My longtime friend Chris D was my gig-going buddy. We went to a lot of concerts together, mostly rock and metal as those genres were where our tastes overlapped the most. Back in the ‘90s, after meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital, we saw space rockers Hawkwind (one of Chris’ favourites) several times, as well as Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, Big Star main man Alex Chilton and went on a trip to Birmingham to see the mighty Black Sabbath’s homecoming reunion gig. All through the millennium years, we met up regularly to take in the delights of the live music circuit, catching indie luminaries The Strokes, Gomez, Primal Scream and The Dandy Warhols, along with rockers such as stoners Monster Magnet, Mark Lanegan and Queens Of The Stone Age, and metalheads Rammstein, Mastodon Megadeth and Motorhead (Chris’ number one). All in all, over thirty live gigs and lots of good times. By this point, you’re probably wondering what all this has to do with Lamb Of God…I don’t recall exactly when I first heard the biblically-monikered metal band from Virginia, but it was probably late 2006, after the release of their stunning album ‘Sacrament’ – the title of this another religious reference with a cover which displays a chalice and what appear to be communion wafers. Lamb Of God have been labelled as ‘groove metal’, which may lull you into a false sense of security, as their music hits you hard and fast! In any case, I was impressed by their powerful recordings and virtuoso musicianship, frontman Randy Blythe’s screaming vocal topping it all to great effect. Randy invites the listener to ‘take hold of my hand, for you are no longer alone…walk with me in hell’ on the opening track on ‘Sacrament’, and I was quite prepared to join him…The opportunity presented itself when the band announced that they would be playing below-ground Old Town venue the Liquid Room in Edinburgh on Wednesday 6th June 2007. I texted Chris to ask him if he fancied going but his reply, sent the day before, was:
2007-06-05
13:58:44
Sender: Chris 7964169139
Message:
“Wood o done but mum just been admitted 2 hospital”
Two days later, on Friday 8th June 2007, Chris was found dead, hanged in his home in East Craigs, north-west Edinburgh, a tragedy that I will never fully recover from…
I went to the Lamb Of God gig on my own, blissfully unaware of what was to come to pass that week, and was blown away. To see a band on their way up in a ‘small-ass club’, as Randy described it on the night, was indeed a privilege, and to watch them showcase ‘Sacrament’, powering through seven of the eleven songs on that album, even more so. Veterans of a headline tour across the USA in the first part of that year with west coast metallers Machine Head, Lamb Of God hit the UK, playing the Download Festival at Castle Donington in Derbyshire the Sunday after the Edinburgh performance, a huge contrast to this small, ‘black box’ venue in the bowels of the historic Victoria Street in the centre of Scotland’s capital city.
I am not alone in my love of ‘Sacrament’ – It was the top-selling heavy metal album of 2006. The two-disc package contains the album CD along with a 90-minute DVD called ‘Making Of Sacrament’ which “documents the past year in the life of Lamb Of God. Encompasses the writing and recording process. From guitar riff to completed song in the studio, to making the ‘Redneck’ video and downtime with each band member.” [2.]
Originally ‘Burn The Priest’, the band’s self-titled debut album is absolutely brutal and uncompromising. Heralding the new millennium, ‘New American Gospel’, the first album to be released under the ‘Lamb Of God’ name, has all the elements of the band’s evolving sound but the vocals are screams and barks, with no apparent lyrics or hooks, which to me makes it very difficult to get into, and I just never did. Biblical study reveals the origin of the second name adopted: ‘This is a title specially bestowed upon our Lord by John the Baptist (John 1:29-36), “Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!” [3.] Was it the intention of the band to take away the sins of the world? Unlikely, but there is an element of ‘cleansing’ and ‘purging’ in the lyrics…These first recordings lean more to different metal subgenres (maybe ‘black metal’?) than later material. By contrast ‘As The Palaces Burn’ and ‘Ashes Of The Wake’ to me define what ‘Lamb Of God’ are all about. Released in 2003 and 2004, these albums are well-respected by fans – They sound raw, fresh and exciting (and sometimes catchy!) whilst retaining the darkness, as well as expressing the angst and torment that are common threads. The song titles are excellent too: ‘Ruin’, ‘As The Palaces Burn’, ‘A Devil In God’s Country’, ‘Now You’ve Got Something To Die For’, ‘Omerta’…So, a great legacy was already established by the band before ‘Sacrament’, a musical progression and definition of a sound that is unmistakeably ‘Lamb Of God’. ‘Sacrament’ takes this to the next level, in terms of writing, playing, production and graphics – The chemistry of the whole package comes together and the result is a dark metal classic!
The DVD ‘The Making Of Sacrament’ which accompanies the CD is an eye-opener and is fascinating watching, documenting the writing process and how the other-wordly recordings came together in such seemingly ‘down-to-earth’ circumstances – Chris Adler cycling back and forth from the studio daily on a black mountain bike, the commute exhausting but uphill parts keeping his muscles toned for those double-kick drum parts. Mark Morton and Willie Adler traded ideas for riffs and songs, feeding off each other in a kind of metal version of the Vulcan mind meld, “figuring out overdubs’ and such in advance so that ‘when we get in the studio, we’d just be knockin’ it out”, as Adler says…”Everyone has an input, it’s very democratic in a lot of ways” says Mark Morton. John Campbell explains one of the differences between the two guitarists: “Willie’s more of a good-time guitar player, where he’d find something that just sounds awesome, leads to a good time, so he’ll just nail it…Mark’s riffs are a lot more blues-oriented…” Chris Adler describes Adler’s contribution as “really unconventional…I would say the same for Mark…It’s certainly a new take on what’s been done before”…“I would say that Mark, he’s the soul, he’s the swing, he’s the dirt, the grit” opines Randy Blythe…Mark says he tries to achieve the point where “after you’ve heard the song four or five times, you can hum it back to me.” About the singer, Chris Adler reports that “Randy’s always been late to the process, and I think purposefully to some extent…I think his forte is being a live rock’n’roll singer…” Talking about the practice base, Blythe says “It’s pretty useless for me to be there! I don’t have so much to do with the musicality part of it – I’m not a musician, I’m a screamer (smiles). When those guys write music, they bounce stuff off each other, constantly.” Chris Adler misses the singer’s input: “I really wish Randy was here, now, from day one…” Blythe admits “I sit at home with my earphones, in Randyworld…” Chris Adler says that once a song is developed, “It is what it is, then what kind of message do we put behind it? And that’s the way we’ve always worked, so we’ll just keep goin’ but I’d prefer if he’d come around a little more often, just to hear what his band’s up to.” Although, watching Randy overdub vocals is exhilarating, encouraged by the producer at one point to deliver ‘halfway between your pig squeal and a note’!! [6.]
The opening of ‘Sacrament’ is majestic – a slow groove, precise riff patterns painted over uplifting changes and an ethereal vocal, before kicking into the main assault, as Randy delivers the gospel:
“Pray for blood
Pray for the cleansing
Pray for the flood
Pray for this wide awake nightmare” [2.]
‘Welcome the darkness’ indeed! And then it gets even more intense as Randy invites you to:
“Take hold of my hand
For you are no longer alone
Walk with me in hell…” [2.]
The screams are still there, but used to effect along with words and melodies, low and high registers. Lead guitar parts and riffs fly from left to right over the maelstrom. An exhilarating start! And there’s no real let-up from there in…A heavily-effected guitar part introduces ‘Again We Rise’ before the choir of ‘Riiiiise!’ and the whole band kick into familiar territory. This is an angry song, a rant at a certain stereotype, commentary on the clichéd Southern rebel with their ‘store-bought attitude and spit, a sugar-coated piece of shit.’ ‘Redneck’ brings more social commentary, although there is plenty of self-awareness and tempering of judgement in the lyrics too: ‘But I ain’t one to call names, or throw stones in a house of glass’. The ‘catchy’ chorus certainly won’t make it on to mainstream radio play, despite being ‘a motherf**king invitation, the only one you will ever need’! ‘Pathetic’ keeps the metal pressure on, and the discontentment with where US society is, describing this particular victim as ‘pathetic, wasted soulless, compromised…’ It’s back to the band’s home state for the driving ‘Foot To The Throat’, referencing ‘Virginia death threat, Virginia creeper vine’, with a great double-tracked vocal effect later on the ‘And in this Commonwealth, there’s merely a common concern for self’ passage. There’s evocative imagery before Randy opines that ‘You’re just wasting time.’ ‘Descending’ brings ‘Side One’ of the notional vinyl LP to a close (The recording is available on vinyl so this isn’t just a generational viewpoint!). The start of this track has an amazing low-register muffled riff which explodes into a full-band attack, the rhythm continuing to be bassy and muted throughout the tight piece, clocking in at less than four minutes,
‘Side Two’, the second part of the ‘game of two halves’? ‘Call and response’ guitar riffing introduces ‘Blacken The Cursed Sun’, which offers no respite from the darkness, delving into a seemingly autobiographical depression and self-hate:
“Blacken the cursed sun
You’re not the only one
To have sunk so far and low
There is no tomorrow…” [2.]
‘Forgotten (Lost Angels)’ isn’t any cheerier in the picture it paints of a town that is ‘mean and cold’, ‘dying slowly every day’ and ‘decrepit and falling down’. This seems to be an apocalyptic vision of Los Angeles, the lost angels being those who have been forgotten by the city. Randy ‘fesses up in this track about the band’s themes:
“I can’t write you a happy song
I can’t write you a sing-a-long
The only catchy hook I’ve got
Is the one in my bleeding gut.” [2.]
That’s okay Randy, we’re not looking to Lamb Of God for the next chart-topper or upbeat dance track! (although this song does have a ‘catchy’ hook) What I find uplifting about this music, and other recordings that some may find depressing (some examples being ‘Songs Of Love And Hate’ by Leonard Cohen, ‘Closer’ by Joy Division, ‘Seasons In The Sun’ by Terry Jacks and ‘Adagio in G Minor’ by Tomaso Albinoni) is the empathy that they have with the downtrodden or the connections that they make with life events and the human soul. I believe that there is solace to be found in music, and I personally identify with the lyrical expressions here, as well as having all of life’s cobwebs being blown away by the sheer power of the recordings! Emotionally draining and sonically challenging as this might be, sometimes, the ‘mainstream’ is just too bland…
Is next track ‘Requiem’ the source of the album’s title?
‘Down, chemical sacrament
Blasphemous prayer.
Deliver me from this
so serene apocalypse.’ [2.]
‘More Time To Kill’ is another musical hard-hitter, but also a brutal verbal assault on someone who has obviously engendered a lot of hatred, not even attracting any forgiveness on their dying bed. The spoken word part of the track is particularly effective in delivering the message, enhanced by a short burst of acoustic guitar immediately after. Lamb Of God then close the album with ‘Beating On Death’s Door’, upping the tempo and spraying out advice for the listener to be ‘careful what you wish for’. We’re told not to be the ‘boy who cried wolf’ – If you lie too much, no one will care and ‘the patron saint of fools answers all your requests’. The song finishes on an eerie repeated echo of the ‘broken’ vocal and deep, low-register oscillations – a fitting end.
Lamb Of God released subsequent recordings in three-year cycles, ‘Wrath’, ‘Resolution’ and ‘VII: Sturm Und Drang’ following ‘Sacrament’ in 2009, 2012 and 2015 respectively. In 2020, a year to rival any year in terms of world events, the band released their self-titled tenth studio album, on 19th June.
Randy Blythe’s autobiographical book ‘Dark Days’ is mostly focused on Lamb Of God’s own personal tragedy, the death of a fan at their concert in Prague in the Czech Republic in 2010, which resulted in the incarceration of Blythe in a Czech prison for manslaughter. The book doesn’t delve into the history of Lamb Of God or go into detail regarding their recordings, Randy Blythe concentrating on his own alcoholism, substance abuse and life before, during and after the tragic incident. Blythe was arrested by Czech police on 27th June 2012, the day before the band were due to play in Prague, and two years after 19 year-old Daniel Nosek sustained fatal head injuries at their now infamous concert on 24th May 2010 at the Abaton venue in the Czech capital. A trial in 2013 resulted in Blythe’s acquittal.
‘Sacrament’ tracklisting:
Walk With Me In Hell
Again We Rise
Redneck
Pathetic
Foot To The Throat
Descending
Blacken The Cursed Sun
Forgotten (Lost Angels)
Requiem
More Time To Kill
Beating On Death’s Door
‘Sacrament’
Originally released: 22nd August 2006
Label: Epic/Sony BMG
Recorded at:
Drums – Long Island City, New York, USA
Guitars – Sound Of Music, Richmond, Virginia, USA
Vocals – The Machine Shop, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA
Produced and mixed by: Machine
Personnel:
John Campbell – bass
Willie Adler – rhythm guitar
D. Randall Blythe – vocals
Mark Morton – lead guitar
Chris Adler – drums, percussion
References, quotes and photographs:
1. Blythe, D. R. (2015). ‘Dark Days’. London: Century.
2. Lamb Of God ‘Sacrament’ CD cover and booklet
3. Origin of the phrase ‘lamb of god’: https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/lamb-of-god/
4. Lamb Of God concert at the Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 2007: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/lamb-of-god/2007/liquid-room-edinburgh-scotland-33f69451.html
5. Lamb Of God concert in Prague, 2010: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/lamb-of-god/2010/abaton-prague-czech-republic-33d4c825.html
6. ‘The Making Of Sacrament’ DVD
Lamb Of God setlist, 6th June 2007, Liquid Room, Edinburgh [4.]:
Hourglass
Again We Rise
Walk With Me in Hell
Ruin
Pathetic
As the Palaces Burn
Descending
More Time to Kill
Blacken the Cursed Sun
Bloodletting (Burn the Priest cover)
11th Hour
Now You’ve Got Something to Die For
What I’ve Become
Laid to Rest
Vigil
Redneck
Black Label
Songs played from the following albums:
Sacrament 7
As the Palaces Burn 4
Ashes of the Wake 4
New American Gospel 1
‘Covers’ (Burn The Priest – Can you cover yourself?!) 1
Eddie's Rock Music A-Z 