Album Review :
Living Sacrifice – The Infinite Order (Deluxe Edition)

Band: Living Sacrifice
Title: The Infinite Order (Deluxe Edition)
Label: Solid State Records
Release Date: November 30, 2010 (original release date January 30, 2010)
Review By: Steve
Track Listing:
1. Overkill Exposure
2. Rules of Engagement
3. Nietzsche’s Madness
4. Unfit To Live
5. The Training
6. Organized Lie
7. The Reckoning
8. Love Forgives
9. They Were One
10. God Is My Home
11. Apostasy
12. Glasshouses (Bonus Track)
13. Flatline (Live)
14. Symbiotic (Live)

Live DVD Track Listing:
1. Bloodwork
2. Imminent War
3. Local Vengeance Killing
4. Flatline
5. Rules of Engagement
6. In Christ
7. Reborn Empowered
8. Reject

Well it has been exactly 10 months since the original release of The Infinite Order (Jan 30 – Nov 30) and I still love this album. I get a little frustrated when bands/labels release a deluxe edition of the same album at different times but what can you do.  At least there is some new material and video footage, and you are not forced to buy the whole album again just to get the new stuff, which is pretty common with iTunes and AmazonMP3. However, I do believe you have to buy the whole album to get the video.  I already went into great detail in my first review of The Infinite Order back in January so I will not cover much of that.  I will say that this album is still growing on me to this day.  I love every song on the album.  The musicianship and songwriting of Living Sacrifice did not suffer during their long hiatus.

Now I am on to the new stuff!  With the deluxe edition, you get three extra tracks one of which is a brand new song and the other two are live versions of “Flatline” and their classic “Symbiotic.” Their new track “Glasshouses,” is not your typical “B” side, which is usually the case for most bonus tracks on re-releases.  This song should have been on the original release.  It sounds like it could have been on The Hammering Process or Conceived in Fire.  It has an earlier, “thrashy” Living Sacrifice sound to it.  The two live songs are a lot better than what I was expecting.  As I stated in my review of August Burns Red – Home, I am no big fan of live albums except for the accompanying DVDs.  These tracks however have a better sound quality.  In my opinion, they sound like high quality demos and there is no crowd noise present until the end of each track.  I was also surprised that the extra track on the first pressing of The Infinite Order, “Of My Flesh, Of My Heart,” didn’t make it on this rerelease.  I was told that the company that pressed the CDs messed up and pressed the wrong copy.  The bonus track was going to be used for a European release. The 30-minute video shows some great footage of most of their classics and some of their new stuff like “Local Vengeance Killing,” “Reborn Empowered,” and the infamous “Reject.”

Bottom line, this album, whether original or deluxe, is still my #1 metal album of the year (if you are wondering Hundredth – When Will We Surrender is my #2 and #1 hardcore album of the year), and I do not regret but reaffirm my original score of 10. Living Sacrifice does not disappoint with their long awaited come back. I am hoping that this album picks up some steam with the younger metalheads and they can hear and appreciate the huge contribution that Living Sacrifice made to the current Christian metal scene.  If you have not already, at least go buy the new tracks or just buy the whole thing again!

Solid State told me that The Infinite Order has sold over 10,000 copies so far.