Vengeance formed in South Bay, CA in 1987. They were one of the best thrash
bands to come out of the Sanctuary Christian metal movement of the mid-80's.
Shortly after their first album, they were sued for the rights to the name as
another band owned the rights to record under the name, but not to tour under
it. They changed their name to Vengeance Rising. There are less than a thousand
of their first album printed on cd without the word "Rising" under
the Vengeance logo.
Vengeance-Human Sacrifice
(Intense)
1. "Human Sacrifice" (2:36)
2. "Burn" (3:59)
3. "Mulligan's Stew" (3:02)
4. "Receive Him" (3:03)
5. "I Love Hating Evil" (3:29)
6. "Fatal Delay" (3:13)
7. "White Throne" (3:06)
8. "Salvation" (:17)
9. "From the Dead" (4:34)
10. "Ascension" (5:25)
11. "He Is God" (:53)
12. "Fill this Place With Blood" (2:39)
13. "Beheaded" (3:10)
THRASH! No mistake about it, Vengence (Rising) were one of the heaviest bands to exist in the 80's. The big difference between Vengeance and bands like Dark Angel or Slayer was the lyrics, which screamed a message of Christianity. The disc took a lot of criticism from both Christians and non-Christians alike because people were saying that a message of Christianity couldn't be mixed with such extreme music. Regardless of the message, the sheer intensity, aggression and speed of "Human Sacrifice" quickly put Vengeance to the top of my favorites list. I bought the tape as a new release and wore it out very quickly. Soon after I purchased the cd. A year later Vengeance were forced to change their name because of a conflict with another band calling themselves Vengeance, so they added the "Rising" to the name. The original pressing just says Vengeance, but subsequent pressings would add "R I S I N G" in small letters below the logo. KMG has recently re-issued this disc along with "Once Dead" on a single disc. The KMG reprint has a single page insert that is missing all the liner notes, photos, and lyrics.
Ultimatum has covered "Burn."
Vengeance Rising-Once Dead (Intense)
1. "Warfare" (4:50)
2. "Can't Get Out" (3:50)
3. "Cut Into Pieces" (3:15)
4. "Frontal Labotomy" (4:05)
5. "Herod's Violent Death" (3:07)
6. "The Whipping Post" (8:40)
7. "The Wrath To Come" (2:43)
8. "Space Truck'in" (5:00)
9. "Out of the Will" (2:04)
10. "Arise" (4:50)
11. "Into the Abyss" (8:18)
12. "Among the Dead" (3:03)
13. "Interruption" (:50)
On the strength of the first album I was first in line to buy the second when it was released. I picked up a copy and laughed at the cover. Not sure what was so funny about it, but at the time I found it humerous. (I know I have a weird sense of humor.) I didn't have a cd player in my car at that time, so I couldn't wait to get home to check it out. Get home, rip off the cellophane, popped the cd in and BAM! "Our Father who art in heaven, hollowed by thy name. . .," came the growly voice over the thumping bass, before the actual song started. From that point on I treated my ears to one of the most pummeling experiences I had ever had. KILLER THRASH DISC! If you claim to like thrash and don't own this, you do not know what you are missing. "Warfare," "Can't Get Out," and "Cut Into Pieces" just don't let up, the speed and aggression matching or even surpassing the likes of Dark Angel or Death. (and that's saying a lot!) "The Whipping Post" and "Into the Abyss" are two epic speed metal songs. I was privileged to see Vengeance Rising on this tour and they pulled off both these technical songs perfectly while simultaneously doing windmills with their hair. The original pressing of this disc has a song listed on the inside of the cover that never made it to disc called "K.K.L.A."" (Hmm, wonder if there is a bootleg floating around somewhere with that song?) The track was not listed on subsequent pressings. "Space Truck'in" is a humorous rendition of the Deep Purple classic. I have a video bootleg of Extol doing "Warfare."
Vengeance
Rising-Destruction Comes (Intense)
1. "You Can't Stop It"' (5:13)
2. "The Rising" (5:11)
3. "Before the Time" (2:57)
4. "The Sword" (3:15)
5. "he don't own nothing" (3:07)
6. "Countless Corpses" (5:31)
7. "Thanatos" (5:04)
8. "You Will Bow" (4:09)
9. "Hyde Under Pressure" (1:08)
10. "Raegoul" (6:51)
I will admit that I liked this disc a lot when it came out, but in retrospect it doesn't hold water to either of the two discs that came out before it. I played it so much, however, that I have the lyrics to "Before the Time" memorized and can spout them off at any time. Weird how that happens, huh? Anyhow, there are a few choice thrash tunes on this one in the aforementioned "Before the Time" and "You Will Bow". Chris Hyde (ex-Deliverance) plays drums on this disc and is the focus of the joke song "Hyde Under Pressure." "Destruction Comes" featured a cool package with a sticker on the jewel case of an unharmed body builder covering the disemboweled body builder from the cover.
Vengeance Rising-Released Upon the Earth (Intense)
1. "Help Me" (6:17)
2. "The Damnation of Judas and the Salvation of the Thief" (3:14)
3. "Released Upon the Earth" (2:02)
4. "Human Dark Potential" (4:18)
5. "Instruments of Death" (3:46)
6. "Lest You Be Judged" (3:46)
7. "Out of Bounds" -instrumental (3:27)
8. "Bishop of Souls" (5:24)
9. "Tion" (2:59)
10. "You Will Be Hated" (4:37)
Vengeance Rising, or should I say, Roger Rising puts out their fourth cd "Released Upon The Earth." This cd is freaking fast, but still not grindcore as Roger was claiming their new sound was. Perhaps the vocals on some songs are a bit deeper and growlier, but the music is still thrash. Favorite cuts are "Human Dark Potential," "Released Upon the Earth," and "Bishop of Souls.