D u d e — this closer to Lamb of God‘s first official album New American Gospel (as Lamb of God, at least) is such a fucking powerhouse and so accurately exemplifies LoG’s precise chops, deep riffage, and thunderous bottom end. I guess New American Gospel‘s opener (and regular set closer) “Black Label” is probably the most *famous* track off the album, but goddamn — this jam is the winner for me.

And while I’m continually amazed by the drum sounds of this recording — the thick, pounding tha-dump of the toms is extremely unique in terms of tonal qualities — it’s really the playing that stands out the most. How on Earth could a human be so damn accurate and fierce and ridiculously pocket-heavy without ever feeling anything less than METAL? The truly insane part (as the alleged story goes) is that apparantly Chris Adler “offered” to switch from guitar and play drums for the band. Wait — are you telling me that this drummer hasn’t been pounding skins since the age of 9? Seriously? The dude started playing a few scant years before this recording? What?!? I give up.

Thankfully, Lamb of God is still tearing up the scene — last year’s Sacrament was absolutely one of the best albums of 2006 (for me only comparable to Mastodon‘s Blood Mountain and Intronaut‘s Void), and the live show never disappoints; the two times I caught this band play in ’07 were each phenomenal.

Only one question remains: what the hell does O.D.H.G.A.B.F.E. stand for anyway?

-KW

LAMB OF GOD – “O.D.H.G.A.B.F.E.”, from New American Gospel (2000)

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Watch Randy orchestrate “The Wall of Death”