HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: As The Palaces Burn – Lamb of God
As the 2000’s began to transition out of its infancy into the ‘mid’ years, Richmond’s LAMB OF GOD were starting to ride the crest of a wave that would catapult them into the spotlight. Debut album Burn The Priest (1999) – a self-titled effort under their previous moniker – had performed moderately, but it was sophomore album New American Gospel that got tongues wagging; released in September 2000, it helped breathe new life into what was dubbed ‘The New Wave of American Heavy Metal’ – by the turn of the millennium, PANTERA were on their way out, MACHINE HEAD had polarised fans with their more nu-metal-inspired albums (indeed, that whole genre had pushed the more traditional forms of metal into the underground) and BIOHAZARD had voluntarily left label Mercury after professional relationships dramatically turned sour.
The time was ripe for the next generation to emerge and, with tracks as incendiary as Black Label, Terror And Hubris In The House Of Frank Pollard and closing bruiser O.D.H.G.A.B.F.E, the quintet from Virginia were picking up fans disillusioned by the way metal had gone in the mainstream. “This is grindcore and death metal for the hardcore kids”, declared CMJ. “The essential signatures of post-PANTERA metal are in abundance on LAMB OF GOD‘s inaugural album…New American Gospel provides a mighty oak upon which gritty American metal’s faith is maintained,” gushed AllMusic. It was clear as day; metal had a new favourite band.
Following two years of touring, LAMB OF GOD retired to Montana Inc. Studios in their hometown of Richmond, with none other than DEVIN TOWNSEND at the helm on production duties. Indeed, this hiring of the then-STRAPPING YOUNG LAD frontman was a masterstroke; in 2006, when New American Gospel was reissued, Metal Blade Records included a somewhat tongue-in-cheek note on the inlay which explained that “the sound on the album is less polished than [their] newer work, in part due to time constraints as well as heavy drinking.” Having a cleaner production job isn’t always a smart move; it can really detach from what makes a band great. However, LAMB OF GOD were not about to go radio-friendly and instead, on May 6 2003, they unleashed their third album As The Palaces Burn, which took everything great about New American Gospel and turned it into what that previous record could have been if not so raw.
It seems obvious to start from the top but, a full two decades on, few opening tracks are as electric and visceral as Ruin – to date, it’s still the second-most played song from LAMB OF GOD’s recorded live shows; only Laid To Rest tops it by a mere 11 performances. The combination of riffs from Mark Morton and Willie Adler, drumming showcase from the latter’s brother Chris and that scream from vocalist Randy Blythe builds so beautifully over the first half a minute of the track, yet TOWNSEND’s job behind the mixing desk means the song holds the same impact as a perfectly-aimed petrol bomb. In addition, the groove that had led LAMB OF GOD to be dubbed ‘the new PANTERA’ was so much clearer; the first rise of metalcore was in full swing in 2003 and, although not truly part of that scene in the manner it would be traditionally viewed as down the line, LAMB OF GOD were firmly a member then, giving a different edge to the likes of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and AVENGED SEVENFOLD even if there were similar characteristics.
As The Palaces Burn didn’t – and indeed, still doesn’t – let up. Ruin segues straight into the title track, which picks up the pace and hurtles through at punk-like speed. 11th Hour is a tour-de-force of riffs, pinched harmonics and sinister, growled vocals, one of the absolute highlights. For Your Malice is in the picture for the greatest LAMB OF GOD song to never been performed live, whilst TOWNSEND himself contributed on A Devil In God’s Country. However, perhaps the best was saved for last – after the surprise of a clean guitar opening, Blythe‘s scream of “Our Father, Thy Will Be Done!” lights the touch paper for the astonishing Vigil, which goes from hefty breakdowns to thrash in the blink of an eye. It’s only 38 minutes in length, but from beginning to end there isn’t a duff song on the record and it hasn’t aged, either; if LAMB OF GOD released this today, it wouldn’t be out of place at all.
There were, of course, those who immediately grimaced at the new sound, bemoaning the loss of what made LAMB OF GOD great; some even unfairly compared it to a slower SLAYER album with more production and great vocals. But they were firmly in the minority; As The Palaces Burn sold over 100,000 units, a huge amount for a smaller label like Prosthetic. Even Rolling Stone were impressed, saying of the album “unlike many of their overreaching, SLIPKNOT-influenced contemporaries, LAMB OF GOD deliver a meticulously crafted metal assault.” It was enough to get the band noticed by major label Epic; within a year, the band had signed to them and released the record that would take them to the next level and beyond. But that’s a story for fifteen months’ time…
As The Palaces Burn was originally released on May 6 2003 via Prosthetic Records.
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