Landmark Metal Albums of 2006: Part II
December 15, 2006 by Jo Minor
A Matter of Life and Death by Iron Maiden
A rather unconventional album from the greatest Heavy Metal band of all time, A Matter of Life and Death is the band’s longest-running studio release - it’s around 72 minutes long, with an average song length of 7:12 - thus making it the lengthiest Maiden album by song average.
Rather unconventional, too, is the album cover created by Punisher comic artist Tim Bradstreet - but the art explains much of what the album’s lyrical aspects deal with. The cover depicts the band’s mascot Eddie represented in the form of soldiers in battle, thus giving off an accurate first impression of the war-themed album.
Drawing rave reviews from critics and the media, who branded the album as the band’s most mature and progressive release to date, A Matter of Life and Death is only the band’s fourth studio album not named after a specific song.
As the album displays a mature and more-polished side of Iron Maiden, some fans might be turned off by the lack of shorter, catchier songs that have propelled the band into worldwide fame and the sales of over 70 million albums. This is to be expected from a band with their caliber and talent, as they have released an equally-progressive album in the form of Brave New World.
A healthy amount of tempo changes and instrumental sections find their way into A Matter of Life and Death, and that is not necessarily a bad thing when we’re talking about a band like Iron Maiden.
A Matter of Life and Death is an eccentric but highly entertaining release from the legends of Heavy Metal.
Sacrament by Lamb of God
Post-thrash band Lamb of God is probably one of the worthy successors to the Thrash Metal throne after Progressive Thrash outfit Nevermore takes the crown from an aging Slayer, and with Sacrament they prove that the claim isn’t unfounded by any means.
The album kicks into full gear immediately with opening track Walk With Me In Hell, with drummer Chris Adler paving the road to total annihilation with his clear-cut drum beats. The guitar riffs and vocals in this song are outstanding as well, making this the best song of the album, and the song ends just as spectacularly as it begins.
Again We Rise is the track after the opener, and is an energetic offering. Once again, drummer Adler executes his trademark drum work and lays the foundation of the song. Vocalist Randy Blythe’s percussive barks spell out the words with aplomb while the interesting main riff of the song plays repeatedly in the background, creating a powerful presence much in the vein of early Pantera. Again We Rise is topped off with a short albeit catchy guitar solo.
Redneck is the third song in the album and is chosen as the first single from Sacrament. A strangely entertaining music video accompanied this song as well, and depicts the band performing at a kid’s birthday party. It’s great to see the band’s roadies treat those party clowns the way they should be dealt with - with force and violence! Video aside, Redneck is a gripping song, and vocalist Randy Blythe’s performance in this once is faintly reflective of ex-Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo’s singing in the song 5 Minutes Alone. The change of tempo in Redneck after the 2:00 mark is a tasteful departure from the otherwise straightforward tempo of the song.
All the other 8 tracks in this 11-track behemoth sound like they have been constructed from a formula used for all the songs in the album - especially in terms of tempo and song arrangement - but there are a few pleasant surprises hidden in this album. For example, check out the blink-or-you’ll-miss blast beat at the 0:20 mark of Foot To The Throat.
Sacrament is great effort from Lamb of God, and is probably the band’s best CD thus far. Good, but not good enough to outperform the other American Thrash Metal bands still plying their trade today such as Slayer, Nevermore and Exodus - but is a reminder of what Lamb of God might be in the near future.
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
