Due to the unavailability of either CD in the Iowa City area (who knew it would be so hard to get these CDs?), I had to postpone the reviews. Then I finally got the CDs and still never did the review. So without further ado here is my abbreviated take on Lamb of God's "Wrath"...
Lamb of God Channels Its Groove Metal Roots:
On Lamb of God's fifth studio release, "Wrath" (sixth if you count Burn the Priest) the band has a lot to live up to. Riding on the waves of critical acclaim from the album "Sacrament", the band kept saying that this album was going to take the band in a whole new direction. Not quite guys.
In fact "Wrath", which sounds like a cleaned up version of "Ashes of the Wake", borrows more from past elements of the band's sound than the progressive "Sacrament" ever did.
The polish that producer Machine put on "Sacrament" made the band sound tight, but sacrificed that raw aggression, emotion and groove that the band is known for.
Rather than continuing in the direction of perfect production, producer Josh Wilbur, strips down the band's sound in order to channel what made these guys so big in the first place. There are a few stutters here and there, but that makes the experience seem a little more "real".
Songs like "In Your Words", "Contractor", and "Broken Hands", have all the ass-kickery fans have come to love and expect from the band. There are a few arguably experimental numbers where the band shines, such as "Grace" and "Reclamation". But mostly, "Wrath" is more of the same from the Virginian metalheads.
This album won't change the minds of those Lamb of God detractors, but it is a solid release that manages the cement the band's status as one of the leaders of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal for a little while longer.
Now I can only wonder what would have happened if Lamb of God actually did change up it's sound?
Album Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.
