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Living Sacrifice formed in the fall of 1989 by Darren "D.J." Johnson (bass/ vocals), Lance Garvin (drums), Bruce Fitzhugh (guitar) and Jason Truby (guitar).
Starting in Little Rock, Arkansas, the average age of the band members was 18. There were not many places for Living Sacrifice to play but then a new all ages club had just opened called Vino's. It was the only place to accept any kind of thrash, metal or punk. Trusty (discord records), a punk band, was one of the only local bands that LS could look to for inspiration because all the "metal" bands were busy playing Metallica covers badly. Living Sacrifice's first show at Vino's, and third show ever, was opening for Shelter (Revelation records) the former Hari Chrisna hardcore band fronted by Ray Cappo ex- Youth of Today (how's that for indie cred?).
Two bands that inspired LS in the Christian metal area where Believer (Roadrunner and REX Records) and The Crucified. After forging a mentor type relationship with Believer, Living Sacrifice recorded a demo to present to their label home REX Records. It worked. One year after forming Living Sacrifice was signing to REX Records.
1991
The self-titled album was released by REX Records (produced by Kurt Bachman of Believer and label exec. Doug Mann). This first record showed obvious influences of the young Living Sacrifice. Bands that come to mind are Testament, Anthrax, Megadeth and oh yeah, Slayer. In reality, the Slayer comparisons convinced the band to explore a more death metal sound on the next record.
1992
Living Sacrifice was rushed back into the studio for another record. The experience in the studio this time was not good. 6 days to record and mix the record. But the result was Nonexistent. The sound of the Florida death metal scene had a profound effect on these songs and particularly the vocal delivery. Two months of touring followed after this as well.
1993
On Christmas day Living Sacrifice drove their van with all their equipment to a tiny town outside of Hershey PA and in 1994 Inhabit was released. This third recording for REX Records turned out to be the heaviest and most technical record to date. The only touring LS did on Inhabit was a one week tour with Malevolent Creation, which was fitting since Inhabit was musically inspired by Malevolent's second record Retribution.
1995
REX Records were in financial difficulty and Living Sacrifice took the opportunity to leave the label with all of their masters for all three records. This would prove a smart move later on.
After taking some time off it became clear that founding member DJ would be leaving the band. That left a need for a vocalist and bassist. Bruce Fitzhugh stepped up to sing for the band. Chris Truby, Jason's brother, stepped in on bass.
1996
Tooth and Nail Records was fast making a name for themselves in the hard music market. They wanted to start an imprint of the label called Solidstate records that focused on extreme heavy music. Living Sacrifice became one of the first bands to launch the imprint along side other, more hardcore acts, like Strongarm and Zao. Living Sacrifice fit right in.
1997
Reborn was recorded in Little Rock, Arkansas by Barry Poynter.
The aptly titled record redefined the band's musical focus and garnered them a slew of new fans -- and probably some of their first outside of the Christian music market. Though the music was decidedly more straightforward, the lyrical focus stayed the same, and the melodic guitar solos and fast-paced galloping drums remained. Despite the underground success of the album, with Living Sacrifice quickly becoming a cornerstone band on the new imprint's roster, further lineup changes happened. Founding guitarist Jason Truby and his only recently introduced brother, bassist Chris Truby, exited the band.
1998
Cory Putman of the Arkansas band Eso- Charis played guitar before the Truby's permanent replacements were found in guitarist Rocky Gray, and bassist Arthur Green, late of Eso-Charis. Green was not the only member of Eso-Charis to join up -- drummer Matthew Putman soon followed. Putman was instrumental in fleshing out Living Sacrifice's sound with additional percussion alongside Garvin, with a two-drummer approach unique to heavy music; different even from Sepultura, Neurosis, and Slipknot, who have all experimented with extra percussion.
1999
Solidstate licenses and Re Issues the first three Living Sacrifice albums.
2000
LS began work on the fifth record recording again with Barry Poynter. The Hammering Process, further streamled the band's sound, decimating it into its base elements, driven by rhythm and heavy guitar crunch without being tantamount to any kind of musical "sellout." Further touring ensued throughout 2000 and 2001, including several dates with the band's friends and former labelmates, P.O.D., as well as touring with Project 86 (Atlantic Records) and a co-headlining tour with Zao. Touring nonstop for 2 years gave The Hammering Process the top sales of any Living Sacrifice album to date.
2002
Living Sacrifice had come off the road for a time and started writing what would be their sixth and final record. Conceived in Fire was produced by Barry Poynter and mixed by the amazing Andy Sneap who has also worked on records by Killswitch Engage and Machine Head.
2003
In the wake of insecurity surrounding the future of Living Sacrifice Rocky Gray took an opportunity to play drums for Evanescence, the Little Rock AR band who had just recorded a debut record for Wind-Up records. Rocky is just one of those guys that plays guitar and drums equally well.
At this point the members of Living Sacrifice felt that the band had run its course and decided to end the band. Cory Putman was brought in once again to fulfill final touring obligations and festivals that were booked through out 2003.
Living Sacrifice played their final farewell show in Little Rock AR at Vino's, where it all began, on June 28, 2003. They were joined by fellow Solidstate labelmates Underoath, Demon Hunter, The Agony Scene, and Extol.
2005
Solidstate releases In Memoriam, a Living Sacrifice best of collective, featuring 3 newly written and recorded songs by Lance Garvin, Rocky Gray and Bruce Fitzhugh.
Where are they now 2005
Darren Johnson - prospering in Arkansas
Jason Truby - guitar for P.O.D. (Atlantic Records)
Chris Truby - prospering in Scotland
Rocky Gray - drummer for Evanescence (Wind-Up Records)
Lance Garvin - writing and recording with Ben Moody (Wind-Up Records)
Arthur Green - prospering in Arkansas
Cory Putman - Singer for Norma Jean (Solidstate Records)
Matthew Putman - drummer for Lovedrug (Columbia Records)
Bruce Fitzhugh - Prospering in Nashville TN.
As of 2008, Living Sacrifice has reformed and is planning on touring in summer 2008 and releasing a new album, which will be released at some point this year. The band's website now links to the official myspace page, which states the following:
"LIVING SACRIFICE has returned. Founding members Bruce Fitzhugh (Vocals / Guitar) and Lance Garvin (Drums) have reunited with Rocky Gray (lead guitar) and Arthur Green (bass). The band will be on tour this summer and we are already writing material for our brand new album, which will be released in 2008.
Before
Living Sacrifice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am a lie without you
On my own I fend for myself
No consideration of anything else
I am drawn, I am
This is my skeleton
This is my skin
I will removed my disguise
The day we met I wanted nothing
A selfish being, blind and seething
Compelled, I am drawn to you
By God, I am saved by you
You pierced this conscious
You broke this shell
You planted conviction
Where there was only hell
Compelled, I am drawn
By God I am
saved
Living Sacrifice's song "Before" speaks of a person's journey towards salvation and their self-realization of being lost without God. The lyrics indicate that the individual believes that they are a fraud and a lie without God. They have been living a life solely focused on themselves without any consideration for others. The singer admits to being drawn to God's love and grace, which has helped them to remove the masks and disguises they have been hiding behind. The lyrics also speak about the power of God's love and how it has changed the person's life. They are grateful for being freed from their former life of chaos and destruction, and they now have faith in God to guide them on their journey towards righteousness. This song is a call for anyone who is lost and searching to find hope and purpose in their life by accepting God's unconditional love and forgiveness.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a fraud without you
I am not true to myself when I am without you
I am a lie without you
I am not honest with myself when I am without you
On my own I fend for myself
When I am without you, I only think about myself
No consideration of anything else
I don't care about anything or anyone else when I am without you
I am drawn, I am
I am attracted to you, I am compelled to be with you
This is my skeleton
This is the core of who I truly am
This is my skin
This is the surface of who I present myself to be
I will removed my disguise
I will be honest and reveal my true self to you
I will remove this mask you met me in
I will no longer pretend to be someone I am not
The day we met I wanted nothing
Before I met you, I had no purpose or direction in life
A selfish being, blind and seething
I was focused only on myself and couldn't see anything else before I met you
Compelled, I am drawn to you
I feel a strong desire and attraction to be with you
By God, I am saved by you
I believe God has saved me through my relationship with you
You pierced this conscious
You have awakened my conscience and made me more aware of my actions
You broke this shell
You have helped me break out of my old ways and habits
You planted conviction
You have given me a strong belief in myself and my purpose
Where there was only hell
Before I met you, my life felt like a living hell
Compelled, I am drawn
I feel a strong attraction and desire to be with you
By God I am
I am saved and redeemed by God through my relationship with you
Contributed by Mateo D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jesus Saves - Christian Music Channel
Before lyrics :
I am a fraud without You
I am a lie without You
On my own I fend for myself
No consideration of anything else
I am drawn, I am
This is my skeleton
This is my skin
I will remove my disguise
I will remove this mask You met me in
The day we met I wanted nothing
A selfish being, blind and seething
Compelled, I am drawn to You
By God, I am saved by You
You pierced this conscious
You broke this shell
You planted conviction
Where there was only hell
Compelled, I am drawn
By God I am
anotherxredeemed
And yet, lyrically, the song speaks to the man before Christ, selfish and hateful, now redeemed and made whole.
Before lyrics :
I am a fraud without You
I am a lie without You
On my own I fend for myself
No consideration of anything else
I am drawn, I am
This is my skeleton
This is my skin
I will remove my disguise
I will remove this mask You met me in
The day we met I wanted nothing
A selfish being, blind and seething
Compelled, I am drawn to You
By God, I am saved by You
You pierced this conscious
You broke this shell
You planted conviction
Where there was only hell
Compelled, I am drawn
By God I am
Michael McCutcheon
These guys rock!!! I used to listen to them in the 90's when Christian metal really sucked. They have progressed wonderfully.
Marina Marinabragasilva
Omg
Michael McCutcheon
Yeah there were a few good ones, but a whole ton of really bad ones. I'm glad things have progressed as much as they have.
Odin be Praised
Christian metal sucked in the '90's? Dude, you were totally listening to the wrong bands! LS, Deliverance, Tourniquet, Mortification, Believer... I guess all music depends on personal taste but I dug it.
Mushroom Tweaker
how have i not heard of these guys, this is filthy
Jesus Saves - Christian Music Channel
@El Zee Reborn was released in 1997.
El Zee
Reborn is by far their best album. Came out in 93 I think. I played it for a friend of mine recently and he thought it was a new album.
Cleesp
@aaron You'd been missing out.
paul keogh
yeah, they have been around for a very long time.
Kaleb McMillan
Awesome song! Love this band!