Lamb of God - As the Palaces Burn

Nate The Great

What would Nathan do?
May 10, 2002
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www.ultimatemetal.com
Lamb of God
As the Palaces Burn
Prosthetic Records 2003
By Nathan Pearce


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If you haven’t heard of Lamb of God, you’re either not American or un-American. Lamb of God has managed to pry a large stick of dynamite beneath the lid of the underground, and that lid is set to blow at any moment. Lamb of God have already accomplished more than nearly any other “underground” band in America could ever hope for. They’ve headlined festivals, they’ve had coverage on MTV, and they’ve even had their latest album reviewed in Rolling Stone magazine. I suppose you’re wondering if all this media attention has softened the band. Have they sold out?


‘As the Palaces Burn’ sounds like I wish Shadows Fall’s latest would have. Like Shadows Fall, Lamb of God have a deep love for America’s tr00est form of metal – thrash. Unlike Shadows Fall, Lamb of God has retained the deep-seeded aggression found on their previous and equally devastating ‘New American Gospel’. Steve Austin helped shape ‘New American Gospel’ into a nasty slab of American metal. On ‘As the Palaces Burn’ Lamb of God enlisted the production talents of the mighty Devin Townsend. Is this a good thing? I, for one, like the nasty savagery of Steve Austin’s work on ‘New American Gospel’.


Fortunately Devin Townsend spent his time with the band refining a sound that hasn’t changed much since ‘New American Gospel’. Riffs have more punch, the drums are as punishing as ever, and the vocals have sort of moved forward in the mix. Typical of Devin Townsend, the mix is very clear and precise. This is actually not a bad thing for Lamb of God. Nothing was compromised in the production. Lamb of God’s ability to write well-crafted songs with some of the best riffs in America has remained intact, and ‘As the Palaces Burn’ actually passes up pretty much every other American band in that race.


‘As the Palaces Burn’ will probably be hailed as the album that made Lamb of God too big for the underground, but anybody that skips this for that reason obviously doesn’t listen to music for the right reasons. This is an album that brings together the riffs of thrash, the breakdowns of metalcore, the guitar harmonies of melo-death, and the brutality of American death metal. Lamb of God’s added presence in the media is only going to be an added bonus . . . more chances to see and hear them.


9/10


www.lamb-of-god.com
 
A relentless cd that grabs you by your balls and never lets go. I must say there are no weak songs on this cd. All just kind of mesh together to make a great cd. Of course this is an extreme band so if you like clean vocals or your not used to death vocals then stay clear cause you wont like this album but all other metalheads will enjoy this cd.

8 out 0f 10