Year Of Metal #003: Lamb Of God - Sacrament

I was loosely familiar with Lamb Of God going in as they were favourites of metalhead pals of mine growing up (this 2006 record would postdate said friends’ interest in the genre). This is a big contrast to what I’ve heard so far during this project; even though it’s the most recent yet, in its way I think it sounds a little more dated for its lyrical aggression and chest thumping, almost nu-metal leaning sound. 

The musicianship and the sound of the record can’t be argued with. From the opening notes of “Walk With Me In Hell,” Lamb Of God are flexing. The riff is catchy but techy, and the percussion from Chris Adler (later to join Megadeth) is worthy of special attention. Throughout the record he’s in the pocket, with great kick drum work that sounds so difficult and perfect dynamics and fills. He takes his chances to show off but never overwhelms.

That said, I do find this record a little harder to connect with than some of the others. There’s not an overabundance of variety here; while that’s certainly been true for Electric Wizard and Toxic Holocaust, those records had, respectively, a more enjoyable sound and brevity to balance the books. This is nearly 50 minutes of big, bruising tracks. When they work, like the radio-ready “Rednecks”, they do the job of big, pumped up heavy music extremely well. “Pathetic” also stands out for its grinding, anthemic coda that serves as the high point of the record. 

Some of the filler tracks all feel like much of a muchness, though. I don’t know if the album’s front loaded or if it just all becomes a bit much, but the first five tracks certainly feel a lot more enjoyable than the remainder. 

It must be said that the production on this record is terrific. It’s handled by a fellow called Machine, who has worked mainly in metal and hard rock, and his ability to keep all these immense sounds from bleeding into mush is commendable. Everything is kept clear and distinct and perfectly mixed. It’s also worth noting Randy Blythe’s vocals - as far as these growling guys go, he’s pretty clear in his delivery. 

I can get the hype with Sacrament to be sure. If you want massive songs played brilliantly and taken seriously, this is definitely going to appeal. For me though there’s a certain fun factor missing from the album, and when that results in 50 minutes of totally sincere macho growling, that’s just not going to sit quite right.