| Lamb of God As the Palaces Burn |
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 | Tracklist:
- Ruin
- As the Palaces Burn
- Purified
- 11th Hour
- For Your Malice
- Boot Scraper
- A Devil in God's Country
- In Defense of Our Good Name
- Blood Junkie
- Vigil
| Ranking: #101 for 2003 | |
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On 27 Lists
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5 of 5 thought this review was well written
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking of all the ways you could start calling me a hypocrite. Don’t bother, it isn’t needed. People’s tastes in music evolve over time and there’s no need to go overboard and start flaming people who change their mind. Just accept that fact and learn to accept the new way of life. For beyond the shrouded hills lies a life of extreme disbelief. Pondering such land of composure will only perplex the minds of the innocent, so riveted by the inconsequential affairs of the present time. A quite light awaits us all once the enduring darkness has come to pass. But never, even to the one himself, did ShadowsFallen ever think he would enjoy a Lamb of God album.
The question remains, what has improved so drastically between albums so as to cause one’s love of the band to make a complete 180-degree turn? In a word, everything.
As the Palaces Burn comes packed with plenty of reassuring brutality. From the thrash metal title track As the Palaces Burn to the aptly titled Boot Scraper, their second album shows a definite step up the extreme metal scale. Songs are heavier, more riff-laden, and Blythe seems to have gone through an intense case of adolescence. Suddenly, his scream is deep and entrancing, complete with death metal growls and high shrieks reminiscent of Lord Worm. This style of playing goes magnificently with a well-amplified sense of melody. Displayed quite plainly by the somber clean guitar passages of Vigil and the dark harmonization of 11th Hour, the band has broken free of the previous constraints and begun to experiment with their writing. The music is consequently darker, more memorable, and seems to possess a theme within each song.
The most noticeable change from their previous effort lies in the technical realm. It is quite clear that As the Palaces Burn has much clearer production then New American Gospel. Every instrument and voice comes through cleanly, and has a vicious punch to boot. Every riff is punishing and seems to infect listeners’ skulls like a metal plague. The instruments have also improved technically. Riffs are much more experimental with melody, and have become more complex because of that. Solos are utilized within (see Boot Scraper or Ruin) that accent the dark-tuned riffs perfectly.
All of the elements their previous album suffered from have become top notch. Not only is As the Palaces Burn a brutal album, but it’s also more unique, memorable, layered and complex, and better in virtually every way. The album contains some of the band’s best songs to date such as Ruin and 11th Hour, which flow with a vengeance. Bringing all of these talents together has made each song different and unforgettable across many paths, with plenty of variation. Lamb of God has proved that they hold a hidden flare for enhancement deep within their loins, and anything may be possible. What we already know is that they are well on their way to a promising upward slope, as the improvements here are so drastic that one may wonder how the same band could’ve written an album such as New American Gospel. Please, for your own sake. Should you ever invest in one Lamb of God album, let As the Palaces Burn be the one.
Recommended listening:
- Ruin
- Purified
- 11th Hour
- Vigil
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Great to see that you've found a Lamb of God album that you really like, ShadowsFallen. I wouldn't exactly call you a hypocrite because I've hated bands that I like now (Cryptopsy).
Excellent review, as always.
And I can't get enough of this album. I think it's easily the best album of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal and this album frequently is playing on my iPod.
EDIT: Even though it is simplistic, the guitar solo in Ruin is orgasmic.This Message Edited On 01.31.06
Digging: Circle Takes The Square - As The Roots Undo | | |
Thank you so much, Shadows. I love this album so much, that...I don't know.
Man, I said "much" a lot there.
| | | Album Rating: 3
What's with the first paragraph, just give me a review, not your poetic stab of philosophy or whatever. I would've liked to have read breakdowns of the songs themselves, but since you apparently haven't liked LOG too much for very long, I guess I understand. I like this band, but to be honest, I have only found 3 songs to my liking from this album. I think you can guess which ones (11th hour, ATPB, and Ruin). Musically, though, it' all good.
BTW: dont be offended or anything by my first comments. Also, I liked the review.
Digging: Between The Buried And Me - The Great Misdirect | | | Album Rating: 4
The first paragraph is sort of a weird state I've been in lately. It doesn't really pertain to the music, but then again, sticking to the rules all the time is boring. 
I don't like track by track reviews personally. I find these much more informative and much more fun to write.
Thanks everyone, this is an odd sense, considering how much I've hated them in the past.This Message Edited On 01.31.06
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Lamb of God rulz u suk.
| | | Album Rating: 3
well, i havent reviewed anything, so track by track is what i'm accustomed to based on what i've seen, thats all. good album, liked the review, enough said.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
OMFG HYPOCRITE UR NO FAN U PHONY TOOL
Good to see you're getting into some Lamb Of God. Just clarify this for me: why did you rate it so low? You honestly said nothing bad about the album.
| | | Album Rating: 4
Sure it was really good, but nothing fantastically amazing. There were parts of the album like the keyboard section in A Devil in God's Country that seemed out of place or just boring. They didn't really perfect their riffs, but they made a sweet effort.
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Nice review,Lamb of god is awesome but it gets repetitive.
| | | Album Rating: 4
Thought that was a nice review there. I quite like Lamb Of God and I would have to agree that this is their most awesome release yet.
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I thought you'd never like LoG, seems I've been proved wrong, for the better.
| | | Album Rating: 4
hey i thought i would always hate meshuggah, but now i cant stop listening to em.
ne way, love this album. while AotW is more solid, this has more stand out tracks and more creativity IMO. i love 11th hour, one of LoG's best songs for sure, same with Ruin and Vigil. I listened to this CD nonstop last summer.
| | | Album Rating: 4
[QUOTE=Drunken Viking]I thought you'd never like LoG, seems I've been proved wrong, for the better.[/QUOTE]
Yep, people's tastes in music change, and mine did on this band.
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Yeah, what made it change, did you finaly sit down and listen to this album, or what?
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Did you listen to NAG and ATPB back to back and think this one was extreamely better?
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
I listened to all of them again, and this one is infinitely better than the other two.
The last two minutes of "Vigil" are too awesome for words.
| | | Album Rating: 4
Mos def, this album slays the other two. Especially New American Gospel...gah, that is one of my most hated albums of all time.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
It's not that bad, it just doesn't show the band's true potential.
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I think it's ok, definately not their best work.
| | | Album Rating: 5
My personal favourite from lamb of god. Good review, as usual
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