Lamb of God - Wrath
Wrath is the sixth studio album by American 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. Wrath is based on the 10 plagues in the Book of Exodus.
Background and production[]
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 the Wake and Sacrament.
The recording process of Wrath was made available for online viewing through the band's website, with two webcams installed in the studio (specifically in the drum room and mixing room).
Music and album direction[]
Speaking about the new record, drummer Chris Adler stated: "This album is going to surprise a lot of people. Typically bands that get to where we are in our career begin to slack off, smell the roses and regurgitate. We chose a different path. No one wants to hear another band member hyping a new record. ‘Wrath’ needs no hype. We have topped ourselves and on February 24 you will feel it." "We are excited to be changing things up this time and working with Josh. We've never stayed in one place too long, and the Band's evolution continues. There is an aggressive shift in the material and our approach. The bar has been raised." Guitarist Mark Morton was also quoted in a recent interview stating: "We usually try to do something fresh every time. This one, I think, is deliberately a little more raw and more aggressive than 'Sacrament' was. 'Sacrament' was a really, really dynamic record on every level, and the songs were all over the place — it was also heavily produced. This one's really raw and real-sounding, from every angle, and we're celebrating imperfections on this record. We're choosing what takes stay on the record based more on their character and personality than how completely mechanically precise they are. It's more about vibe and attitude in the takes than it is about, 'Wow, that was perfect.' It's the perfect ones that get thrown away, because they're just too sterile." "The guitar tones are a little cleaner than normal," he added. "We're kind of getting into this mind-set that clean is heavy. Clarity is a lot heavier than oversaturated. It's just real raw and natural and organic-sounding, which, in itself, is kind of revolutionary these days, when kids are making pro audio-sounding recordings in their dorm rooms, on their laptops, and cutting and pasting verses and choruses. It's no longer cutting edge to make a completely space-aged, robotic-sounding record. I think it's almost fresh now to make one that sounds like an actual band played it. Don't get me wrong — it still sounds airtight and rehearsed, because it is all those things. But it's just real."
Track listing[]
- "The Passing" - 1:58
- "In Your Words" - 5:24
- "Set to Fail" - 3:46
- "Contractor" - 3:22
- "Fake Messiah" - 4:34
- "Grace" - 3:55
- "Broken Hands" - 3:53
- "Dead Seeds" - 3:41
- "Everything to Nothing" - 3:50
- "Choke Sermon" - 3:20
- "Reclamation" - 7:05
Personnel[]
- Lamb of God
- Chris Adler – drums
- Willie Adler – guitar
- Randy Blythe – vocals
- Mark Morton – guitar
- John Campbell – bass
- Production
- Produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur
- Engineered by Dave Holdredge, Paul Saurez
- Mastered by Brian Gardner