Lamb Of God are wisely considered leaders in the NWOAHM, that’s “The New Wave Of American Heavy Metal” if you didn’t know and this show at Roseland Ballroom would be an excellent one. The sold out show featured the might of bands like Machinehead, Trivium and Gojira as their direct support and we made sure to document and photograph everyone on the stage. If you want to learn more about this smoking gig, just scroll down to be brought to our item on PiercingMetal.com
Artist: Lamb Of God Venue: Roseland Ballroom (New York, NY) Opener: Trivium, Machinehead, Gojira Date: 3/25/2007 Label: Epic Records
There are few shows that you walk into beforehand knowing that it will be an absolutely intense experience and I think this was definitely one of them. The return of Lamb Of God with the supporting lineup that they assembled was something that Metal fans would be talking about for a long time. We last caught LoG on Gigantour, the Megadeth shred-fest that offered fans a one stop shop for the newest heavy hitters in Metal and a place where some serious axe work was dished out. What’s great about seeing Lamb Of God is watching their meteoric rise to the top of the Metal mountain. I first saw them with Slipknot a couple of years ago then started listening more to their music. Caught them on Sounds Of The Underground where they headlined and then on the Unholy Alliance tour with Slayer (whew, talk about heavy). Each event was bigger in scope and reached more acolytes to their cause. Tonight at the bands headlining appearance in New York City we would see why they are so important to the genre. Here’s how I remember it. Continue reading Lamb Of God @ Roseland Ballroom (3/22/2007)→
Artist: Lamb Of God Title: “Sacrament” Label: Epic Records Release Date: 8/22/2006 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 4.5/5
Is there any doubt about Lamb Of God being one of the most important and vital of the American Metal bands on the scene today? I would have to say that there isn’t when it comes to the manner and delivery of Metal that these guys are dishing out with their new masterpiece “Sacrament”. There have been references about the band following in the footsteps of or becoming the next Pantera based on the levels of brutality that their music and shows promote. It is not very far from becoming the truth as over and over the band has proven they are nothing less than exemplary at what they do. Opener “Walk With Me In Hell” finds the growling Blythe in command and he seems in better vocal control than on “Ashes Of The Wake”. I am sure that I will get some flack from this, but I mean it in the sense of overall consistency and strength demonstrated by his voice on every song. The production efforts of Machine make this recording standout all the more and as a result the double guitar shredding of Willie Adler and Mark Morton isn’t convoluted but instead is razor sharp. Drummer Chris Adler once again proves he is all about testing the limits on the type of drumming permitted in this brand of Metal. On every track he is providing quick double-bass, intricate fills and thunderous drumming power. The performance he gives on “Descending” plays like a syncopation exercise for the technical drummer. Bass man John Campbell ably holds the whole mechanism together and shows tremendous feel. Beginning to end this is a fantastic album that delivers on numerous levels while at the same time remains very Heavy, intense and brutal as Hell. Despite this level of quality the listener is still recommended to see Lamb Of God in concert to fully understand what the hype is being built up about. Believe me there is not much hype to all this positive press. Continue reading “Sacrament” by Lamb Of God→
Artist: Slayer Venue: Continental Airlines Arena (East Rutherford, NJ) Opener: Lamb Of God, Children Of Bodom, Mastodon, Thine Eyes Bleed Date: 6/16/2006 Label: Def American Recordings
The show was billed as “The Unholy Alliance” tour and I cannot think of a better description especially for a tour that take the most exciting Metal bands of today and partners them up as openers for the one and only Slayer. The show in my area would be at The Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford NJ, and tonight it was labeled as the “theatre”. When they do this, areas of the venue are cordoned off by large black curtains. These drapes make the venue just a little more intimate. I first experienced this during the last Slipknot tour and was amazed at this aspect of the place with this setting being used.
Thine Eyes Bleed: Sadly, I missed their entire set and the result of this would be the very early start time for the show. When you have five bands performing this is the risk you take and a venue is under different restrictions from a nightclub so that was that. I did hear a couple of good things about them from surrounding people who rushed in to the place to get the best spot for the night and I will be looking into their CD as soon as I can get my hands on one. Continue reading Slayer @ Continental Airlines Arena (6/16/2006): “Unholy Alliance Tour”→
Artist: Lamb Of God Title: “Killadelphia” Label: Epic Records Release Date: 6/21/2005 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 8/10
Lamb Of God is one of those bands that are setting the new standard in how Heavy Metal is to be delivered to the masses. Combining growling vocal lines and intricate guitar-riffing along with complex drum patterns, they are clearly making sure that they differ from their peers. With the release of the DVD “Killadelphia” you are given a fantastic look inside the bands live performance. You are brought behind the stage and into Sound check where the members and crew give you some insight into the music that they play. As I watched this piece I found it easy to see where the general level of appeal was coming from. This performance was filmed at Philadelphia’s famed Trocadero night club and they really did a great job in filming this show. Generally, I have found performance video shoots to be on the boring side, but in this one they make sure to include a wide variety of angles and close ups. You see all the players and not only the singer D. Randall Blythe. An immediate difference I noticed was clear visual of the drummer Chris Adler, you can almost figure out what he is playing. I liked this aspect a lot since drummers are almost always lost to fog machines or blinding lighting rigs in the videos that get released. Continue reading “Killadelphia” by Lamb Of God→
