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Lamb of God > As the Palaces Burn > Reviews
Lamb of God - As the Palaces Burn

Unripe, still green and overly acidic but nearing palatability - 67%

Annable Courts, May 7th, 2022

'Ashes of the wake' made this band but 'As the palaces burn' officially put them on the map. This is where they found their identity, with any of the past material explorative at best. It's easy now to look back at this with snobby eyes, as about twenty years have gone by and plenty enough to be weary and then weary again, and again, by the obviousness of such a work. It needs to be said that when this came out, it was an exciting time for plenty of enthusiasts of the old thrash school of riffing as there was finally, at very least blooming from its premises, a second wave incarnation of that distinct Slayer style of razor-sharp, abrasive riffing based on chromatic patterns. This would be perfected on the following 'Ashes'; clearly Slayer-inspired, but not nearly like some common copycat, as they rather incorporated it into their own framework, into their own brand. There was real invention and a fresh stream of novelty spontaneously thrusting at the back of those tracks. There's undeniably also a strong Pantera influence in this, notably through the drum sound, the southern taint on the guitars and possibly some of the high-pitched screams pulled off here - although not on the inhale screaming (!).

Whether this is one's cup of tea or not, it does contain deservedly iconic tracks 'Ruin', 'As the palaces burn', '11th hour' all sharing room in one same album. This arguably works against it though, in that it casts a shadow over the rest of the album and exposes its inconsistent quality distribution. 'For your malice' for example more or less serving as another iteration of '11th hour' if one takes it apart step by step. Is the rest of the album forgettable formulaic material ? Probably harsh, but not without some sense to it. 'A Devil In God's Country' would be a retort to that critique: here's a track later on the album with its own flavor, and a groove towards the end of it that was powerfully well contagious in 2003. But generally there are only so many combinations a guitarist could come up with using Slayeresque composition - although this is achieved in a much more balanced and memorable way throughout the whole of the following release.

Here's a question to entertain: should Lamb of God be castigated for daring to blend an old school thrash base into a modern core-ish overall character and sound ? Those saying nay would bring up the positives of evolution in sound, and the intriguing innovations brought about. Those saying yea should likely point to the degradation of the artistic project that was originally carried out in the first wave, true to its endeavor of making provocative music to initiate a vivid reaction. Slayer were heavier for the 1980's than LOG were for 2003, right ? They sounded daring and revolutionary for music altogether. Not this album. Despite the effort to write intricate songs with fresh and new designs, an album like this may contribute to the general problem of the domestication of the wild metal beast.

Its obvious willingness to be aggressive sounding, from a purely sound engineering standpoint: those sharp high mids on the guitars, that snappy snare, a bass guitar with lots of bite that weighs a ton (and that you can actually hear); also the band's choice to have a vocalist that screams almost all the time, so that constant attention requested by the ever-present, higher pitched voice; all this combines to shape a sound, a personality that might reveal itself to rely too much on its exterior edge, and less so in its center where most of the soul ought to come out from. There's a little bit of a victory of style over content here. Undeniably, however original at the time, this one can't compare to its successor that would right most of the wrongs palpable here: the epic 'Ashes of the wake', a full leap ahead in maturity, marvelous in its own unique way.

II: Unescapable Trash - 61%

BastardHead, August 25th, 2019

Before I say anything else, can I just say that "Ruin", despite being one of the band's better songs, is a really shitty opening track? Man it just doesn't give off the feeling of an opening track. Sure it sets the tone for the album, but it starts off with its weakest riff, neither easing the listener into the experience nor smashing them in the face at full force. It just immediately smacks you with a really lazy and mediocre riff and that's just a terrible way to start things off, even if the song gets continually better as it goes, featuring one of their extremely rare (at the time) guitar solos and one of the fastest breakdowns in the genre. And hey, the "chorus" section is startlingly catchy as well. Keep an eye out for that part and specifically the line "This is the resolution / The end of all progress". Put a pin in those nine words, they're going to be very important later.

Anyway, As the Palaces Burn is Lamb of God's second album, and is very clearly the album where they found their niche. I love New American Gospel, but I'd never pinpoint it as a starting point for somebody who wants to understand what the band is all about. Their debut is a mess of sloppy noise that accidentally coalesced into a devastating monument to modern brutality, but it was As the Palaces Burn where everything truly came into form. This is the album where the Pantera-isms came to the forefront, where their own distinctive riffing style blossomed, where the songwriting started becoming more "normal" and less of a winding stream of consciousness, where Randy's vocals took on that deeper register they're most known for, it all truly started here. What makes this special as opposed to "just another Lamb of God album" isn't necessarily that it all started here, it's that it's just unrefined enough to still sound like a young band coming into their own. There's a sort of charm to that.

I struggle to explain exactly what I mean when I mention their distinctive riffing style, simply because I'm not a guitar player and I don't understand music theory beyond the most basic idea of what an accidental is, but there's a very specific key or scale that they seem to always use. It's very prevalent in the opening riff to "11th Hour". In fact, almost the entire remainder of their career is foreshadowed in "11th Hour". Anybody who understands what the fuck a diminished phyrgian locrian hullabaloobian scale means, please tell me what the fuck it is that Lamb of God is always playing in. They seem to have a very specific scale that is instantly recognizable but I lack the technical term for it and it's been driving me crazy for decades.

One of the most notable flaws of the band that truly begins here, that will (spoilers) absolutely become their achilles heel in the future, is that they very quickly morphed into a "hit single" type band. That manic consistency of the debut is wholly gone here. I don't know exactly how calculated it is, but from here on out it becomes very clear that each album will have two or three excellent standouts and then a bunch of filler. As the Palaces Burn tends to fare a bit better than some of their future works, but there's no denying that half of this album is a total bore, and those five meaningless tracks are all right in a row. "Ruin" opens the album on something of a whimper but it picks up a hell of a lot of kinetic energy, establishes their talent for hooks, and culminates with an absolutely devastating breakdown that seems to fly past at 200+bpm. It's followed up by the title track and "Purified", two of their most underappreciated songs. The former is a total barnburner, wasting zero time with intros or buildup and opening with a hockey stick to the teeth, and "Purified" stands as their thrashiest song without a doubt (it even has a guest solo courtesy of Chris Poland). That verse riff still decimates me, and the intensity is maintained throughout. "11th Hour" is the worst of the good songs, but it's still solid enough. It's very much in line with what The Haunted was doing at the time, with a very meaty dose of Pantera-esque groove. Chris keeps the intensity high with his frantic drumming, but this is the track that knocks the tempo down a few pegs from the blistering triad at the start and it never really recovers. This is clearly meant to be a more atmospheric and melodic take on that pissed off early 2000s metalcore that they championed on the first few tracks, and while it never goes into the overtly theatrical shit that Killswitch Engage did, they're obviously doing something very different here. The track is saved from the weak chorus with the dumb *dweeuhnuh DWEAOWHNUH* guitar line by the back half which brings back some of that cataclsymic heaviness showcased in the back half of "Ruin".

Then the next five tracks happen. From "For Your Malice" to "Blood Junkie", you just get "11th Hour" five more times and it gets real tiring real fast. I've been a fan of this album for like fifteen years and I still can't differentiate any of those songs between each other. There's a reason the only tracks that get trotted out live are the first handful and the closer, because this entire middle stretch is just filler in its most cynical form. I can only imagine that the guys wrote "11th Hour" first and then decided that they really liked it, probably got a good reaction when they played it to friends or at shows before the album was done or something, and just figured it'd be safe to keep doing that song forever. Even the fast moments on "Boot Scraper" and such feel mid paced and sluggish, not even Adler's spastic drumming can keep them interesting as a whole (instead he's the only interesting component of them). I can say this is probably the first time the lyrics themselves are worth noting though. I haven't really brought them up before because they're kinda inconsequential and just an excuse for Randy to make crazy mouth sounds since he still wasn't really enunciating his words at this point, but in a desperate search to find anything cool about this stretch of boredom I did discover that "In Defense of Our Good Name" contains some weirdly icky shit about southern pride and how slavery was bad but we should probably stop holding it against the people who for some odd reason can't seem to let go of the Confederacy. Nah, I know you guys are from Virginia and all, but don't be proud of that particular part of your heritage. Keep singing about how humanity is shit and the church is a lie, leave the socially conscious lyrics elsewhere. You really suck at picking your targets apparently.

I did a quasi-track by track thing up there because it's really worth noting how quickly the album dips after the fourth track, but it's not a total split. I mentioned the closer up there for good reason. "Vigil" is, potentially, their best song throughout their discography. They (probably not coincidentally) closed their first two albums with their slowest tracks, showcasing riffs that landed on some middle ground between Sabbath and Obituary, and of the tracks that take this approach, "Vigil" is clearly the better one. The acoustic intro is a new thing for them, and it's capable of tearing the roof off any establishment once that monstrous doom riff (and yeah, it's a legitimately punishing doom riff instead of simply slower metalcore like they often are in the slower sections) smashes in. I'm sure you've probably noticed that I've been praising "the back half" of songs pretty often, and that's no accident. At this point in time, Lamb of God was very good at picking up steam as they went, with each new riff building upon a previous one until the resulting katamari steamrolled the listener with alarming lethality. "Vigil" becomes positively fucking feral in final two minutes, throwing back to the total chaos of New American Gospel.

There really wasn't a good place to put this other than as a tacked on addendum at the end here, but As the Palaces Burn has another glaring flaw apart from the five track stretch of mediocrity, and that's that the production is bafflingly terrible. Between this and Metallica, 2003 really must've just been the year of bewilderingly bad production jobs from people that absolutely should've known better. This was produced by Devin Townsend of all people, somebody who clearly knows how to make metal sound good, but for whatever reason, either at his behest or the band's, As the Palaces Burn sounds like a low quality secondhand dub. I can only assume what they were going for here was a sound that could be described as "raw", but man there's a really clear difference between the raw sound on New American Gospel where it was coupled with raw and unsifted songs, and the much more calculated and finely tuned riffwork here being completely butchered by talented people trying to make it sound shitty on purpose. This is one of the few modern metal albums where I really think it's worthwhile to just skip the original product and get the remastered version they released for the 10th anniversary, it's at least a thousand times better considering the tightness of the songs themselves.

At the end of the day, As the Palaces Burn is a mixed bag. It has some bona fide scorchers with tracks like "Purified" and "Ruin" and even some genuine outside-the-box creativity for the band in "Vigil". But the atrocious mix and at least five and a half songs of indisputable filler on a ten track album makes it a bit of a hard sell. It still ends with a positive score because the good tracks are definitely worth listening to (the good half of the album are all live staples for a reason) and it's noteworthy for being the album where Lamb of God truly started forging their own identity in the burgeoning metalcore scene, but I'd be lying through my teeth if I said it wasn't massively flawed.


Originally written for Lair of the Bastard

Vast Improvement - 80%

eletrikk, January 4th, 2019

As The Palaces Burn is a huge improvement from New American Gospel, of which is one of the weakest in Lamb of God's career, besides their "The Duke" EP, of which really falls into that cookie-cutter metalcore sound. Anyways, this album really shows off the talent that Lamb of God has in store.

When Randy's first scream hit me, I knew that this was going to be a much better record than New American Gospel. The first thing that hit me about his vocals that they were in a completely new style. Instead of a punk-esque scream that fades and gets weaker with every song, Randy's new low growl sustains itself throughout the entire record, possibly even getting better. I am unsure if Randy got a vocal coach or he was able to train himself since the band's first release three years previous, but he is able to add to this albums overall listening value, instead of subtracting from it.

Overall song writing and structure has increased as well. Instead of fitting into the metalcore mold that so many people put this band in, Chris, Mark, Willie, John, and Randy go for a death metal sound infused with punk, and it works very well this time. The more punk aspects come out with songs like "As The Palaces Burn," being fast and unrelenting, almost reminding me of "Bloodletting" from BTP. The entire album is not forceful face-blasting, as it ends off on more of a melodic note with "Vigil," not necessarily melodic as it kicks you straight in the chest after Randy recites the first line of the Our Father. "Vigil" doesn't go for the punk attitude that the band likes to keep, going for more of a doom and gloom sound with a death metal backing to it. The riffage by Willie and Mark has gotten a lot better, with more variation in overall song structure. John does what John does and provides excellent backing throughout the tracks, having some flair here and there, but is a little lack luster on "Vigil." Chris is fucking amazing throughout the entire album, keeping up the punk-infused death metal flair.

Production is average, but that doesn't mean that it is bad. It is far superior to New American Gospel, but it doesn't instantly stand out. Guitars are mixed very well, feeling more death metal than anything, giving me an early deathcore feel, but not to the degree that it makes me want to make myself go deaf. John's bass is mixed better and has less of a spring sound to it and sounds chunkier for sure, but is a little to quiet for my taste. Chris' drum set is better, but still needs work. It sounds muffled, but I can forgive as they gave it much more body on future records. The snare doesn't give me St. Anger flashbacks, of which is always great in my books. Nothing really clashes, and the instruments compliment each other nicely. Randy's vocals are mixed kind of quietly, but I can forgive.

Lyrics are very good, as most Lamb of God lyrics are written very well. "Blood Junkie" is a good example, remarking someone as a weak, self-centered individual that portrays themselves as the biggest thing, a possible jab at the Bush Administration with the Iraq conflict. Due to Randy's vocal improvements, what is being said in the songs can actually be understood. Instead of needing a lyric booklet, you can mostly understand what he is saying. Overall, a huge improvement from the last album.

Raw and raging modern milestone - 77%

gasmask_colostomy, September 22nd, 2015

Lamb of God have been around for a long time now and there are some things that have solidified about the band. One of those things is that they are never going to alter their musical style by any significant margin, even if they may have slid ever further towards commercial markets since 'Sacrament' upped the level of polish and precision in 2006. 'As the Palaces Burn' stands as perhaps the band's heaviest album, building on the violent and sludgy tendencies of their debut with a more focused, thrashy assault. I really don't have a lot of good words to say about the poorly-produced 'New American Gospel', though this is a lot more successful at seizing the listener complicitly, rather than some kind of ugly ear rape, with its thick grooves and sharp riffs. However, nowadays it shows its age.

That's the first place I'm going to take you - back to 2003 to examine how things have changed. At the beginning of the century, this kind of music was fresh and different, giving a monstrously modern makeover to Slayer's thrash and At the Gates' melodeath, including a new focus on rhythm and groove, which necessarily cut the pace of the former and the classic leads of the latter to forge a more muscular (and arguably less pure) sound. What surprises, 12 years on, is that modern Lamb of God still have a lot of the same features. Those scrambling palm-muted riffs in '11th Hour' would fit comfortably on any of the later albums, and the metalcore tendencies were also firmly developed, as can be heard towards the end of that song. The reason that 'As the Palaces Burn' remains a little more interesting than those later albums is that it presents those features with an energy and danger that has largely disappeared from the band's well-rehearsed sound. When 'For Your Malice' escalates suddenly from mid-paced chug to a flurry of death metal, I'm still surprised after all this time, which I could never imagine myself saying of 'Redneck' or 'Ghost Walking'. This album's unpredictability is its strongest feature, since we can still hear the sound developing as the album progresses and we are witness to the inspiration that these five guys had.

Something that puzzles me about 'As the Palaces Burn' is that it was produced by Devin Townsend. The erstwhile Strapping Young Lad mastermind has never made any music that sounds as groovy or as concentrated as this, nor does the face-to-concrete style particularly sound like he was involved. The washes of sound and deep texturing that he made a feature of his own albums are miles away from this brutal and simplistic sound: one can hear every element of Lamb of God as though they are playing through the wall, certainly nothing is processed as much as it would eventually become, and there's a rawness about the band too that was too pronounced on the debut and too distant later. The beginning of 'A Devil in God's Country' is a great example of this, with Chris Adler giving a lightning fill before the serrated guitars crash over in a choppy thrashcore surge of riffs, John Campbell's bass all the while growling threateningly behind them. Randy Blythe is much, much better than on 'New American Gospel', having sorted out most of the problems with his diction, his sloppy roars, and - some rather preachy lyrics aside - is in control of every song.

This production gives the band a lot of energy and means they have to play skilfully and to the point in order to succeed, which thankfully happens. At 38 minutes, 'As the Palaces Burn' is by no means a long album, but the busy playing makes everything fly past in a blur, never dwelling on any riff or section for too long and Chris Adler hurrying everyone along with a furious performance behind the kit. The best songs are at the beginning and in the middle part of the album, with 'A Devil in God's Country' and 'Boot Scraper' especially taking my fancy, alongside the already classic 'Ruin'. We are mostly here for riffs and those songs deliver the best with a creative fury that few other modern bands understood quite as well as Lamb of God in 2003. The closing 'Vigil' also has one hell of a doom/sludge riff and a raging blast of energy that closes the album in great style. There are several parts of songs that tend towards purer metalcore and even the kind of rhythmic fuckery that The Dillinger Escape Plan indulge in (I'm looking at 'Blood Junkie' here), plus the Pantera groove influence is pronounced at times, actually dragging these songs down because they lose all momentum and direction. As such, 'Blood Junkie' falls lowest on my list of recommendations, as do the title track and '11th Hour', which don't deliver the hooks present in the other songs.

'As the Palaces Burn' isn't the most beautiful of metal albums, but it satisfies a need for chuggy thuggery and hooky anger, plus it took several of the new century's genres a few steps further. As a brief smash and grab effort, it pays off, though more time spent in this style might wear thin quickly. Arguably, we see a band who are here still developing, and, while this kind of release has been left behind by the modern metal scene, it still maintains an important place at its origins.

Gothenburg infused arson at half blaze. - 62%

hells_unicorn, August 2nd, 2012

During the nearly 3 year gap between Lamb Of God’s sloppy and poorly conceived debut and “As The Palaces Burn” is arguably where the band truly found their identity. But the question becomes, what exactly changed between 2000 and 2003 that would account for a dramatic shift in any modern metal band hailing for the U.S.? The answer is the popularized fusion of American hardcore with Gothenburg melodeath ala At The Gates and In Flames. To be fair, this band didn’t quite go out on a melodeath plagiarizing scheme with only a subtle helping of old fashioned American tough guy posturing, but rather utilized the melodic contour of the Swedish sound to temper what would otherwise be little more than 2nd rate Pantera worship with an occasional rhythmic gimmick or NYDM inspired chaotic section.

In some respects, this is still largely the same band that butchered a hybrid of tried and true styles a few years prior. The guitar sound is still as meaty as a fully stocked slaughter house, the drums are still cymbal heavy and possessed of a gimpy, shallow sounding snare hit, and vocalist Randy Blythe is still hell bent on puking his vocal chords onto the microphone with every single syllable. But the riff work has taken on a much more technical character, throwing in those signature tremolo harmony bursts that were littered all over “Slaughter Of The Soul”, alongside some more conventional melodic ideas during the slower sections reminiscent of “The Jester Race”. Granted, this is only a single device employed over a template of rhythmic slams and stomps that is different from the early 90s Gothenburg sound, but a few spots on “Ruin” and “As The Palaces Burn” definitely make no secret of those influences, and “For Your Malice” all but sounds like it was lifted right off of In Flames’ “Colony” at its inception.

While the formula at play here serves this band much better than their previous one, as a whole this album comes off as a little monotonous, as if they found a new toy and are determined to literally play the thing to death. There are a few really bright spots such as “Purified” which features some impressive riff work reminiscent of Slayer mixed with a bit of Suffocation, and although it starts off sounding like a painfully stagnant nod to the plodding grooves of Meshuggah, “Boot Scraper” mixes things up pretty well and avoids sounding too much like an outright nod to either Pantera or At The Gates. But for the most part this album goes to the same well hoping to draw a slightly different bucket of water, and it never quite materializes into much else than a mechanical rehash of something that was much more organic and impassioned circa 1995, though the band manages to keep things tight and together while exploring some technical ideas.

It’s understandable why this album is highly regarded by fans of 2000s metalcore, as it embodies a lot of the cliché musical elements without being overly obvious of its Gothenburg elements and whiny in its vocal approach (“cough” Trivium). Most who are really into the work of God Forbid or Nevermore will definitely find a winner here, though it embodies most of what I personally consider the less than stellar but all too common trappings of modern American metal. For those drawn to the purer version of melodeath from the Scandinavian region, this is a bit too watered down for such tastes and should probably be either avoided or approached at the bargain bin.

Good but not great - 70%

Slasher666, November 2nd, 2011

This is the band's second release, it has a killer track and sound that still gives me chills down my spine. As people always say: "old is better", is it not? At first I was a unsure of this album because the first song I heard from LoG was "Set to Fail" on their latest album, Wrath. I really liked their new album and thought it was great. I then decided to pop this piece into my stereo and all I can say is, where to start?

First off, this is a hell of a lot different than their other albums. In terms of sound it's full of grit that's raw and edgy. Oh, did I forget to mention that the sound quality had a major setback? I did, didn't I? Well, let me tell you that the songs are great and all of the songs sound good, but they are greatly unorganized and sloppy. Some parts in most songs are better off left out rather than kept on the album. For example, the intro to "Blood Junkie"...how you hear that weird screech from the guitars, I find it very unattractive and hard to listen to. If I were Mark Morton or Willie Adler, I'd make the tracks sound crisp yet clean with less bullshit on my plate, please. Unless you're a fanatic of Machine Head's "shitty static" noises on their album "The Blackening", then I think it's safe to say that stuff like that on "Blood Junkie" should be left out if they want better feedback. They only feedback I'm getting is from Morton and Adler's amplifiers. Talk about rough.

If it's not static/strange feedback noises then it's definitely some sloppy riffing. Take Vigil, for example. It sounds great and mighty through the beginning and middle, but when it reaches the end? The tremolo picking was just messy that displays some skill, but is still messy. With everything paused, the guitars bounce in and then Chris Adler jumps in with some sort of beat and then everything starts to unravel from there. Way to ruin the moment, guys. All in all, the guitars sound like a mesh of clean chords mixed with some mediocre distortion, not that I hate it, but it wasn't "Palaces''" best feature. Blythe's vocals are fine, good even, but they're not powerful. They don't pack a punch that gets that adrenaline flowing. With a little more practice and some good execution, Randy will be ripping up the stage with vocal power.

Besides the setbacks and "Anti-LoG" rants, this album is pretty good. Not that I'd just pop it in and listen to it every day, but it's an album that can be listened to for a short duration. It also lacks power and you can tell after the first few tracks. It's lacking because the distortion is satisfactory and not "edgy" enough. This album is fifty-fifty depending on the listener. If you want to listen to it, then go ahead. If it's the opposite, then turn away and don't look back.

Good Solid Groove Metal - 78%

marktheviktor, July 30th, 2010

Overall, Lamb of God sucks hard but this album does not. Ignore everything else they've recorded. Don't even go near them. As The Palaces Burn is all you need. I'm not a big fan of groove metal but this is fine stuff if I can say so myself. Guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler know what they're doing here. They put on some displays of Exhorder thrash influence but (relatively) technical groove metal is the aim. Pantera is an influence with the most obvious being Randy Blythe's vocals as with the bass role and riff structure. But Lamb of God on this LP dispense with the false fury and attention deficit disarray of their Southern contemporaries for a more specialized groove laden album. The guys playing on As The Palaces Burn play hungry but it's not an appetite for commercialism kind of hunger (though that's exactly what they ended up doing after all.) It's an ambitious effort to bulldoze you with scalloped thrash riffs.

The first thing that caught me was the daedal patchwork signatures on Ruin. I thought Willie Adler added great style to accompany these riffs. It always helps when such a skillful drummer is in command like this. He's not a real fast drummer but he is a machine no less. It's almost like the rest of the band is trying to keep up with him. I really don't like that type of breakdown that the song has but his drums kept me interested despite it. The title track sounds very similar towards Ruin at the end. In most cases, that would be lame but this was set down purposefully to keep the pacing consistent with their technical approach. The band is giving out that "world is burning" and other fire and brimstone attitude to the repetition.

11th Hour is the gem on the record. The opening of the former is very catchy and doom styled. It mostly keeps at a steady rhythm at first before changing out into faster more melodic package of scales like something you would hear from Dark Tranquillity. Boot Scraper does probably sound like Job For A Cowboy at the outset with a curious knack of transitioning to some very apparent Cowboys From Hell stop-time patterns. And Willie Adler's opening roll on A Devil in God's Country is taken directly from The Art of Shredding. When the track started up, I for a second thought the iTunes player had somehow went random and played that Pantera song. This song though is the heaviest and most intense on the record and Pantera only wished they could be this heavy. Randy Blythe's presence on the song gets lost though. He's fairly decent on the record overall but thankfully the speed, repetition and instrumental heaviness is what keeps him from becoming annoying. On Blood Junkie he starts to wear thin on me and they should have left this track on the cutting room floor. The song stalls compared to the others because it's not exuberant in the guitars and the catchiness is not as plentiful.

Many have already made up their minds about Lamb of God and with it, this record so there isn't much I can persuade with. The people that will be interested in As The Palaces Burn (and who have not heard most of it) are the ones who have seen the band in concert or listeners of Gothenburg. But the album is predominantly groove metal. To those people, I advise you listen closely to the album for the instrumentation. Lamb of God has mostly played metalcore throughout their career but there is not an ounce of that to be found on this record. I cannot emphasize more that this is strictly groove metal. There is some very good stuff to be found from that type of sound and this is an example.

The most fun you'll get out of LOG - 76%

JamesIII, January 31st, 2010

Lamb of God are no strangers to either end of the metal spectrum, as they have become something of popular metal darlings in the last few years. Though "As the Palaces Burn" was their gateway into success, it seems to be pushed aside for the more familiar and more polished offerings that superceded it. I find this to be a mistake, given that while "Sacrament" and most recently, "Wrath" are indeed quite decent, they are nothing I would choose over this one. That said, I doubt very seriously this band could ever pull off anything quite like this one again.

For all its simplicity and at times, inconsistency, "As the Palaces Burn" is a rather fun listen, particularly for a modern American metal band. The fact that they manage to stand out of the Killswitch Engage clone factory of metalcore is a plus that can only work to their advantage. I wouldn't necessarily heap boat loads of praise on this band nor even this album, as seems to be a favorite activity of the mainstream media. Instead, its a sign that not everything churned out of the U.S. in the 21st Century is bad, bland or simply boring. In fact, I actually found myself having a good time to this album, as opposed to the "meh, its okay" attitude of subsequent offerings.

The musicians here are quite competent for what they're challenged with here, with is basically groove metal with a few sparse traces of melodic death and to a lesser extent, thrash. Chris Adler does give a commendable performance behind the kit, and one of the things I've always liked about this band was their drummer. Randy Blythe gives off more of his usual quasi death barks and comes off the weakest member in the band, so its business as usual there. I will tack on here that the production quality is rather raw compared to later efforts, and this forces Blythe to compete with the music instead of overpower it. That right there might be one of the reasons I enjoyed this album so much more than the others.

We start off with "Ruin," which possesses a few tempo changes but otherwise runs the usual Lamb of God formula. "Boot Scraper" also exhibits this to some extent, as does "Blood Junkie." I've found that the better songs off this album are actually the ones that seek to be something other than per usual groove metal. "11th Hour" is an example of this, which throws in more changes into the mix but also is one of the catchiest songs Lamb of God have ever put together. I can remember it well, even though I havn't listened to this release now for a few days. "Vigil" is a similiar story, with its somber introduction, it seems like more of an experimental number though it then moves into the usual straight-forward metal. Both of these songs work the best on the entire album, and stand easily as highlights. Yet that doesn't mean any of them are truly slouches, either, as both are enjoyable groove with a few energy shifts thrown in to keep it steady. Naturally the repetitive factor comes into play on songs like "For Your Malice," but this is easier to overlook given the better quality of songs here.

After having "As the Palaces Burn" for a number of years and keeping up with LOG over time, I can say for certain this is the best they have to give. Its not necessarily the "masterpiece" I've heard championed as, but it is quite enjoyable for what its worth. Its an unusual take on groove metal, but its groove metal nonetheless with a signature Southern flair that one could trace back to some of Pantera's offerings. Yet taken as a whole, this album is still very fun to listen to and at less than 40 minutes of material, the album does not become repetitive or tedious to withstand, which is a key problem in most American bands today. So quit gawking over the inferior display of subsequent efforts, and reach into the past for "As the Palaces Burn," which was and still remains the best time you can get out of these Virginians.

Excellent Release - 85%

forty6andto, February 16th, 2009

As a precursor to this review, when I first heard "Laid to Rest" on my TV, I hated it, but slowly and surely, I realized why Lamb of God is hailed so highly in the metal world, and this is truly the record that started their ascent.

As "Ruin" erupts from whatever speakers you're listening to, it's plain to see that Lamb of God deserve to be described as pure american metal. They have a more original tone and playing style than one is used to, and has a southern tinge to it as well. I have listened to many a death metal band; At the Gates, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, etc, and I can honestly say that I hear influences, but not the degradation of their recycled riffs. The production on this album isn't the best, but I believe Devin Townsend was going for a fittingly raw sound for a raw band. It is true that the bass isn't that present, but it does its job adding to the devastatingly heavy parts or breakdowns in the songs. The drums are phenomenal, with accents that aren't typically used in most metal bands. The guitar tones are sometimes a bit lacking, but come off more unique than your typical cookie-cutter metal band stuff.

"Ruin" at first may sound boring, but once Randy's razor screams enter the mix, one knows that Lamb of God is here to stay. His sound has evolved greatly from New American Gospel, which just made him sound like a novice behind the microphone. His timing of delivery is perfect and combined with the riffs of Mark and Willie, they paint a picture of destruction and chaos. At first listen, I thought Lamb of God was a Middle-Eastern metal band due to the less popularly structured riffs, but this simply adds to their originality. As "Ruin" ends, it bleeds life into "As the Palaces Burn" which just has a groovin' chorus that's instantly catchy. Randy' lyrics are a perfict fit for the song, which can be interpreted as being about the war in Iraq. The short length is done tastefully, as it acts as a closer to the opening of "Ruin."

"Purified" keeps evolving as you listen to it, and makes you look like an idiot when you first try to go with the flow of the first major breakdown. The solo here has an odd tone, as it is drowned in the mix but cuts through just enough for you to know its there. "11th Hour"'s sound truly lives up to its name. The brutal composition gives soundtrack to the approaching apocalypse, internal or not. From the drumming, to the fast-as-hell palm muting, to the well delivered vocals and thought out lyrics, "11th Hour" is a serious standout. "For Your Malice" displays the unconventional chord structures that has helped garner LoG's respect and popularity in the underground. Randy begins with a spoken word piece, and bursts into his typical rage. The atmospheric guitars compliment the thrashy rhythm and disappear in time to emphasize the main riff.

"Boot Scraper" seems like LoG studied Messhugah for a while and came up with this dizzying intro. The rest of the song is their standard stuff, with a cool solo and alright ending. "A Devil In God's Country" takes a standard metal riff, adds some odd timing to it, and hooks you in with a catchy chorus. It also seems like Mark and Willie decided to add some more Messhugah with the song's solo, which shares some main characteristics with the Swedish math metallers (being the elongated notes that don't sound like it's coming from a guitar and instead a synth, the doom-like feel to the tone, and the lack of movement within the solo itself). "In Defense of Our Good Name" has a badass beginning and is followed by the standard good stuff. It has a decent vocal chorus that's also kind of catchy, and Chris shows what he's got on his rolls and double bass afterwords.

"Blood Junkie," to me, seems to be the weakest part of the album, not being able to stand out moreso than the previous tracks. The beginning sounds like a dissonant metalcore riff, followed by a spoken word piece that is near indecipherable, due to its low volume. The rest of the song isn't bad, it's just not phenomenal. "Vigil,' however turns the last song on its head as it begins with an odd clean-toned riff, backed by an ever descending bass riff, that invokes sadness at first and sinks so low, you just want to take a shower you feel so dirty. Randy blasts through the soft stuff with a religious-like slew of verses. The playing isn't as fast in the beginning, creating a doom metal quality that is very refreshing. And just when you think the song will end, it grows wings and takes off to a blistering speed that ends the album perfectly with an excellent climax and descending action, and just a brutal outro by all members.

A huge improvement over the debut. - 70%

IWP, June 19th, 2008

Well, this is a refreshing improvement. After the atrocious debut hwich boarderlined on hardcore, Lamb of God go for more of a post-thrash sound on this album, and they have thus improved drastically because of it. There's still minor traces of hardcore on this album, but they are thankfully few and far between. This album does indeed sound very Pantera-ish except with totally different vocals. I wouldn't call this album (or the two albums afterwards) metalcore at all. For the most part, this is straight up groove metal. I'm not paticulary the biggets fan of this genre, but the genre is occasionally good, and this album is at least decent.

Randy's vocals improve drastically, he's no longer incoherently screaming into the microphone anymore, and you can actually understand what he's saying. The riffs also improved, and while there isn't a lot of solos on this album, the riffs for the most part carry the songs through.

The title track, Ruin, and Purified have to be the best songs on the album. All of which have great riffs and can be kind of catchy at times. None of these songs are amazing, but there at least good, and it's the next step towards Sacrament. The rest of the songs range from decent to slightly below average. Nothing else really stands out all that much, but at least this doesn't descend to New American Gospel stupidity.

For the most part, this album is decent, and is the next step towards their best album, Sacrament. If you like Pantera and groove metal as a whole, you'll like this album. If you like thrash, perhaps you might dig one song here and there, though I wouldn't really recommend getting the album. If you're a Lamb of God fan, you can't go wrong with this album, but for those that are first getting into this band, I'd recommend getting Ashes of the Wake and Sacrament first.

Oh well, another wasted £7 - 30%

Mushypeawarrior, February 3rd, 2007

This album really disappointed me. I bought Sacrament first and thought to myself "Wow, now I know why Townsend had a go with these guys. This stuff is awesome!". So, after hearing a hype about this particular album, I picked it up and popped it in the cd player.

The first song "Ruin", sounded like a typical lamb of god song, great start, nice thrashy riff to get into it. Near the end, an awesome thrashy part comes in when everything speeds up. It was at this point that this whole album fell to pieces. After Ruin, everything sounds pretty much exactly the same. Same tempos, same key, same riffs with one or two notes changed slightly, or a random bend in it.

I was confused! Devin Townsend helped produce this album. Devin Townsend LIKES this album. What in gods name is going on!? Dev is famous for his super slick production on his music, from Ocean Machine onward, and I for one am a large fan. But this just takes the piss. I can't even begin to understand why someone so solid and knowledgable in music would decide to shittily produce large, repetetive piles of shit from the earlier staged gaping shithole that was lamb of god.

After the first 4 songs, I started skipping songs once I got bored of them. The rest of the album then summed up to about four minutes by doing this. Seriously, if you've heard Sacrament and like it, don't go back from it, this stuff is lamb of god in an era of time where they have no ability to make anything but one song over and over again. It's a large giveaway since most of the songs are in 3/4 and the ones that are in 4/4 sound like they should be in 3/4. People will argue and say "NOE!1 RUIN IZ IN 12/8 U DUM AZZ!1!!1" when 12/8 is pretty much 3/4, just with longer bars. It makes no different of it's 6/4, 6/8, 12/4, 3/8 or whatever, it's still the same beat, which - in turn - is repeated throughout the album. Not that I have something against 3/4 time signatures, but when they're used over and over again in the same style that these guys do, it's just tedious.

The reason I actually gave this album a few marks was for one reason, Chris Adler. If it was a whole drums album, I'd give it better marks. The drums on this album are absolutely superb and sound great. Townsend also gets marks here for this production. The snare power on this is mighty and the kick drums slam away and add some real power to the guitars, even if the guitars have no power and weight on their own. It's Adler that keeps this album partially alive, luckily enough.

The whole band (except Randy) are pretty talented. I can't argue that Willie Adler isn't a good guitarist. The solo on "Purified" is exceptional. I can hear a vague Meshuggah influence in this solo, particularly from Stengah's solo off the Nothing album. A lot of whammy bar usage and legato. The bass is another issue I have with the album though, which I will discuss next.

The bass is just not there at all. In Ruin, you can hear a nice solid bassline along with the guitars and it makes a good pillar to place the guitars on top of.Come the next track, where's it gone? Has it been pushed back in the mix like the vocals? All I hear are the airy sounding, bad produced guitars that sound as though they were recorded outside on a windy day. Maybe the bass could've saved this album a bit more, but it's left me thinking that the bassist snapped his strings halway through Ruin and didn't have enough time to run to the shop and get some more. The volume of everything is yet again another issue I have with this band. The guitars are far too loud in the mix, and had they been turned down, this album would be so much more listenable as well as the vocals being heard properly and the bass existing.

Either way, I didn't enjoy this album, and if your metal standards are high, then don't bother with this album, it's nothing special, and neither are lamb of gods writing abilites. They're just a band with lots of potential but nothing to do with it.

Filler material from an overrated band... - 62%

abatzkon, November 24th, 2006

Alright, what do we have here? The new hope of American heavy metal! Hmm, are they really? Let’s see…

So there I am at home eager to listen to this album from “Lamb of God”, the so frequently cited by magazines and internet websites as the new hope of the genre. And so I spend the next 40 minutes or so for a quality listen. I do the same again and again for the following days. And here’s what I came to after these long listens:

Either there is something wrong with my stereo or this album has no bass frequency what so ever??? What happened to this fellow sitting on the right side of the couch??? (It’s the bassist sitting over there in the band picture in the album).

What about that production? They say that Devin Townsend is quite a producer. Really huh? Well, somebody please let me know when he produces another album so that I don’t buy it by mistake!

What about song writing someone would reasonably ask? And that’s the right thing to do since the production and sound of the end-result are less important than the actual compositions that sit on an album.

Some of the songs here are killer. Yes they are. But the problem in this case is that there aren’t really 10 songs on this one as one can see on the album back cover. It’s basically one big song here. All the songs are so alike, it’s hard to believe! They share the same type of writing and structure. The riffs are slightly different; few main riffs and many small variations of them. So what? Somebody will say. This isn’t progressive or some shit. Well, I happen to have high standards for my heavy listens and I’m not done with my problem list yet anyway.

The thing is that there is another problem and this is definitely a “last but not least” kind of situation around this one, because it’s simply huge. This Randy Blythe shouldn’t sing. This guy does not have a voice. He is pretending and we all know that in studio there is nothing that you cannot make happen nowadays. So really now, he does not convince me… not one bit he doesn’t. You want a death metal voice, try Tardy – (“Obituary”), or Lindberg – (“At the Gates”, “Nightrage”), or Akerfeldt – (“Opeth”). Blythe is just a low lever singer.

All in all, I see no genius here. Hell, I don’t even see above average stuff. I see filler material with few solid songs to make an album. I hear riffs I have heard before. I’m hearing sections and parts that I’m already familiar with without having to listen to these guys. This release is only recommended to the hardcore fans of this band and to none other… enough said.

Pretty Basic but Catchy - 60%

invaded, June 23rd, 2006

As the Palaces Burn, the second release from Virginia's Lamb of God is not bad per say, just not very original.

New American Gospel was quite good, with technical riffing and solid rythm playing and a truly different vocal style from Randy Blythe. This record is basically a watered down version of Gospel. It's still pretty good, but nothing here besides a few tracks will really blow you away.

For one the guitar playing gets pretty repetitive. Triplets dominate the sonic landscape and groove/Pantera worship parts abound. The tone is quite dry and the bass is inaudible. Randy Blythe also changed his approach. While maybe not as unique as before, he is much clearer and has a more devastating tone to his voice. However respect goes out to Chris Adler who truly does add flavor and diversity to what would otherwise be some rather mundane songs at times. Unfortunately the production is rather lackluster and the band suffers from it.

That being said there are some very good songs here. "Ruin", the opener is a fistful of energy with headbanging material and a killer main riff. However towards the end they slow it down to a snail's pace, luckily not long enough to ruin it (pardon the pun). The title track is also very good, short and sweet. The "My redemption lies in your demise" is definitely a noteworthy moment and the band scores points. After that "11th Hour" has some catchy bits, but nothing groundbreaking. "Devil In God's Country" is also pretty good.

The band saved their best track for last. "Vigil" starts off slow but once you hit the midpoint it unleashes into a true headbanging delight. The rythm section, and specifically Chris Adler's playing, gives the song new life and closes the record out with a bang.

Exodus or Dark Angel this is not. But if you want groovy and straight-forward american metal with the odd breakdown, you should be able to enjoy this.

Have They Gotten Better? - 90%

Headbangingcorpse, September 4th, 2004

Well...to answer this question, yes and no. This had been my first LOG album, and I was a bit skeptical about them. I had seen the videos of "11th Hour", and "Black Label", which I really liked, so I decided to check it out.
Lamb of God start you out with "Ruin", which is fast with heavy riffs which change in key from time to time, but keeping the same rhythm. It is a great kick-off for the rest of the album. Overall, the majority of the songs, such as the title track, track 3, 4, 5, are somewhat fast-paced and have a kick ass beat to them so you can really headbang. The drummer, Chris Adler, is just plain awesome. Most of it has fast double bass like all good metal albums do, but not any blast beats from what I remember. Though I like them, it suits this album better the way it is. Tempo changes are rare, but happen ONCE in a while. All the songs flow together smoothly with the beats. If you have heard NAG, then you know how screechy they are(which isn't so bad). It's the complete opposite for this. They are very low, and you can actually hear what the fuck Randy is growling this time. I don't really care if I can interpret the words in a song, but it's a nice addition to this. Guitar solos are exceptionally rare, but the few ones they have like in "Ruin" are just sweet.
The production is really nice on ATPB, unlike on NAG, for one reason because they have a lot more money. The guitars and vocals are solid and audible, and the bass drum has a very smooth sound to it(one letdown of Gospel), not flappy like on NAG.
The one reason I personally like NAG more, is because of the angry brutal riffs, that just sound like screams of anger and hate turned into music. This album is much more organized and precise which is better, but you don't get that feel you do from NAG. If you haven't heard them, you should really check them out and buy this CD. It's a solid release from Lamb of God, and I can't wait to hear Ashes of the Wake! :D

Burning more than palaces - 90%

Needled247, August 24th, 2004

Lamb of God has certainly had a history. They're "just a bunch of rednecks how like to play metal." Watch Terror and Hubris, and you'll have new found respect for Lamb of God. This CD has intense riffs and crazy screaming. In Ruin, the first scream lasts for 15 seconds, and rips through two octaves. The crazy brutality that not many other people can meet and the insane riffs that only Lamb of God could have made make this album one of the best ever.

If this CD isn't on your collection, I'd go buy it today.

Ruin - This song starts out with heavy assed guitar and bass, and of course the best scream that I've ever heard. Some people would say that it sounds too scratchy, but a raspy voice suonds kind of cool on this album. The guitar fills in with brutality, and the end of the song where the slow part comes is even really good.

As the Palaces Burn - We're a generation of pacified fools, and Lamb of God makes that clear t ous through this track. As the Palaces Burn is 2:24 of good lyrics, drums that shred you into pieces, and guitar lines that fit perfectly with the fast paced rythym.

Purified - One of the best songs to headbang to. Yet again this song is brutal, as are all of the songs on this album. I like the way that this songs beggining is written, and the rest of hte song carries your attention through miles of chaos.

Eleventh Hour - Bein gthe best song on the CD, it starts with some heavy drums and godlike guitar. It soon brings you into a drum beat that is common, yet awesome. This is the next to perfect song for the moshpit. And only Lamb of God could have the best two. (WALL OF DEATH) The best part of this song is the few seconds of bridge between the first and second half of the song. Its heavy and hard-hitting. (enough said)

For Your Malice - This song is like the happy break at the end of four pulverizing songs. Although it was meant to be a slower song, the tempo is tsill pretty fast, and the happy part only lasts a few seconds. Its right back to the brutality. I'm not complaining.

Boot Scraper - The intro to this song is heavy and fun. It lasts for all of 32 seconds until the part where this song starts to take off. It gets much better after the begging, and it maintains the heavy part for the rest of the song. Ther could have been better drums parts, and some better riffs, but its a decent song over all.

A Devil in God's Country - Devin Townsend got a little crazy when he helped make this record. If you couldn't tell, this is Devin Townsed, of Strapping Young Lad, singing. He helped make the track, so they let him sing for trhe recording. He's used to a different style of metal, but he swtill sounds good on this, and there are parts where I can't make the disticntion between the two singers.

In Defense of Our Good Name - This song defends Lamb of God's reputation like nothing else. Its heavy and has good instrumentals. Its back to John singing, but I'm not complaining. Drums have a good sound in this song for some reason not known to me. In the middle when the song starts to wind down, you can tell that there's going to be a nice fast paced and heavy ending to that phrase.

Blood Junkie - This song isn't as heavy as the others are, but it still rocks. Its the downwinding part of the album, and its a damn good song to do it with. It gets you ready for a break from the brutality, and Vigil will help you with that.

Vigil - Starting out with the begging it does, you would think that this cd would end on an easy note. But if you know Lamb of God, they can't go a day without a faster and heavier riff. They were just kidding, they wanted you to have good thoughts of this cd, and they did a good job of it.

Buy this if you dont have it. It can just plain murder most metal bands. The happy break is followed by a heavier and beter song, and every time you think they're going to go soft on you, they get better than before. Great album worthy of your music, and better than your everyday metal band.

What's so amazing about this? - 48%

GrimAndFrostbitten, April 24th, 2004

Whenever I hear this, or a lot of other metalcore and assorted other things so heavily praised in the FUNderground, I swear that I've already heard it before. It makes me stop and think and say -- oh wait, didn't At the Gates already do most of this with Slaughter of The Soul? However, though it's what it first struck me as, Lamb of God isn't quite an AtG clone. If you put SoS-era AtG, post-hair band Pantera, and maybe a bit of some Converge-style hardcore in a blender and set it to liquefy, you'd get something similar to Lamb of God.

This is an interesting amalgamation, that may be an attempt to hit the lowest common denominator in what's been the most popular in the metal scene in the late 90s, but it's quite well done for that. A good deal of it alternates between Pantera style groove and the style of At the Gates at Slaughter of the Soul, where they have some really good thrashy riffs interspersed with a heavier Gothenburg style of melodicism. There's also some hardcore elements present, such as breakdowns and the random use of dissonance, but it leans much more towards the metal elements. The guitar tones on this are possibly a bit too thick and muddy, and it makes the album sound a lot more drudging than it really is. As for the vocals, I don't think much of them -- they actually are almost monotonous, consisting of almost nothing but half-growled, Anselmo-style vocals. The occasional solos are decent, but also suffer from the bad tone, as well as the rhythm guitar being seemingly louder in the mix. The drumming isn't bad at all, either.

There's some good headbanging moments on this album, but it doesn't last more than 30 seconds, and the rest of it makes me visualize flyswatting hardcore kids and pits when I think of what seeing it live would be like -- perhaps that's just me being traumatized, I'm not sure. However, the fact that this is becoming more popular is a good thing -- it's a huge leap over anything else, and beats the living fucking hell out of any mallcore. There's also no bullshit in here like there is in a lot of the mainstream funderground -- no emo lameness, no rapping, no chugga-chugga mallcore, no pointless attempts at trying to be br00thal, or anything like that.

This is one of those albums that I can't say it really sucks, but I can say it's definitely overrated. Of course, compared to all the other crap people who now listen to this listen to or used to listen to, it probably is amazing, mindblowing stuff, so it's no wonder people have been raving about this for the past year or so. However, I felt like I had heard it all before, and though it's tolerable and occasionally good, it's nothing I'd normally bother listening to.

Tedious . . . - 48%

BuriedAdulation, April 23rd, 2004

At The Gates . . . you fucking whore. Close your legs and stop giving birth to bands like Lamb of God who add the melo-death element into the mix. After the demise of ATG, countless bands have been highly influenced by the infectious and friendly sounding genre of the Gothenburg scene, Lamb of God is no exception.

First thing I notice is that despite the raspy sound of the vocals, it did not bother me at all. It actually fits the “mature” sound of Lamb of God. The “mature” sound LoG creates is unique, unique in a way that it you can probably guess right if one of their songs were played randomly in a playlist among other young modern mainstream bands that incorporate the abundance of Gothenburg riffs. The riffs? Highly unoriginal, it is this that makes this release oh so very bland.

I know it is hard to be original nowadays, but LoG simply do not execute on this release. You start with the first track, “Ruin” and think to yourself, “Hmm, ok. No pussy intro, aggresive, they go directly into the music with lots of energy and a thick riff you can headbang to. Oh wait, why am I yawning?” But Jesus fucking Christ, it is like being blindfolded, feeling like you are enjoying the best blowjob in town and you open your eyes and find out that the hairy, greasy 50-year old whore down the block is supplying you pleasure with her AIDS ridden mouth. Very misleading. THAT is when you realize the value of this album. After “11th Hour” the rest of the songs are garbage. Totally half-assed, everything, the drumming, bassing and you can not leave out those dull riffs that have been done countless times before. They absolutely seem desperate on the very hardcore sounding “Blood Junkie”, near the end of the song they have some sort of Arabic sounding riff to keep the listener interested, I just laughed.

Yes, it got BORING relatively quickly, but I did enjoy a couple of tracks with some surprisingly good drumming. If they cut their playing time for each song to less than 2:30 like “As The Palaces Burn”, which wasn’t too bad, I think it would keep the listener a bit more interested. Slow songs do not fit into this style of music, and they just rely on Melo-death riffs when they can not think of anything else and just waste playing time. To appeal to the younger crowd they throw in breakdowns, solos and Pantera-ish groove with lots of energy (sometimes). In reality this quintet offer nothing groundbreaking.

Curious if they're gonna match this again - 90%

Egregius, March 31st, 2004

I just love bands that keep up previously set high standards, while still innovating their sound.

Fans of the previous Lamb of God, New American Gospel, might be dissapointed at first. I know I was. At first it seems as if they don't have the same 'punch' as first. The precisioned kick in the head that was NAG might seem to have been lost in the fattened sound. Similar to their progression from Burn The Priest to NAG, the sound has become even thicker again. If it was still a bit thin on New American Gospel, here the sound is more 'modern'. They can probably thank Devin Townsend for this; the guitar sound occasionally reminds me of Devin's own bands. The drums blend more into the overall sound instead of standing apart.

One might suspect that LoG's technicality/precision gets lost in the heavier and thicker tones as the edge of the sounds become muddier. But Lamb of God in the end benefits from the thicker guitar and drumsound, as it provides them with a broader base to build their agression on. This is not your father's Lamb of God, the songwriting is different now. I'd say they've used a more holistic approach, where instead of a logical progression of songbuildingblocks, changes are longer in the making. As a result, the songs stand firm, cohesive as a whole. Which means the first few times you hear this album, it won't sound as good as what you're used to from Lamb of God. However, in the end, once you've listened to this album several times over, the album emerges triumphantly. The different approach means the songs grip you in the long run. This time it's not a simple riff that is going to grab you by the balls, these are songs that take you by the throat.
Because of this setup, some riffs might seem similar, and some of songs uninspired...at first. My advice: don't worry and give the songs time to grow on you.

The underlieing emotions are the same as on New American Gospel, even if it has a snuff less encroached paranoia, and a few pinches more in-your-face passive agression.

And I almost forgot to mention the vocals. Instead of the razorsharp screech of previous work, it's a low-key gruff version thereof. It's less menacing, but more 'I'm here now, there's no running from me, punk'. And there's added intelligibility.
The drums are still done by the awesome Chris Adler, although his skills aren't translated to an awesome presence this time around; there's less fills, he sticks to and interweaves with the songstructures instead of diverging from and expounding on them. Both the drumming and vocals on 'Blood Junkie' are more typical of previous Lamb of God in this respect; compare it to say '11th Hour' if you want to hear what I mean.

Is this album better than the last? I can't say. I must admit this album doesn't have the surprise 'Oh my God'-feeling as the last album had for me, and it doesn't have a standout song like Terror and Hubris. But the album is extremely good as a whole, and since each song grows so much on you, I've become more attached to this release. It's not the straightforward thrill, it's the quality experience that counts here.

Simplistic... occasionally thrashy... inconsistent - 44%

UltraBoris, June 15th, 2003

Hey, for being a modern American band, these guys aren't half bad. However at times they stray just a bit too far into the two deathfuck traps of modern music: namely hardcore bullshit and Swedish melodic bullshit. Most of the time they have a recognisable riff going, and most of the time it's a decently enjoyable one.

This band reminds me superficially of Pantera... there really are some solid thrash riffs to be found here - unfortunately most songs don't really feature them as overtly as they should, especially when we get to the latter part of the album. Most of the time this is a Far Beyond or a Trendkill-like album.

11th Hour sounds the most like some Swedish reject - the melodic riffage and the underlying harmony guitars are definitely there, though there are some decent riffs in there too. A Devil in God's Country just sounds far too much like a hardcore song to me, with the least competent riffage of the entire album. Also, Ruin is pretty fucking weak for an opener, and Vigil just almost floats along on drawn-out, as opposed to choppy, riffage. However, the final riff set is very excellent.

The highlights now... Purified. Holy crap, this one just smokes. That one's the only song that really would keep my attention. I guess the main problem of this album is that it's too similar-sounding and plods on for too long without a real variety of great songwriting ideas. Also the vocalist has trouble really conveying emotion - he's got that distort-a-growl thing going that just doesn't work - it sounds like Trendkill era Pantera the most. But Boot Scraper also has some pretty decent riffs.

The vocalist is a bit monotone at times, and that's really what gets on my nerves after a while... that and he is mixed way too loud into the sound. Also at times the drum patterns are a pain in the ass - not a St. Anger klonk klonk, but the snare drum is still pretty loud.

The one thing that they really must be commended for... no mallcore whiney passages! They do de-emphasise the guitars sometimes, but only to make really grooved stomp riffs, which aren't exactly the greatest thing ever, but at least we're not tempted to assrape the poor guy again just to kill him.

It's not a great album, and at times it sounds too hardcore to be really good, but it does have the occasional really cool riff. I'm just not sure if I can wade through the bad ones to get to them.

i hesitate to call this disappointing - 90%

ironasinmaiden, June 9th, 2003

.... because it kicks more ass than Clubber Lang in a blood frenzy. Yet, As the Palaces Burn is dwarfed by its predecessor, 2000's extreme metal meisterwork, New American Gospel. If NAG was a towering behemoth of reckless intensity, 'Palaces' is a more subdued beast, menacing, but not overtly so. Those true metal purists who can't handle Lamb of God's hardcore leanings will probably embrace their new direction, since the order of the day is less breakdowns, more melody, and a somewhat reserved approach to creating kick ass heavy music.

Of course, Devin Townshend produced, and did a satisfactory job. The guitar tone is suitably heavy handed, and everything else sounds good. I was worried he would botch as bad as "Natural Born Chaos"...

Opener Ruin grooves along with a classic Celtic Frost stompin' rhythm, and the first thing you will notice is Mr. Randall Blythe's vocal approach... instead of rabid wolverine screeches, he growls in a lower, almost INTELLIGIBLE register. There are less Meshuggah knock off riffs, although Ruin sports quite a mighty one... it's more of a circle pit song than a flat out killfest (Black Label). "A Devil in God's Country" reigns in some serious energy and comes the closest to recapturing New American Gospel's vibe... to be fair, Purified is equally as brutal.

My favorite songs, though, are 11th Hour and For Your Malice, two uncharachteristic barnburners with MELODIC riffs and what can only be described as infectious choruses. 'Hour''s verse reminds me of an Exodus riff, until that incredible guitar part kicks in... killer stuff. Blythe executes a few Anselmo-isms in FYM (that low mumble thing he does in This Love..), surely lacerating his larynx in the process.

Lamb of God put themselves in a tough spot... destroying everybody with a classic debut album and not being able to deliver the same product again. Like, Don't Break the Oath is nowhere near as good as Melissa, but cool nonetheless... Nevermore's Enemies of Reality is great, but no Dead Heart in a Dead World. Fans of heavy music in general need to rally around Lamb of God because they are the genre's great white hope.