New American Gospel

New American Gospel is a work on which LAMB OF GOD pushed up Randy Blythe’s roar with hard-chugging guitar and irregular rhythm. The songs have a hardcore-like urgency, and the young band’s aggression becomes sound as-is. It is the effective debut, released after changing the band name from Burn the Priest to LAMB OF GOD. On “Black Label,” “The Black Dahlia” and “Pariah,” while valuing impulse over refinement, the strength of the riffs that show the later direction is clear. Songs like “A Warning,” “Confessional” and “Nippon” breathe an early rough appeal too. It is important content as a coarse starting point for modern heavy metal. The prototype of the band that would later lead the “New Wave of American Heavy Metal” is here. It is a powerful record.