| Ghost Thief | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 11, 2013[1] | |||
| Recorded | November 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:15 | |||
| Label | Solid State | |||
| Producer | Jeremiah Scott | |||
| Living Sacrifice chronology | ||||
| ||||
Ghost Thief is the eighth studio album by theChristian metal bandLiving Sacrifice. It is their second album produced byJeremiah Scott.
The band toured in support of their prior album,The Infinite Order, for three years before starting up work on recording a followup.[3] The band chose to once again work withmusic producer Jeremiah Scott, with whom the band had collaborated on their previous album.[5][unreliable source?] The band started with writing the music, and then wrote lyrics once the music was already established.[2]
The album's title,Ghost Thief, is meant as "thepersonification ofdeath".[6] Conceptually, the album's lyrics explore the fleeting nature oflife, the idea of anafterlife, and how death can be viewed as either "friend or foe" by different people in different circumstances.[6] The tracks "Ghost Thief" and "Sudden" specifically were both inspired by family members ofLance Garvin andRocky Gray, who died unexpectedly.[6]
The album consists of songs that are mid- to fast-tempothrash metal andgroove metal,[6] but also features moremelodic guitar-work than prior albums as well.[7] Many tracks on the album do not use standardverse-chorussong structures.[3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| CCM Magazine |   [8] |
| HM Magazine | [9] |
| Indie Vision Music | [10] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [3] [3] |
Specifying in a three star review byCCM Magazine, Matt Conner recognizes, "With blistering songs like 'Sudden' and the title track, it's clear these guys aren't hanging it up any time soon."[8] David Stagg, indicating in a three star review fromHM Magazine, realizes, "The album succeeds on most fronts, but if we’re judging on all the merits in between, the bulk of the tracks blend in."[9] Signaling in a four star review for Jesus Freak Hideout, Timothy Estabrooks responds, "it is an excellent album filled with many masterfully-performed tracks and only a couple of disappointments."[3] Lee Brown, mentioning for Indie Vision Music in a five star review, reports, "Ghost Thief is simply a powerhouse album that fans who have been waiting three long years to get their hands on will not mind coming back to in the coming year/s until the next great Living Sacrifice masterpiece is released."[10] The second opinion by Aaron Lambert from Jesus Freak Hideout, where he rated the album four and a half stars, depicts, "Ghost Thief becomes yet another Christian metal classic from the godfathers of the genre itself."[3]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Screwtape" (featuringRyan Clark ofDemon Hunter) | 5:35 |
| 2. | "Ghost Thief" | 4:41 |
| 3. | "The Reaping" | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Straw Man" | 3:46 |
| 5. | "Sudden" | 4:46 |
| 6. | "Mask" | 4:49 |
| 7. | "American Made" | 5:26 |
| 8. | "Before" | 4:31 |
| 9. | "Your War" | 3:56 |
| 10. | "Despair" (featuringDave Peters ofThrowdown) | 4:19 |
| Total length: | 45:15 | |
Living Sacrifice
Guest musicians
| Production
|
| Chart (2013) | Peak position[11] |
|---|---|
| U.S.BillboardChristian Albums | 23 |
| U.S.BillboardHard Rock Albums | 20 |
| U.S.BillboardTop Heatseekers | 9 |
