Band Reviews: Lamb Of God

I love music, and so I decided that I'd chose my favorite bands and do a short review of each one, and tell you all why I love them. We'll start off with one of my favorite bands ever, Lamb Of God.

Lamb Of God are a heavy metal / speed metal band from Richmond, Virginia in America. They consist of five members:

Randy Blythe : Vocals
Mark Morton : Electric Guitar, primary soloist
Willie Adler : Electric Guitar, primary riff player
John Campbell : Bass Guitar
Chris Adler : Drums [yes, he and Willie are brothers]

So what sets Lamb Of God apart from all the other great metal bands? Well, it's simple. They have their own sound. They are a mixture of different influences, and because of that they have a very unique take on metal. Willie and Chris are both metal heads who have a particular affinity for speed metal, while Mark Morton grew up listening to and being influenced by lots of blues guitarists. Because of this merge their sound is fast, very technical and very heavy, but with extremely melodic secondary guitar lines and guitar solos.

As a result of this unique style, they were able to coin the term 'Pure American Metal' and by doing that they have managed to create a subgenre within metal, and even speed metal.

Another thing that sets them apart from the rest is that they are all brilliant, and while they aren't schooled musicians they are constantly pushing themselves musically to write more complex riffs, to be played at higher tempos. Many bands are happy to settle for basic 4 note riffs and then to play power chords over that, but not Lamb Of God. Their sound has evolved from lead lines and fast riffing, to dual lead lines, to fast and sweeping solos.

I think the other thing that really puts them above the rest is that they all work so well together, and they are all very hard workers in their own way. Willie and Chris are said to be super technical players, and that comes across in what they write and how they write it.

For example, Chris doesn't write any drum parts until he has heard what the guitarists have written, and spent some time thinking about how it will fit together. Once he has listened to the new stuff, he writes the drumming parts around that in such a way that it adds to what the guitars are doing rather than just showing off.

The thing that makes him brilliant though is that he is just so creative within what he is doing. His fills are never standard, and they are always super fast and fun, and rather than just keeping a beat, he alternates what he's doing on the kicks so that there is more emphasis on what's happening with the lead pieces.

While the drumming is working so well, the guitarists are also really in tune with each other. So if Willie brings in a really strange metal riff which isn't fitting with anything else, Mark can come in and say "that fits with something else I've been working on", and because they are both willing to compromise and work together things just sound amazing.

And of course the combination of metal with blues style solos makes for wonderfully emotional music.

But I still haven't said anything about Randy or John. Well, put it this way, John Campbell can play anything. He isn't the greatest bassist in the world, but no matter what the guitarists bring in, he can play it with a great groove, and make it really solid and melodic. He's the type of player that actually makes the band what they are, but in a way that no one would ever notice.

And as for Randy, well he's Randy. His vocal is really unique, and no one will ever be able to do what he does, which is amazing.

All in all, they are my favorite band because they embody everything I love in metal: emotion, technicality, speed, aggression and creativity.

I've never heard a song by them I didn't like, and I doubt I ever will. Their values are the same as mine when it comes to music, and I love what they're doing. So if you're looking for some brutal drumming, precise and crushing riffs and searing solos, look no further. Lamb Of God is what you're after.