Wrath (Lamb of God album)

Background and production

Music and album direction

"This album is going to surprise a lot of people. Typically bands that get to where we are in our career begin to slack off, smell the roses and regurgitate. We chose a different path. No one wants to hear another band member hyping a new record. Wrath needs no hype. We have topped ourselves and on February 24 you will feel it."

"We are excited to be changing things up this time and working with Josh. We've never stayed in one place too long, and the band's evolution continues. There is an aggressive shift in the material and our approach. The bar has been raised."

"We usually try to do something fresh every time. This one, I think, is deliberately a little more raw and more aggressive than Sacrament was. Sacrament was a really, really dynamic record on every level, and the songs were all over the place - it was also heavily produced. This one's really raw and real-sounding, from every angle, and we're celebrating imperfections on this record. We're choosing what takes stay on the record based more on their character and personality than how completely mechanically precise they are. It's more about vibe and attitude in the takes than it is about, 'Wow, that was perfect.' It's the perfect ones that get thrown away, because they're just too sterile."

"The guitar tones are a little cleaner than normal. We're kind of getting into this mind-set that clean is heavy. Clarity is a lot heavier than oversaturated. It's just real raw and natural and organic-sounding, which, in itself, is kind of revolutionary these days, when kids are making pro audio-sounding recordings in their dorm rooms, on their laptops, and cutting and pasting verses and choruses. It's no longer cutting edge to make a completely space-aged, robotic-sounding record. I think it's almost fresh now to make one that sounds like an actual band played it. Don't get me wrong - it still sounds airtight and rehearsed, because it is all those things. But it's just real."

Reception

On its new album, Wrath, the Virginia band roots its best songs in a Motörhead swagger that makes the growly moments stickier and gives the stadium-sized choruses a hint of righteous evil.

The highlight of Wrath, however, is the band's technical prowess, which is omnipresent. And Blythe leads the charge valiantly, with a passel of angry proclamations. While Lamb of God doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel this time out, this is an impressive album-meaning it should be taken as a whole, cohesive listening experience. That's the best way of soaking up all the nuances and subtleties that make Lamb of God a standout American-metal band.

The latest outburst of controlled aggression from these veteran Virginia metallurgists proves that consistency is a blessing and a curse. As always, the palm-muted jackhammer riffs and Randy Blythe's elastic denunciations of liars, hypocrites, and lying hypocrites are frightfully precise. But primally satisfying as it is, the band's meat-and-taters thrash leaves one hungry for some Mastodon-style lateral thinking. Or not.

There's no denying the sheer "angry basement workout/summer garage weightlifting" potential that Wrath's perfectly acceptable 45-minute running time offers, but without a single hook that sticks around long enough to reel in the fish, all you've got is bait.

On their sixth album, Wrath, the fearsome fivesome opt for a somewhat varied but hardly visionary attack mode, occasionally lurching into a groove or tune. The song titles betray a cynicism over military and religious affairs, but growl-to-screech front-monster Randy Blythe never makes his anger coherent Wrath opens and closes with spans of placid subtlety - a welcome touch that doesn't make up for all the raging roteness in between.

Despite Grammy nods, being hand-picked as direct support for Metallica, album sales out the ass and other invasions into the mainstream, Lamb of God haven't lightened up one damn bit. In fact, Wrath is nowhere near the over-produced product of a major label success story many of us were waiting for. Nope, Wrath is one raw, vicious and relentless mother fucker; the proverbial snarling beast that has finally broken from its cage and is out for blood...Thankfully, Lamb of God has yet to reach that point where they feel the need to re-invent the wheel, or even themselves for that matter. Since Ashes of the Wake, this has been a band who are very comfortable in their own shoes and will continue to wear them with pride as they kick the shit out of all of us.

The album closer "Reclamation" also starts acoustically before taking the listener on a 7 minute trip through various tempos, intensities and vocal styles. Wrath may not have a signature single like "Redneck" from their last CD Sacrament, but overall it's just as powerful and potent.

Awards

Track listing

Personnel

Lamb of God

• Chris Adler – drums
• Willie Adler – rhythm guitar
• Randy Blythe – vocals
• Mark Morton – lead guitar
• John Campbell – bass guitar

  Additional personnel

• Produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur
• Engineered by Dave Holdredge, Paul Saurez
• Mastered by Brian Gardner

  Charts