1. The Passing 
2. In Your Words
3. Set to Fail 
4. Contractor 
5. Fake Messiah
6. Grace
7. Broken Hands
8. Dead Seeds 
9. Everything to Nothing 
10. Choke Sermon
11. Reclamation 
12. We Die Alone (bonus track) 
13. Shoulder of Your God (bonus track) 

Randy Blythe - Lead vocals 
Mark Morton - Lead & rhythm guitars 
Willie Adler - Lead & rhythm guitars 
John Campbell - Bass 
Chris Adler - Drums, percussion 

LAMB OF GOD: "Wrath"      lamb of god            Sony/

Produced, engineered and mixed by Josh Wilbur.

review  by dalia "gryphon_spirit" di giacomo ___             

Wrath tears and grasps at its preys.

Since the "As the Palaces Burn" era, Lamb of God is one of the Metal bands who are nothing less that true personification of might. Lamb of God is one of the most powerful bands around. "Wrath", the fifth album of the Richmond based group, is vehement as we could expect. But not only. It's more than this, because besides the typical "wall of death" feeling (which was so surprising in a song like 11th Hour), the playing technique has become very proficient. The vocal temperament is wide ranging and this without any singing in proper clear. Compositions go beyond a mere sequence of memorable loops, but involve a construction where implacable and brutal riffs coexist with cutting solos, walking the best paths of the previous "Sacrament". Drums and guitars simply provide conflagration, the snare is remarkable: particularly stressed and acid. The tension for combustible melodies and/or striking loops is massive. In few words we have a brilliant opus, an album that owns, assisted by a production which goes near perfection. And yet this album still remains sincere and raw! Each instrument has adamantine traits, the aggregation of all of them is impressive. Anyway  i have the impression that in some songs , bass or guitars take the command, in other songs drums are more dominating.  Sounds are varied, from brutal, dry timbres to distortions and reverberations. But in this production there is no artificial bombastic push. A very good mixing offers the right balance for frequency and volume, the bass lines are outstanding (where i mean excellent). Again many inspirations (Classic Rock, Heavy, Hardcore, Thrash and Death) evolve Lamb of God's New Wave of American Heavy Metal. This way, LOG have truly topped "Sacrament" letting uncorrupted the underground mood and with much American taste. 

"Everything you ever wanted

everything you never had

everything learned, forgotten and dead

everything turns to nothing"

Well, this should be the perfect  album, a huge gift in 2009. Actually it could be if the tracklist wouldn't include two songs: that too nervous Thrashy/deathy/punky  track called Contractor (whose good side are, imo, its imposing breakdowns only) and Choke Sermon that, for me, is just a filler. Strong, nonetheless filler. The violent anger of Contractor seems only agitation if compared with  the other tracks. Fake Messiah, with its robust bass and giant menace, or Set to Fail, awesome, fast,with an inner fury slightly disguised by a big uncorked rock- scent. Already after The Passing (melodic and evocative intro with acoustic arpeggio, hypnotic massive crescendo and some Metallica sonorities) Lamb of God shoots a very good opener, In your Words, a strong cadenced death/melothrash with hardcore force which takes you in excitement. 

Broken Hands is propulsive lividity and modern anxiety. Even more anxious and vicious is Dead Seeds, an implacable chariot driven of tormented loops and chastising psychotic guitars. All these songs  enslave immediately but the best are two tracks that dominate, two bushfires that can compete with that orgasmic shake that was Descending (from the album "Sacrament"): Grace and Everything to Nothing. Earthquaking and delicious is Grace (opened by a acoustic intro), much more refined than Redneck ("Sacrament") and with unforgettable, addictive reiterations, and rocking slow down's and accelerations. The other "monster" is Everything to Nothing that is supported by a wonderful typical American rock' n roll feeling; fast but not hyperactive this song has riffs that are unstoppable, and here again a solo gives more value to the whole. Actually we could say this song is fresh and new and "retro" as well. The work is completed by the beautiful unquiet distressed muscular Reclamation. The limited edition offers two bonus, the apprehensive We die alone characterized by a formidable end, and the carnivorous Shoulder of your God.

Lyrics are impressive. Finally compliments for a good, not pretentious booklet, with illustrations (no pics of the band) that remind of biblical plagues (you can see them as splash of the official page). 

"Wrath" tears and grasps at its preys. 

"What once gave life

now infested with plague

the lamb lies with maggots

blinded, gagged, betrayed"

Rating: 9,6/10

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