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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lean and mean, June 30, 2005
If you first picked up Lamb of God's more popular albums, "As the Palaces Burn" and/or "Ashes of the Wake," and you thought those albums couldn't be any more raw...you were mistaken. The production on the group's first record is rather skimpy, making it sound very muddy and raw.
This album is about as lean and mean as metal gets, and it also has more high-pitched yells from vocalist Randy Blythe, but Lamb of God's trademark stamp still shines through on most of "New American Gospel." Guitarists Willie Adler and Mark Morton play one fierce, violent riff after another, while drummer Chris Adler anchors the songs, creating solid, punishing fortresses of volume. With all five band members going all out and playing complicated and nimble music, the listener is sometimes unsure where to focus his/her attention.
Lamb of God borrow some elements from European black metal acts, so this C.D. should appeal to fans of that genre as well as fans of thrash and death metal, and metalcore. But L.o.G. have a little innovation of their own because, unlike some bands that stear clear of dissonance, this band embraces it.
"Black Label" combines a pounding, raw sounding snare drum with some of the aforementioned high pitched shrieks. This is quite a speedy song, and part of it is a staccato beat, but it slows down by the end.
"Warning" has crushing, steam-rolling riffs and vocals which echo Meshuggah's Jens Kidman.
"In the Absence of the Sacred" begins with heavy, churning riffs, then the song changes to a stop-start beat with short, cannon-like bursts of drums and guitars. Randy snarls and growls throughout this track, and it ends with wild, machine gun drumming.
"Black Dahlia" opens with another speedy riff. The song then pauses briefly and when it resumes, the beat and drumming are even more fast and crazy than they were before. The riffs briefly bob, before the song stars over again with the fast, plowing opening riff.
"Pariah" has ascending drums, making this song build to the usual impenetrable wall of sound. The song eventually slows down and chugs, but it's only a matter of time before the beat adds density and builds again.
So, "New American Gospel" should be as popular and as recognized as Lamb of God's other two, more popular albums (especially "As the Palaces Burn"). Now, since I already reviewed this band's other two albums, I've sort of run out of adjectives to describe Lamb of God, so I'll leave you with this: if you're tired of listening to the same Pantera songs, and if you've given up on Slipknot and Slayer, this Virginian quintet is your best bet for the best modern thrash/hardcore metal act.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A tragically overlooked gem, January 7, 2005
First of all - it should be noted that Ashes of the Wake was the album that converted me into one of the legions of believers. However, after going through LOG's catalog, I feel compelled to hammer out a review of this album, in that it could the most important album to understanding the hype that now shrouds this band.
New American Gospel is a really unique album. It is the least accesible and commercially viable album by LOG. It is their first effort as Lamb of God, who were known as Burn the Priest before this album. New American Gospel (NAG) is the then young band's attempt at transforming the metal genre singlehandedly. I don't buy the accusation that LOG jumped on the metlacore/hardcore bandwagon. They were driving it (if there was such a thing). Furthermore, I don't really think you could put this album easily into any category. Its definitely not death metal. there are a few growling vocals, and very sparse blast beats, but nothing that close to Hate Eternal here. It's definitely not hardcore, although it may be hardcore inspired (they are from Richmond - only an hour or so away from DC, the birthplace of Hardcore) The vocals aren't shouted, they aren't positive, and there are a few guitar solos and harmoized guitar work present. Perhaps the best way to wrap your head around this album is through a description of what it is, as opposed to what it's not.
Randy Blythe's vocals are like no other out there. He employs a yelped type scream. Its closer to black metal than death metal -but definitely not black metal. There are guest vocals on this album from Steve Austin (on the song Terror and Hubris), of Today is the Day fame, who also produced this album. I think Devin Townsend also may lend some vocals to this record, and I believe he is also partly responsible for the production as well. There are absolutely no clean vocals and no singing on this album. The vocals are probably the most brutal aspects of this album, and the most brutal of any LOG album. The leadoff track is pretty vocally indistinguishable, a fact not helped much by the lyrics included in the liner notes. The other songs are understandable. The lyrics are well thought out and genuinely smart. They don't follow a typical verse-chorus-verse format either. But then again this album is anything but typical.
The guitars sound rich and pretty full. Mark Morton and Willie Adler are pretty old-school metal guys, more influenced by classic thrash than anything else. As I stated earlier, there is plenty of harmonized guitar work, and a couple of solos that are rock solid.
The bass player and drummer, John Campbell and Chris Adler, respectively, are the cofounders of the band and seem to be attached at the hip, musically. This is definitely a good thing, in that the bass locks in more with the drums, as opposed to following the guitars. It gives the music more depth and force. The drums are also convinvcing. The beats are compelling and solid. The syncopated riffs are anchored by the kick patterns, and manage to sound full. The fills are sparse but spot on.
Now on to the bad aspects of this album. THE PRODUCTION. I heard somewhere that LOG wanted to have a really uinderground demo-ish sound to this album, in that they wanted to reiterate, through the album, their position as a live band. This is why the production is severly lacking. The drums are the biggest disappointment, production-wise. The kick drum is papery thin and doesn't carry any heft. the cymbals are all flat and tinny sounding. The ride cymbal is at least twice as loud as it needs to be. The vocals are a bit too far in front of the mix, and the bass sounds more percussive that it probably should. There isn't enough low end (either by the bass or the drums) on the album. The guitars and bass need more definition.
In summation, this album won't be for everyone. If Ashes of the Wake is as brutal as you want it, then this album is probably not gonna please you. If you like Pantera - I have an analogy for ya - If your favorite song is walk, or floods, or cemetery gates, then this album could be too much. If you are more into Suicude note Pt.2 or the Great Southern Trendkill, then this is probably more up your alley. its like encapusalting the heaviest and only the heaviest aspects of Pantera. I think it is more heavy than Pantera, and honestly these guys are really unique sounding
Ashes of the Wake is still my favorite album by LOG - but this is definitely a great one. I only wish I had discovered this album, and this band, five years ago. I seriously think these guys are going to be the flag bearers of real metal, after Slayer pass on the torch. The next generation of metal are here, and we may have a new big three on our hands. Instead of Metallica, Slayer, and Pantera - It might become Lamb of God, Mastodon, and Shadows Fall. In this scenario - Lamb of God would easily be the most brutal of the pack.
LONG LIVE TRUE METAL.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet Jesus!, August 13, 2001
If you hear about a band called Lamb of God, and the album is called "New American Gospel", what do you expect it to sound like? A nice poppish little Christian album, like DC Talk, right? Wrong. Way wrong! Disguised under the name Lamb of God is the heaviest, most mind-blowingly brutal band I've ever heard. These guys take every kind of extreme metal there is (hardcore, death metal, grindcore) and compact it all into one unbelievably destructive package. Check out songs like "Black Label" and "Letter to the Unborn". Your ears are gonna bleed! I read a description of these guys in a metal magazine that said they were "a rawer, more talented version of Pantera". I don't know about more talented, but the raw part is right. If you love extreme metal, here's your new favorite album. Lamb of God will kick your @$$!
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