Lamb of God, Sacrament
I do love me some Lamb of God. Both New American Gospel and As the Palaces Burn will remain in my list of favorite albums. Their brand of thrash is infectious and invigorating. Each of the band’s four studio releases has seen a progression and shift in the band’s direction. Some fans have enjoyed the changes, others not so much. I for one love the direction of their latest effort, Sacrament.
Prior to this release, the band let loose Ashes of the Wake on the public. While it was different from previous releases, it was not their best material in terms of music and lyrical inspiration. It had its moments, but they were few and far between. With “Sacrament” the band continues along the path set in Ashes but brings back some of the fist in your face attitude that existed in their first two albums. This one is straight up balls to the wall!
Walk with Me in Hell
The album starts slow and brooding. The opening riff is eerily melodic and transfixing, before launching into a more grove laden series of riffs and hooks. Randy Blythe’s vocals are still a bit more cleanly delivered, but have an aged, knowing growl to them reminiscent of his older work. He hits plenty of higher screams and low end guttural growls. The backing vocals are a new touch and take a little time to get used to.
Again We Rise
Chris Adler’s drums are driving right from the get go with this one. Overall this song is slower paced, but picks up with each blast of the chorus. The group backing vocals of the chorus are a new element that the band has brought to the table with this release. Again, it takes some time to get used to, but it’s a nice touch. The layered vocals only add to the overall feel of the track.
Redneck
The album’s first single has been played almost too much when it first came out. It’s a great song though. It’s a hell of a good time to listen to. It’s a ballsy “fuck you” to all of the band’s detractors.
Pathetic
This song opens up with some beefed up blasts from all parties before shifting to a driving beat from Adler’s drums. The band slows it down to a churning chug while Blythe belts out his vocals.
Foot to the Throat
“Foot to the Throat” starts out as a thrash filled chugging assault on the ears. This one is very reminiscent of their much older material in that regard. That must be why I love it so much.
Descending
This next track starts off with a fading in of the primary riff found through the track. It’s got a bit of a Slayer feel to it. Blythe hits those higher pitched screams with ease. This one is all over the place in terms of his delivery and the band’s instrumentation that makes for a nice change up from the previous tracks. Like many of these songs, the lyrics behind “Descending” deal with Blythe’s dependencies and battle with depression.
Blacken the Cursed Sun
This is probably the darkest most brooding song on the album. It deals specifically with feelings of “suicidal depression” that Blythe felt at the time. It’s amazing how sincere the delivery is on all these songs. It’s quite a bit different from the political charged rhetoric of “Ashes of the Wake.”
Forgotten (Lost Angels)
It’s pretty apparent through the lyrics that Randy doesn’t really care for Los Angeles all that much. The amount of hatred and vehemence in his delivery and lyrics is intense. The band helps him deliver that message with driving riffs from Mark Morton and Will Adler. This one also contains the single best series of lyrics on the album with “I can’t write you a happy song, I can’t write you a sing-a-long, The only catchy hook I’ve got, Is the one in my bleeding gut.”
Requiem
Another killer riff gets this one going. I love Blythe’s delivery in this one. It’s flowing, evil, depressed, churning, and slightly melodic at different portions of the song. There’s plenty of chug to this one as well.
More Time to Kill
I’m not sure what to say about this one other than Randy kills it on the microphone. He hits the New American Gospel higher screams with ease right before shifting to a low end guttural, snarling growl. There is an interesting slow guitar part before Randy lets loose a bellowing growl. This one contains some of the best guitar work on the album.
Beating on Deaths Door
The final track of this personal introspective record is a quicker paced song than the last few. It’s nice to end the album on a higher tempo beating. It’s no the best track on the album, but fun to listen to.
~ ~ ~
After the release of Ashes of the Wake, Lamb of God made the right decision in embracing some of their older elements when working on this latest release. I was worried about the direction the band was heading after Ashes, but I can safely say that I am fully on the Lamb of God band wagon once again. This is an impressive release both in terms of the music and Blythe’s willingness to share his inner demons with us all.
Favorite Tracks:
Redneck
Foot to the Throat
Descending
Requiem
Additional Notes:
n/a