Wrath is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Lamb of God. It was released on February 23, 2009. It achieved #2 on Billboard 200, with sales exceeding 68,000 in its first week. As of September it has sold around 230,000 copies. In August, 2008, it was announced that the band had commenced work on the follow-up to Sacrament, and that it was expected to be released on February 24, 2009. Josh Wilbur was confirmed as the producer for the album. Wilbur takes the place of the band's previous producer, Machine, who worked with them on Ashes of Read more on Last.fm.
Lamb Of God have remained an integral factor in the depussification of new millenial metal. Adhering to a fairly strict code of keeping the vocals as harsh and angst ridden as possible and the riffs a potent of mix of the old and new schools, Lamb Of God has cut a pretty clear path in their wake, allowing for a crop of fresh, sometimes more talented bands to follow. They have proved, while by all means being a solid outfit, that blazing a new trail does not always equal originality.
Whereas Ashes Of The Wake did much to solidify Randy Blythe and the Adler boys, Wrath merely keeps them in a sturdy position, not really taking their sound or ability to the next level. It’s a bit sad, considering Wrath was highly anticipated and, for all intents, supposed to be a genre bender. The only commendation I can give here is that they did experiment with clean guitars more than ever, which does add a sort of warmth to the proceedings. Unfortunately, Blythes limitations as a lyrcists are more evident than ever. The truth is, no matter how badass your voice is, screaming “a sacred cash cow with sickly tits” just doesn’t earn much praise.
All in all, this isn’t garbage. It’s definetly got its high points. I loved “The Passing”, an acoustic intro right out of the mid 80’s Metallica handbook. “Contractor” and “Choke Sermon” are worthy of some attention as well. Still, this isn’t where a possible new fan would want to start. It’s also not where a devout fan wants to spend much time.