Lamb of God - NewAmerican Gospel

Mon 7th Nov, 2005 in Music Reviews

This album is Lamb of God’s first release and was originally recorded in 2000. It is now currently available on re-release (so it’s more like Old American Gospel). This is a classic album. In fact, it was ranked number 29 on the highly revered list of Revolver magazine’s “69 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time”. It is clear that Lamb of God have taken their direction from the school of black, thrash and death metal and turned it into progressive-thrash-metal.
From the first track, Black Label, it is an explosion of adrenaline-fused snare drumming combined with speedy riffs, all the way to Black Dahlia where you can hear vocalist Randy Blythe’s full range. The album keeps up the energy till the very last track on, O.D.H.G.A.B.F.E, which ends on a climax, leaving you wanting to listen to the album all over again. For a first release, it is a magnificent effort. Lamb of God have created their own original sound. Sure, they borrowed elements of Slayer’s Season In The Abyss, mixed with a bit of Slipknot’s Self Titled, but Lamb of God have maintained their individuality, creating a new direction in thrash metal.

Some of the most outstanding thrash drumming can be heard on this album. Drummer Chris Adler does not get enough credit for his challenging but metal-defying drumming style. It’s reminiscent of Cannibal Corpse techniques, but with a contemporary twist. What makes them unique and this album a standout, is the way they have combined their thrash sound with a progressive metal ideology. As they call it, they are indeed, “a musician’s band”. Apparently, the band use to practise five times a week -and this album certainly exemplifies that. However technical their rhythms are, they still manage to make themselves accessible to the general metal fans. The fact that they can appeal to both audiences is what makes them so engaging.

For a first album, not only is it consistent in its delivery, but already they have established their recognisable Lamb Of God sound -which is impressive in its own right. Many bands start off with an average album, and progress their way through. However, it seems in Lamb of God’s case, they have already got it together, and anything after is just an opportunity to redefine themselves. The artwork on New American Gospel is screen-printed on recycled paper. But it’s the aesthetic rawness of both the artwork and the production values that gives this album its charm, and instead of hindering the album, it adds to it. Overall it’s a little less refined than their latest releases, As the Palaces Burn and Ashes of the Wake, but it’s an impressive album that lays the key foundations for the formation of the Lamb of God sound.