Album Details

• Artist: Lamb Of God
• Album: Wrath
• Label: Epic/Roadrunner
• Year of Release: 2009
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: sinist3r-punk on 2009-04-29

Is it just me, or does Lamb of God seem to get heavier as the years pass? Wrath came screaming out of the gate like a bat out of hell and has left a path of destruction and chaos in its wake. Lamb of God are gods among men. Each song on Wrath leaves me breathless and in utter shock. It's as if the guys are saying "You think you know metal? Well think again motherfucker." So why don't we start at the beginning and see if we can make it through this god forsaken, hellspawn rollercoaster with our sanity still in tact.

"Contracter" is the holy mother of badass breakdowns. It starts off with a hilarious scream, and then the madness ensues. Mark Morton and Willie Adler do everything in their power to try and keep up with Chris Adler's machine-like drumming. Not to mention you've got Randy Blythe screaming his brains out ranting and raving about the American Dream. An unheard of way to start off an album, wouldn't you say? Next up, "The Passing". A very emotional instrumental, with a beautiful acoustic beginning, I almost cried halfway through it. "In Your Words", a throwback to the good ole days of New American Gospel. The vocal stylings are there, with that distant scream that you feel could slip away from you at any moment. The guitars are there, captivating the mind, body and soul with an insatiable thirst for blood. But the drumming brings us back to the year 2009 with bone crunching double bass and more cymbal crashes than you can shake your cane at. A nice blend of new and old LoG. "Set to Fail" is more of the same, bringing back the retro vocals we all came to know and treasure. The opening 30 seconds of "Grace" reminds me of a certain song by Pantera, went by the name of "Cemetary Gates", maybe you've heard of it. After that it's no holds barred thrashing and screaming, with just a hint of cinnamon. "Broken Hands" is a little slower but nonetheless just as evil and aggressive as the rest. "Dead Seeds" is the obvious spawn of Ashes of the Wake, with the unmistakable guitar and drumming that made Ashes great. Last but certainly not least, "Reclamation" is the Lamb of God epic we've all been dreaming of. 7+ minutes of the shit that brought millions of people on their feet. The lyrical aspect is also something to note, as Blythe shows a poetic and twisted side of the world we haven't yet come to terms with.

I love this album. I can't come up with any clever analogies because that's not the way to describe Lamb of God. You have to cut through the crap and just say what you feel. So that's why I will not write an entire paragraph about how Lamb of God are without a doubt the greatest thing that ever happened to the "New Wave of American Heavy Metal" because everyone already knows it. Whether you've been a fan since the Burn The Priest era, or your looking for the next great thing to mosh to, Wrath will leave you in shock and awe.

User Reviews and Comments

on 2009-05-01 SolitaryMan Said:

Awesome review, man. I just can't get as hyped up about Wrath. I think it's because I keep expecting them to blow me away like they did on "As The Palaces Burn". There was something more pure and aggressive about their sound once upon a time. But it's still a good album, perhaps one of this year's best metal albums at that. Your reviews get better with each one you do, bro. Don't give it up!
Rating: 7/10