Lamb of God takes it all in with Sacrament

Baaaaaad to the bone Lamb of God defines American death metal by Christine Leonard December 14, 2006 Metalcore comes in many shapes and sizes but when you’re talking about Virginia’s nihilistic quintet, Lamb of God (L.O.G.), things couldn’t be any less cute and fluffy. Building their own vicious empire, these malevolent thrashers arose from the putrefied ashes of the band known as Burn the Priest. Eschewing their all-too-obvious moniker in favour of the curlicued creature biblically associated with Jesus Christ, they have gone on to achieve far greater heights than even they could have imagined. Founding member Chris Adler took a break from the band’s demanding tour schedule to share his insights and experiences as chief percussionist for L.O.G. "Our bass player John Campbell and I are the ones who started the band back in the day," Adler fondly recalls. "My brother Will is our main guitar guy and he’s always bringing in new guitar riffs for me to try out. I then have the advantage of taking my time and thinking about the perfect drum beats to go with his melodies. We don’t want to sound like your average Joes, but then again we’re not reinventing the genre or anything. We just want to create something genuinely unique. My part is to decide where my body’s going to be in the piece – where I want my limbs to fall amongst the guitar and vocals." Stepping out of the ordinary and finding new vistas to conquer has given Lamb of God the freedom to further explore their sound and to flesh out their take on American death metal. Looking back at a discography that encompasses releases such as Ashes of the Wake, As the Palace Burns and New American Gospel, the band is thrilled by the reception given to their DVD debut Killadelphia (Live), that gave many fans their first glimpse of L.O.G. in action. Since then the Atkins brothers along with fellow band members – guitarist Mark Morton and acid-throated howler Randy Blythe – have returned to the studio to hammer out their latest album Sacrament with the help of producer Machine (King Crimson, White Zombie, Godflesh). "Sacrament is not as progressive as it could have been, but by the same token we’re not trying to perpetuate the notion that we’re a partying groove metal kind of affair," Adler explains of their meticulous approach to the recording process. "Our goal was to select songs that include a variety of styles and to showcase our potential in the best light possible. There was a lot of pressure to do something we haven’t done before. Our previous albums have typically been dark and depressing, creepy and strange. We’ve done our best to break away from the two-and-half-minute formula; every song has a different vibe to it."

FEAR FACTORY - Interview with Burton Bell by Christine Leonard-Cripps

Don’t fear the reaper

Fear Factory remanufactures death metal

Churning out alt-metal thrash for over a decade-and-a-half, Fear Factory has earned legendary status among the myriad of industrial bands that emerged in the early ’90s. Founding member and vocalist Burton C. Bell was fresh from his days with Hate Face when he crossed paths with percussionist Raymond Herrera in Los Angeles. The two formed the band’s earliest incarnation under the name Ulceration. They quickly joined the lineup of a compilation entitled L.A. Death Metal and soon thereafter found themselves signed to Roadrunner Records.

Inspired to broaden their horizons the newly formed (and appropriately renamed) Fear Factory began experimenting with remixing techniques and adding new instruments, producers and players to their roster on a regular basis. By 1998 they had released an impressive array of albums including Soul of a New Machine, Fear is the Mind Killer, Demanufacture, Remanufacture (Cloning Technology), and Obsolete, and had established themselves as a force to be reckoned with.

Pioneering a new industrial genre and taking the hardcore scene by storm, Fear Factory continued to push the envelope with a unique esthetic that layers techno-oriented augmentation on top of classic hardcore metal. Dabbling with elaborate remixes of everything from Gary Newman’s "Cars," U2’s "I Will Follow" and Nirvana’s "School," Fear Factory have proven that they are comfortable enough in their own skins to step outside the box and create musical arrangements that appeal to their senses on all levels.

"When people ask what our influences are, I just tell them to look at the songs we’ve covered over the years," explains Bell of the band’s eclectic musical tastes. "It doesn’t matter what genre a piece comes from, we just have fun with it while trying to keep it recognizable. Our music is directed towards people who like everything from hardcore to industrial to new wave to pop."

This past fall Roadrunner Records released a Best of Fear Factory CD that has rekindled interest in the band’s oeuvre and recruited new adherents across the metal scene. By tying together such diverse elements into one intellectually stimulating and physically exhilarating package, Burton and Herrera have seemingly struck upon an inexhaustible well of musical inspiration that has proven to be a veritable fountain of youth. Backed by guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers and Strapping Young Lad bassist Byron Stroud, the group is eager to reconnect with its fanbase and re-establish their presence on the world stage.

"It’s almost overwhelming playing in front of an audience again. We’re revisiting material we haven’t dragged out in 10 years, but people seem to be pretty happy with the results. We usually focus on picking our heavier material, including a couple of tunes we haven’t performed live since 1994. It’s a real trip back to the rack, so to speak," says Bell.

"With our more recent albums like Digimortal, Archetype, and our latest release Transgression, I think one can perceive how our sound has subtly evolved on its own over time – there was certainly nothing deliberate about it."

Accustomed to touring with massive, million dollar productions such as Ozzfest and the inaugural Gigantour, Bell confirms that he is very much looking forward to engaging audiences on a more intimate basis. Hitting the highways with the Machines of War tour along with fellow headbangers Decapitated, Hypocrisy and Suffocation, Fear Factory is more than ready to assume its rightful place as the headlining act in the company of highly capable and compatible peers.

"I think that there are up-and-coming bands out there who represent our genre, but industrial music is not really getting much notice these days," says Bell of the current state of things. "Bands like Ministry and KMFDM are still around, but they’re on the backburner. Young bands that have evolved from the Swans, Einsturzende, Skinny Puppy and Nine Inch Nails are so hard to search out, they’re pretty much invisible and nobody has really made a dent in the scene.

"Basically, I’d have to say that industrial music hasn’t moved forward yet. I think someone needs to step up and take it all the way back to what it was originally about – rhythm and discordant cacophony."


by Christine Leonard

Originally published in FFWD Magazine December, 2006