Lamb of God, Wrath

Fucking Awesome. Those two simple words are the perfect description for Wrath, the new release from Lamb of God.

Wrath is a return to form that allows the Richmond, Virginia, quintet to reclaim its crown as the new kings of metal. The album sets you up for disappointment at first with opening track “The Passing,” a soft instrumental that lulls you into regretting your purchase, but what it does is set you up for the 10 knockout-punch tracks to follow. “Set to Fail” should serve as a warning to all those that thought the band had lost their way on the disappointing Sacrament. It’s full-on metal, with Chris Adler’s blast beats and the twin guitars weaving monstrously meaty hooks, all of it topped off by Randall Blythe screaming bloody hell. Blythe’s vocals are best described as what it might sound like if the crazy man that wears the “The World is Going to End” sandwich board finally snapped and grabbed a microphone. The combination of anger, hatred, frustration, and rebellion acts as an intoxicant and grabs onto the listener and gleefully throws them into the mosh pit.

The best example of how great Wrath is, though, is on the track “Contractor.” Starting with an opening “Yee-haw!”, the track is a lyrical attack on the controversial Blackwater Security and its cowboy attitude. It starts off with machine-gun riffs and Blythe spitting lyrics just as rapidly. It slows down to the heaviest of chugs before it launches into a full-on aural assault that peaks with what can only be described as metal Viagra. If this song does not give you a musical boner, then you need to put this CD down and go buy the new Jonas Brothers.

Lamb of God has worked its way up from being a struggling band on a tiny label to being a headliner and the face of the American metal scene. Wrath serves as a milemarker on their journey to ascendancy. Fucking Awesome.