Lamb of God are an American groove metal band who rose to prominence due to their ability to combine groove oriented riffs with elements of both trash and death metal. Since their inception, they've released seven full-length albums, and their line-up has remained very consistent since then, their only change being the addition of guitarist Willie Adler who joined the group in 1999.
Despite the lack of line-up changes, LoG have seen a bit of a change in their sound, as their death metal influence has become less and less evident as the band has aged, and they've become progressively less "brutal" in my opinion. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, it certainly does hurt their standings among those who once regarded them as a more brutal version of 80's groove metal originators Pantera.
Many of the songs on the new record Sturm Und Drang (which translates directly to Storm & Stress) were written by frontman Randy Blythe while he was in-prisoned in Prague on manslaughter charges due to the death of a 19 year old fan at one of the group's concerts. This led to some of Blythe's most passionate and emotionally charged lyrics since the groups inception.
LoG did take a few risks on the new album, the biggest one being the use of clean vocals, something the band has never done before, but decided to experiment with on a few different album tracks. One of the tracks that features clean vocals is the final single released from the album, Embers, which is certainly a bright spot on the album. Guest vocals on the track are provided by Chino Moreno of alt-metal band the Deftones, who are due to release new music shortly themselves. The vocals create a wonderful contrast, as Blythe's raw and guttural screams are met with Moreno's soothing tenor voice.While not your typical Lamb of God cut, it's diversity definitely makes it a fun one.
The lead single from the album, Still Echoes, is the track that kicks the LP off, and is the sort of chaotic frenzied music I want when listening to a groove metal album. Blythe comes off as an energetic and charismatic frontman as he spews lyrics that discuss his time spent in prison. Unfortunately, not all of the album is able to hold the same brutal, hard-hitting heaviness that we see featured on this track.
On the sixth track Overlord, the use of clean vocals, and spoken word makes for a song that is perhaps the most lacklustre in the band's discography, as it lacks any real power or umph to really drive the message of the song home. The final song on the album Torches, once again features guest vocals, this time from Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato. I was really excited for this track, as Puciato's energy and passion makes DEP one of the best current acts in metal music, but the finished product is no where what I would have expected from a collaboration with the group.
To be completely honest, after my first listen through of Sturm Und Drang, I was ready to tear the album apart. I felt as if a lot of the songs were phoned in and made to be radio metal music. However, as I listen to it more and more, I feel as if the heart of Lamb of God still lays in their music, as the always fantastic guitar playing by Willie Adler and Mark Morton is still very evident, as is the vocal onslaught of Randy Blythe. While the band decided to go on a limb and try their luck with clean vocals, it's clear that while they may have a place in some heavy metal outfits, it belongs no where near this group, or any other groove metal acts for that matter. Make no mistake, the album still doesn't live up to the classic LoG projects like As The Palaces Burn, or New American Gospel, but for a mainstream metal album, it sure as hell packs some bite.
Rating: B-
Favorite Tracks: Still Echoes, 512, Embers, Anthropoid
Least Favorite Tracks: Overlord, Torches
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