Lamb Of God – Sacrament Review
Posted by Michael Melchor on 08.31.2006
How do you follow up a critically and commercially successful major label debut? By not giving a rat’s ass, that’s how.
On the heels of Ashes Of The Wake, Lamb Of God – vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Will Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler – were rightly hailed as the future of American Heavy Metal. The band turned out, arguably, the best metal album of 2004 and then proved their ferocity in a marathon string of shows on a variety of tours.
Impressive, considering that the band’s label, Sony Music, put a rush order on Ashes Of The Wake because they wanted a return on their investment post haste. Even with that, the band, along with producer Machine (slowly becoming their Bob Rock), turned out a great effort.
With the live tie-over (Killadelphia) out of the way, Lamb Of God have had time to meticulously craft their second major label album, Sacrament. No sign of follow-up pressure here, the band decides to put some twists and turns on their signature sound in an effort to avoid repetition, giving an, at times, uneven but still pulverizing siege on Heavy Metal.
“Walk With Me In Hell” opens with a sprawling riff and “the end is nigh” rhythm combo from Morton and Adler before Chris Adler welcomes us proper by beating the absolute hell out of his drums in perfect time. Once Randy Blythe’s roar joins the festivities, the sense of security that Lamb Of God haven’t gone screamo or any of that nonsense is in place, leaving the band to rage through the rest of the album opener with the sense that they mean business.
Now that the lull has happened, it’s time for the first jolt. “Again We Rise” is tried-and-true LoG...except for that oddly Marilyn Manson-sounding chorus. No, Blythe isn’t trying to ape his act, so don’t expect to see any prosthetic tits at a LoG show near you. Rather, it’s the first of many variations in the band’s sound; some sound as natural as putting on a shirt, while others seem slightly out of place.
Some of the changes are small but noticeable, such as the dramatic tempo change in “Pathetic” to accommodate some vocal experimentation by Blythe and Machine that comes off as hackneyed. The fact that the band does it again immediately afterward in “Foot To The Throat” is a definite misstep, but not one that decries bad sequencing more than laziness.
Other changes are rather stark, as in the carefully-(and brilliantly)-constructed “Blacken The Cursed Sun”. The song’s intro takes elements from both Opeth and Dream Theater and coats them clear-cut menace, leading through a jackhammer middle section and ending with a call-and-answer paen to hopelessness and nihlism – all in one, economic 5:28 progression.
Lamb of God, unlike many bands, are smart enough to know that the fans will tolerate some experimentation and some different elements thrown in here and there, but they want the base sound the band is known for. In this case, it’s both accuracy and aggression – two things the band excel in. As far as accuracy goes, that’s almost a foregone conclusion; from a technical standpoint, Lamb of God is easily one of the best metal bands around. Morton and Adler weave around each other in brilliant synchronicity while Campbell and Chris Adler provide one of the tightest rhythm sections (to rip one off from Jim Ross) in this industry.
In terms of aggression, the band still has plenty to spare despite the fact that they’ve laid off quite a bit of the political content that dominated their last two albums. No need to fret; George W. is still a prime target for volleys such as “Again We Rise”. However, he’s not the only one anymore, as the band seems to dig a little deeper into themselves to produce variations on themes and outright different subjects.
Take “Redneck”, for example. An ode to frustration with – and an itching to kick the shit out of – an unnamed source, Blythe has stated that the song is about the general feeling of having had enough of someone’s crap and calling them out. The band chooses a great way to do it with a track that could have easily come from Pantera’s Vulgar Display Of Power, vocals and all. (On a side note, if Lamb Of God aren’t turning into Pantera’s successors, then I’m stumped as to who would be. Hell, they even have a drummer-and-guitarist brother duo as well as a vocalist who’s had his share of tension with the both of them.)
Or, there’s the album closer, “Beating On Death’s Door”. Arguably the most violent song on the album, Blythe aims at jettisoning a relationship with the ferociously howled refrain of, “She’s all yours now/you fucking deal with it”. In the hands of a lesser outfit, this would come of as emo shite; here, it’s another chapter in the string of sadistic break-up anthems such as “Shedding Skin” from Far Beyond Driven.
The 411: The band may sound a little different here and there, but that’s no reason to be scared off. At their core, Lamb Of God is a tightly-wound and cohesive piledriver of a band. Damn-near a force of nature in the form of Heavy Metal. And while it makes sense to diversify their attack a little, it makes as much sense not to stray too far away from what they do best. Though they do at times, it’s not enough to doubt the fact that Sacrament is still the musical equivalent of the quiet but dangerous fellow at the corner of the biker bar declaring his intent to throw you through a table and then bang your girlfriend.
