Reborn on, whereas they changed their sound quite dramatically on each of the first 3 albums, especially from the debut to Nonexistent.

TZ75 wrote:

Black Rider wrote:

A kind of Magic wrote:Of course, this is just one person's humble opinion, and you're certainly entitled to your own. During the thriving Christian metal scene of the raging 90s, the actual Living Sacrifice band - the real Living Sacrifice - maintained a consistent lineup for three consecutive albums, featuring Darren "D.J." Johnson, Bruce Fitzhugh, Lance Garvin and Jason Truby. They also had a different vocalist, among other things, on those three albums.

In contrast, the current cover band operating under the Living Sacrifice name is an entirely different musical entity, in my view possessing a rather generic Metalcore sound. I'll give them credit for  Reborn being fresh at the time, but anything they've done since has simply swam the tide of bad trend. The actual, one and only Living Sacrifice, followed trends and followed them well. Just my humble opinion of course.

So every band that changes members is a cover band? Aren't you many real bands then.

Is Megadeth a cover band because Dave Mustaine is the only original member? Mustaine is Megadeth! 

Same with Testament… it was only Eric Peterson and Chuck Billy for a few years in the late 90’s. Even now, there’s only three original guys. They still are Testament.

One size does not fit all. In the music world, the dynamic between a band and its members can vary greatly. For some groups, like Megadeth, the band has always been and is, essentially a solo project led by a dominant figure - in this case, Dave Mustaine. Megadeth has always revolved around Mustaine's vision and leadership.

In contrast, other bands like Living Sacrifice maintained a more collective core identity . While Living Sacrifice had a strong frontman in DJ, the band maintained its core identity through multiple album cycles.

Then there are groups like Metallica, where the loss of any of the "big three" (excluding the bass player) would fundamentally change the band's identity. Metallica has weathered bassist changes since its inception but kept its essential character intact.
On the other hand, some bands have devolved into little more than solo projects or cover bands. Tourniquet, for instance, became synonymous with founder Ted Kirkpatrick, and become a Ted solo project. Another example is Whitecross—  essentially a cover band and solo vehicle for Rex Carroll.

In summary, the relationship between a band and its members is complex. Some groups are tightly bound to a dominant personality, while others maintain a more collective identity. There is no one-size-fits-all rule - each band's dynamic is unique.

A kind of Magic wrote:

TZ75 wrote:

Black Rider wrote:

A kind of Magic wrote:Of course, this is just one person's humble opinion, and you're certainly entitled to your own. During the thriving Christian metal scene of the raging 90s, the actual Living Sacrifice band - the real Living Sacrifice - maintained a consistent lineup for three consecutive albums, featuring Darren "D.J." Johnson, Bruce Fitzhugh, Lance Garvin and Jason Truby. They also had a different vocalist, among other things, on those three albums.

In contrast, the current cover band operating under the Living Sacrifice name is an entirely different musical entity, in my view possessing a rather generic Metalcore sound. I'll give them credit for  Reborn being fresh at the time, but anything they've done since has simply swam the tide of bad trend. The actual, one and only Living Sacrifice, followed trends and followed them well. Just my humble opinion of course.

So every band that changes members is a cover band? Aren't you many real bands then.

Is Megadeth a cover band because Dave Mustaine is the only original member? Mustaine is Megadeth! 

Same with Testament… it was only Eric Peterson and Chuck Billy for a few years in the late 90’s. Even now, there’s only three original guys. They still are Testament.

One size does not fit all. In the music world, the dynamic between a band and its members can vary greatly. For some groups, like Megadeth, the band has always been and is, essentially a solo project led by a dominant figure - in this case, Dave Mustaine. Megadeth has always revolved around Mustaine's vision and leadership.

In contrast, other bands like Living Sacrifice maintained a more collective core identity . While Living Sacrifice had a strong frontman in DJ, the band maintained its core identity through multiple album cycles.

Then there are groups like Metallica, where the loss of any of the "big three" (excluding the bass player) would fundamentally change the band's identity. Metallica has weathered bassist changes since its inception but kept its essential character intact.
On the other hand, some bands have devolved into little more than solo projects or cover bands. Tourniquet, for instance, became synonymous with founder Ted Kirkpatrick, and become a Ted solo project. Another example is Whitecross—  essentially a cover band and solo vehicle for Rex Carroll.

In summary, the relationship between a band and its members is complex. Some groups are tightly bound to a dominant personality, while others maintain a more collective identity. There is no one-size-fits-all rule - each band's dynamic is unique.

About two examples you provided…

Megadeth has changed it’s musical style in the past. Most notably the Risk album (in comparison to their original high octane brand of thrash) like Rust in Peace!
Your observation about Mustaine is true to certain extent, but he did have David Ellefson as a sidekick for about 20 years before his first dismissal. And the Friedman/Menza lineup lasted a solid 10 years. I’d say that was not necessarily a solo project situation. Nowadays it is true that Megadeth is basically a Mustaine solo entity… he highly respects his choices in the band. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dirk and possibly the new lead player Teemu will be allowed to contribute to the next album. As long as what they come up with fits his vision for the album. 

The other example: Metallica, are not anything like they were in the 1980’s! They evolved into a different band. After they lost Cliff, they managed to keep some remnants of the magic they had for the Justice album. Then they pivoted to a great (but over simplified) commercial sound. While I very much like the majority of TBA, it’s noticeable a different feeling than its predecessor. And don’t get me started with the Load albums! At that point Hetfield gave the power over to Lars and to a lesser extent Kirk Hammett. They had an urge to play “rockstar” instead of the successful misfits they used to be. Hetfield and Newsted hated the makeup and cheesy glam image direction. At that point, don’t tell me it was the same band! Yes the three core members were still there… but the spirit of the band changed. It was more about money and mass exposure. Could you imagine Cliff Burton ditching his denim jeans and jacket for a silk shirt and eyeliner?? It would not have happened! 

And taking it further… St. Anger was a deliberately sloppy album that made them seem like a beginner garage band. It’s like they lost everything they knew had to start over like 13 year olds that got their first instrument from Guitar Center and decided to make some noise with friends. Their midlife crisis and Hetfield’s alcoholism is no excuse to get sloppy. Even Jeff Hanneman had higher standards than that on his worst drinking day. 

One more point…

I agree Tourniquet became the Ted show, but Ted did allow Aaron and Luke to write a handful of songs on a couple albums. It was “a band” at that point.

Thoughtful post. A nice change.


"About two examples you provided…"

"Megadeth has changed it’s musical style in the past. Most notably the Risk album (in comparison to their original high octane brand of thrash) like Rust in Peace!"

I acknowledge this but the topic I was discussing wasn't about changing musical styles.



"Your observation about Mustaine is true to certain extent, but he did have David Ellefson as a sidekick for about 20 years before his first dismissal."

Writing full albums alone is a daunting task. Having another songwriter or two in a band is an asset for any artist, especially one on a war path hellbound for vengeance. Dave Ellefson, IMO and as the future would later predict, was in the band as long as he complied to Dave's vision.


"And the Friedman/Menza lineup lasted a solid 10 years. I’d say that was not necessarily a solo project situation. Nowadays it is true that Megadeth is basically a Mustaine solo entity…"

Many say this line up is the "true" Megadeth. But in truth there never has been a "true" Megadeth. Mustaine has maintained tight centralized creative control over Megadeth and has always been the driving force. Any disputes with Dave ends up with pirates being fed to the sharks - as has been proven over and over again.


"he highly respects his choices in the band. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dirk and possibly the new lead player Teemu will be allowed to contribute to the next album. As long as what they come up with fits his vision for the album."

I'd say Dave will welcome their input, as long as it fits "his" vision.


Referring to Metallica

Metallica or bands changing styles was not my point of reference in my original post.


"I agree Tourniquet became the Ted show, but Ted did allow Aaron and Luke to write a handful of songs on a couple albums. It was “a band” at that point."

In my opinion, Tourniquet became a cover band with Ted Kirkpatrick songs as soon as the original singer and co-writer/singer guitarist, Gary Lenaire left the band. Ted, like Dave, would've welcomed input from other sources, as long as they followed "his" vision.

Might as well add Michael Sweet to the “his vision” category.

I have nothing more to say at the moment about this… to avoid beating a dead horse.

TZ75 wrote:Might as well add Michael Sweet to the “his vision” category.

The core of Stryper have remained constant for the most part. They're not a cover band writing originals under the name of a band that was its stating point. It's just how I see it. I can appreciate I am the outlander as many of my thoughts and views don't align with popular consensus - especially when it comes to beloved bands and bias.

Yes I think we are done with this one. Thank you.