Review by Andy Valentine
At this point there’s absolutely no denying that Lamb of God has taken the mantle. They are this generation’s Pantera. The New What’s Next. For better or for worse, this is the band that now occupies the throne. After three pretty darn good records using the moniker Lamb of God (after shedding the far superior brand Burn the Priest), the boys from Richmond mothafuckin’ Virginia are back with an album that’s well… just okay.
“Wrath,” after all the anticipation, after all the bated breath… is just… meh.
LoG’s 2004 release, “Ashes of the Wake,” still finds itself in my regular playlist rotation five years after release. “Wrath” on the other hand, I’ll be surprised if I were still listening to this 3 months from now. It’s not that this album is bad – because it’s not. “Wrath” certainly carries the signature LoG grooves and curly hooks (the opening riff of “Dead Seeds” for example) in its delivery, but something is missing here. Something is just off the mark.
For example, it is operationally impossible for me to hear the 2004 LoG single “Laid to Rest” without engaging in a micless karaoke session right there in my car or whatever. At my desk. I’ve no shit held impromptu karaoke breaks featuring “Laid to Rest” at metal bars in northern Denmark. With “Laid to Rest” everybody gets it. Everybody gets the fury, the power. There’s no fucking denying that song.
Another example - “Ruin” off the 2003 album “As the Palaces Burn.” I defy anyone to tell me a better post-millennium companion song to play in the background while you kick someone’s teeth in. Again, there’s just no fucking denying it.
My point is, this new album’s title, “Wrath,” it’s a complete misnomer. This isn’t wrath, it’s barely even a controlled fury. This is the kind of frustration you feel when you lose your keys. This is pestering annoyance, or a mild frustration. It sure as shit isn’t wrath.
“As the Palaces Burn” was wrath.
Here it is. This album is full of good musicianship. All the LoG players know their shit. And they put together some decent songs this time. But they didn’t put together any great songs. They didn’t do anything legendary. And goddammit, when you’re as big LoG, it behooves you to put out legendary shit. That’s a lot of pressure, I know… but these guys put out legendary shit effortlessly, goddamn routinely.
I’ve listened to this album front to back now 13 times according to my iPod, and there still isn’t anything I can say about it other than it’s nowhere near as good as LoG’s other shit. Bottom line is, if you’re already a fan, this album’s going to be at the bottom of your LoG stack within 3 months. If you’re not a fan, don’t start here. It’ll give you the wrong idea. Lamb of God is good fucking band that just put out a not-so-good fucking record.
And oh yes – one last gripe. The Limited Edition version I reviewed included two extra tracks not part of the standard release – “We Die Alone” and “Shoulder of Your God.” Each are decent tracks. No worse than anything else on the album. I hate it when bands do this. If a track is good enough for some limited edition shit, just put it on the standard release. If it’s not good enough, just don’t release it at all. I’m a fan, yeah, and I love metal, but I don’t have all day to be tracking down all these little pieces of a record that I just should have got as a complete set to begin with. I’m pretty sure the Japanese version of “Wrath” has yet another track that I still haven’t heard. </ rant >