Lamb of God |
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Lamb of God is a five-piece metal group from Richmond, Virginia, formerly known as Burn the Priest. They have sold over 1.5 million albums in the United States.
Biography
Burn the Priest
Burn the Priest formed in 1990 when guitarist Mark Morton, drummer Chris Adler and bassist John Campbell were living on the same floor of a dorm at Virginia Commonwealth University. The trio began jamming and writing material, Campbell comments "We would freeze our asses off, get really drunk and hang around the kerosene heaters trying to write metal songs".[3] Following graduation, Morton moved to Chicago to pursue a master's degree, and was replaced by guitarist Abe Spear. In 1995, Randy Blythe joined the band's line-up as vocalist.[3]
Following the return of Morton, Burn the Priest began touring in Virginia. The band had a rigorous practice schedule to compete with local bands, up to five days a week. Campbell commented "The bands in Richmond can flat outplay you and if you don't practice, they will blow you off the stage. Bands like Breadwinner and Sliang Laos - two local math-metal bands - could play insanely complicated music note perfect. They inspired us to raise the bar musically and taught us the work ethic we needed to be a success".[3]
In 1997, Burn the Priest released two split seven-inches, one with ZED and another with Agents of Satan. The next year, the band recorded a self-titled full length album with Steve Austin from Today Is The Day fame, it came out on Legion Records on April 13, 1999. Also, through mp3.com, a compilation CD of singles and other one-off tracks called Sevens and More was released.[4] Abe left the band in 1999 after admitting himself to a rehabilitation center outside of Williamsburg, Virginia.[citation needed] His departure left an opening for a guitarist, which was filled by Chris's brother Willie Adler.
Lamb of God
After a year of this lineup, the band changed its name to Lamb of God and signed with Prosthetic Records. After two well received releases and a DVD (Terror and Hubris) on Prosthetic Records, the band signed a new recording contract with Epic Records in late 2003. Their first release for the label, Ashes of the Wake, debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 35,000.[5] The album has since sold over 250,500 copies in the United States.[1].
On August 29, 2005, the band announced that their DVD Killadelphia, which chronicles the band on tour supporting Ashes of the Wake, had received Gold certification from the RIAA. The DVD features a complete live performance at the Trocadero in October 2004 in Philadelphia, and also contains three of their music videos, commentary by the band, outtakes, soundchecks, and plenty of backstage shenanigans. Blythe and Morton were also interviewed that year for the documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey.
On January 25, 2006, a press release announced the re-release of Lamb of God's debut album, New American Gospel. The original, along with the self-titled debut Burn the Priest, were both produced by Steve Austin, known for his work with Today Is the Day, Converge, and Unsane. The re-release was remastered and repackaged with four new tracks, exclusive liner notes from the band and a re-imaging of the album art by longtime band collaborator Ken Adams. The album was re-released on April 4, 2006.
Sacrament
Lamb of God's fourth studio album, Sacrament, entered the Billboard 200 at number 8 with first-week sales of 63,000.[5] The album received generally positive reviews, Cosmo Lee of Stylus Magazine commented "Sacrament has the band’s most memorable songs to date. Musically, there’s no fat. The band plays with laser precision and songs move smoothly through riffs and transitions."[6] Ed Thompson of IGN called it "one of the best metal albums of 2006",[7] and Jon Pareles of Blender called Sacrament a "speed rush all the way through".[8]
Lamb of God took part in the 2006 The Unholy Alliance tour in North America with Slayer, Mastodon, Children of Bodom, and Thine Eyes Bleed. The band joined the North American portion of Gigantour, headlined by Megadeth and attended the 2007 Download Festival and Ozzfest. Lamb of God was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the song "Redneck" from Sacrament in 2006 at the 49th Grammy Awards. The award, however, went to Slayer for "Eyes of the Insane". On February 9, 2007 Lamb of God made its national television debut on Late Night with Conan O'Brien playing "Pathetic" from Sacrament. On September 8, 2007, the band announced that its DVD Killadelphia was certified Platinum by the RIAA. A full length DVD is planned to be released in early 2008.
Discography
- Burn the Priest (1999)
- New American Gospel (2000)
- As the Palaces Burn (2003)
- Ashes of the Wake (2004)
- Sacrament (2006)
Members
- Randy Blythe – vocals (Burn the Priest, 1995–present)
- Mark Morton – guitar (Burn the Priest, founding member)
- Willie Adler – guitar (1999–present)
- John Campbell – bass guitar (Burn the Priest, founding member)
- Chris Adler – drums (Burn the Priest, founding member)
Previous members
- Abe Spear – guitar (Burn the Priest, 1990–1999)
Video game involvement
- "Laid to Rest" is featured in Guitar Hero II
- "Redneck" is featured in ATV Offroad Fury 4
- "Redneck" is featured in NFL Street 3
- "Black Label" is featured in Tony Hawk's Underground 2
- Lamb of God's music can be found in BaboViolent 2
- "Laid to Rest" is featured in Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes The Neighborhood
Wall of Death
The wall of death occurs at the beginning of the song "Black Label," usually the last song in the set. The crowd divides to the left and right sides of the floor area, and then on Blythe's direction, run wildly towards the other side. This is much more intense than circle pits, which are also seen at Lamb of God concerts.
Two Quicktime videos (6-8mb in size) document the wall of death on the video page of the official Lamb of God website, found here.
However, Randy is no longer allowed to orchestrate walls of death, due to health and safety, although the crowd sometimes perform the wall of death at the beginning of "Black Label", even if Randy did not ask them to. Occasionally he says "you know what to do...." at the intro beat of "Black Label".
References
- ^ James Christopher Monger. "All Music Guide "Sacrament" review". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
- ^ Official site news updates
- ^ a b c "Biography - Lamb of Gob - Pure American Metal". lambofgod.com. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
- ^ "burn-the-priest.com". Retrieved 2007-09-12.
- ^ a b Hasty, Katie (2006-08-23). "Danity Kane Sidesteps OutKast To Claim No. 1". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
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(help) - ^ Lee, Cosmo (2006-09-07). "Sacrament Stylus Magazine review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
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(help) - ^ Thompson, Ed (2006-11-09). "Lamb of God - Sacrament LoG progresses, takes aim". IGN. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
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(help) - ^ Pareles, Jon (2006-08-22). "Sacrament Blender review". Blender. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
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