There’s a good list of reasons why Lamb of God wasn’t picked to play any one of the ten inaugural balls ushering in our new era of change back in January for our recently elected President Obama. The reason that has to clearly top that list is the fact that event organizers didn’t want any tuxedos or ball gowns awash in ritualistic blood. Even with the release date of Wrath being about four weeks after the inaugural balls, you would have thought there might be at least some interest among the Beltway crowd knowing how close they are to Lamb of God’s roots in Virginia. Ultimately, it wasn’t meant to be. Fortunately for the band, being snubbed didn’t impact the sales of Wrath when it debuted on February 24, selling 68,000 copies putting it in Billboard’s #2 spot.
Admittedly, I don’t know a whole lot about Lamb of God. I’m not as well versed in their history as I am with other bands that hold the same type of metal fortitude that they do. What I do know, based on several long listens of Wrath, is that this band easily stacks up to some of the best metal acts of all time. They posses the power hooks and cohesiveness that a lot of other acts in the metal, groove metal, speed metal genres often lack.
The acoustic strumming chords of “The Passing” quickly dissolve into a hypnotic electric dance (ala Metallica), which is the lead-in to the sucker punch that is “In Your Words.” Randy Blythe’s vocals rip through your ear and leave a burning hole in your brain as they tear through this opening track. The five-piece continues their march of destruction across the nine remaining tracks with the standouts being “Set to Fail,” “Grace,” “Dead Seeds” and “Everything to Nothing.” If there’s one complaint about this release, it has to be the clarity and clean production values with which it’s delivered. Mark Morton and Willie Adler’s guitar work is little too piercing at times and could use a little muddying in the mixing process. Chris Adler’s drum work seems to be more than spot on, but John Campbell’s bass work gets lost because of the heavy emphasis put on it.
While a solid release, Wrath could be a candidate for remixing. Not being familiar with their live performance, all of the elements might actually bleed together creating a better sound live than they produced in the studio for this release. If you want the chance to compare the two, Lamb of God will headline the No Fear Energy Tour starting on April 2, with supporting acts As I Lay There Dying, Children of Bodom.
Artist:
www.lamb-of-god.com
Album:
Lamb of God – Wrath (Deluxe) – [Buy it now on Amazon.com]
