Review Summary: A sophomore effort from an established act that shows consistency, technical prowess and great production values. As the Palaces Burn is a solid album from start to finish.
Lamb of God have become a household name over the past few years or so, producing a solid number of albums and live recordings along the way. Their brand of groovy death metal combined with technical elements has earned them a favorable reputation amongst metalheads all over the world. This, their sophomore effort, helped to further develop the band's style first shown on debut New American Gospel. Right from the opening track, the band showcase a level of tightness and technicality not previously shown on New American Gospel - riffs are undoubtedly more technical in comparison and the production values are a lot better (everything sounds clearer and sharper). Randy's vocals sound fierce as he switches between his somewhat decipherable lows and screeching highs. The guitar work is of a very good standard - riffs are well written, heavy and catchy. In terms of the drumming, Chris Adler is known to be very adept. Double bass patterns are superb and his choice of fills can be remarkable at times (Ruin contains a particularly brilliant fill). The bass is audible but uninteresting for the most part, choosing to follow the guitars rather than branch out in any creative aspect.
Album highlights include the brilliant 11th Hour, which features some superbly well written riffs and well penned lyrics from Randy. Touches of melody are present on the track, another notable difference from their debut. The album continues with a melting pot of complex rhythms (both on the drums and the guitars) and ferocious vocals. Another album highlight comes in the form of A Devil In God's Country. This track is slightly slower in pace (focusing more on groove). My favorite section of the track would have to be the ride bell hits - timed to perfection and such a small yet brilliant way to create space within the track.
All in all, every track on As the Palaces Burn is good. It isn't a particularly long album (clocking in at just under 40 minutes) but it has good replay value. Every song showcases interesting guitar riffs and solid (for the most part very impressive) drumming. Vocally, Randy is strong and creative with his delivery and lyrical ability. Whilst the guitars are impressive, it can be said that they tend to utilize a lot of gallop rhythms. Whilst this isn't necessarily problematic, some could say that they could vary the rhythms a little bit more. Album closer Vigil presents us with a clean intro (the only bit of clean guitar on the album) and a slower, more groove orientated track.
There are a lot of positive elements on As the Palaces Burn. Many consider it to be the height of the band's career and their best release. The production is great, the instrumentation is a step up from New American Gospel and the vocals are more controlled and the general songwriting is improved. In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this album to any metal fan.
Recommended Tracks
Ruin
11th Hour
A Devil In God's Country
