Lamb Of God — Sacrament

Metal bands generally have trouble crossing over from underground to mainstream. All too often, calculated adjustments are made to appeal to wider audiences, and thus the band are defanged. Lamb Of God buck the trend and have made that transition as gracefully as possible, although "graceful" isn't an adjective that even remotely describes Sacrament. Try "crushing," "brutal" and "savage." The Virginian quintet have made their brand of technical metalcore a touch more accessible by augmenting their music with faint traces of melody instead of going the tired route and throwing in a banal chorus here and there. They've made their metallic barrage more digestible for casual metal fans, but longtime followers will still feel right at home.

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