Lamb of God: Band of the Decade

Heavy Metal Band of the Decade: LAMB OF GOD

As so many do when the year ends we reflect on what the last year has brought us and anxiously look forward to the unknowns of the future. This year brings an added layer to that process, as 2009 marks the end of the first decade of the new millennium. I did not know that this decade would bring a storm of vicious metal into being. We enter the decade with Nu-metal (metal with rap elements) reigning supreme on tours, albums sales, and radio. That sound quickly grew stale and riding in behind and underneath was a new sound paying homage to the past classics but laced with a new voracious appetite for heavy metal. That new sound dubbed New American Metal (coined by or for LofG) featured searing guitar riffs, pummeling double bass drums, and an unheard of amount of screaming. Would these vocalists last with that approach? Before embarking on my band of the decade I would like comment on a band that wet my appetite for this new breed of heavy metal. Because with out their music I wouldn't have given this sound the chance it definitely deserved. That band would be Slipknot and the album is Iowa. Nine years after that albums release Slipknot is a mainstream metal act and no longer commands the hardcore respect but when Iowa was released in September 2001, it was the heaviest thing to blow up the charts since Pantera in the 90's.

With no further detours here is my criteria for becoming the metal band of the decade which will be followed by a detailed analysis of why each is important and how Lamb of God meets and exceeds all.
1. No Ballads
2. Had Commercial Success
3. Great albums
4. Live Show matches album

1. In regards to Lamb of God's music, dealing with or arguing over this point is mute. Lamb of God does not write ballads, period. It is an important point in separating heavy metal bands who play metal and love metal and bands looking to sell more albums and get radio play. Within the metal genre there are so many sub groups that it would be pointless to argue the merits of how each is different from one another. Look at it from the point of an outsider, what would they hear? They would hear metal. The outsider would also be able to point out a ballad and this blog is the metal band of the decade for metal fans, not for outsiders who don't understand the genre and love ballads.

2. No one gives a shit about a great band that no one outside of their home town has ever heard. So for people to give a shit about your band your band needs to be successful. Lamb of God has had a great decade. They started as the hometown heroes and gradually grew their fan base. Their album sales have progressively increased (nothing will ever reach nu-metal sales numbers as the industry has changed too much). Lamb of God have received numerous accolades from music magazines. Their albums Ashes of the Wake and Sacrament were both Revolver Albums of the year.

3. Lamb of God's breakthrough album was As the Palace Burns. This album was carried by the first track Ruin. A neck breaking track that opens with 45 seconds of riffage before Randy starts barking, howling and screaming. The track winds into a pummeling machine gun riff with about a minute left and thrashes to its conclusion.

Their next album drew the attention of the critics and pushed Lamb of God to the forefront of the metal news circuit. The album had a number of songs that were highly critical of the Bush administration's war in Iraq. The political assault did not dilute the intensity of the music and has wore well with age. Even though the main message of the album is a comment on a moment in time, the message is reflective of greater themes such as injustice, brutality of war, and suffering of others.

After a grueling tours which built an even larger fan base the next album Sacrament solidified Lamb of God in the metal arena. The guitars and drumming on this album are fast, complex and each song is full of memorable riffs. What sets the album apart from others is Randy Blythe's evolution as a singer. He here implements a greater variety of vocal tactics and thus became much more than a screamer. His nuanced performance on the album is his best to date.

Wrath released in February of 2009 capped off the decade. This album has a less produced sound and effectively captures the ferocity of their live shows. Notable tracks include the opener with new vocal stylings, the punkesque "Contractor", frantic fret-work on "Grace", and the doom metal paced closer, "Reclaimation".

4. Most important to many metal fans. Can you deliver the goods live? Lamb of God can serve up a helping of live metal that satisfies even the hungriest of fans. But like any great meal, when it is over you are already salivating at the thought of another round. If you haven't been to a show picking up a copy of Killedelphia can give you a feeling for the high quality performance of the live show. It will not replace the fury of mosh pit, but at least you get a sense of what you're missing.

Contenders for the crown included Mastodon, Opeth, Killswitch Engage, and In Flames.