Review by Alexi on November 29, 2004.

Not only has Lamb of God again reinvented themselves, they have also crafted one of the most revolutionary “American Metal” records. Over the last few years, Lamb of God has been categorized with Cleveland’s Chimaira and Boston’s Killswitch Engage in the New Wave of American Metal movement. On Ashes of the Wake, Lamb of God have shown that they are far more musically mature then their contemporaries, and have the ability to make amazing music accessible to all headbangers. The album combines many styles of metal to form one cohesive, unique breed.

Two main forms heavily influence Ashes of the Wake. The first, a European influence from Sweden – At The Gates. You can also hear hints of modern Swede thrash bands such as The Crown, The Haunted and The Forsaken on this record.

The second, an American influence, comes primarily to compliment the aforementioned counterpart. One can hear the power of Pantera and the aggression of Slayer. The hyper speed of the Swedish sound is slowed down, creating a unique sound when drums are added. Riff building is also becoming very popular in American metal, and Lamb of God has embraced this idea on the record. The opening track, “Laid to Rest,” is a perfect example of the two styles of music merged. This fusion is the most evident and exciting feature of this album.

The musicianship on Ashes of the Wake clearly sets the band apart from other American releases this year. Drummer, Chris Adler (who at one point played bass for the band), accentuates the relentless guitar chops with his abilities behind the kit. Guitarists, Mark Morton and Will Adler do a great job writing an assortment of riffs and unrelenting gallops reminiscent of the bands thrashy roots, combining them together on each track and building excellent transitions. Vocalist Randy Blythe has shown a fair amount of growth since their last album, As the Palaces Burn. He is now able to scream comfortably both high and low, and is able to make great vocal transitions within a single song. Bassist John Campbell never disrupts the chemistry between the guitars and drums.

Ashes of the Wake is one of the best releases of this year, and for the first time, Lamb of God has a professionally-produced record. Standout tracks include, “Laid To Rest,” the heavily-Slayer influenced, “Blood of the Scribe” and the final track, “Remorse is for the Dead,” which features Chris Poland (Megadeth) and Alex Skolnik (ex-Testament) on lead guitars.

If you wish to hear a new wave of music and be part of a metal revolution that will go down in history, get off your ass and buy Ashes of the Wake.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 8
Originality: 9
Overall: 8

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on January 8, 2024.

Here I am back with another review regarding a split release of two bands. This time, I’ll be covering an independent split release of Lvctvs (Venezuela) and Suspirium (El Salvador) called Versos De Una Insignificante Vida, released digitally on December 31st, 2023. 

Both bands incorporate melancholic depressive black metal fused with a bit of dark ambient, although with an entirely different approach to the songwriting and a completely different musical expression too. Suspirium is much more oriented towards a dark ambient style, with the first track 'La Noche De Los Poetas Olvidados' being a half ambient half black metal track, whereas the second track 'Reflexiones De Una Existencia Vana' is a 3-minute clean guitar instrumental that transitions to the last track on this release, which is the only track by Lvctvs. Lvctvs on the other hand has the longest track on this split release, and it is a pretty maniacal and melancholic black metal song which feels like two tracks in one, with a very solid atmospheric flow. Both bands may be similar in style, yet they are very different in terms of their expression through music. 

Although I personally avoid comparing bands on split releases either due to stylistic differences or perhaps different lyrical ideas, but in this case, I felt that Lvctvs provided a much better output than Suspirium. The reason being is that the first track 'La Noche De Los Poetas Olvidados' felt a bit way too inconsistent with the arrangement, especially on the other half of the song when it just randomly transitions from slow to a fast blast-beating with tremolo picking riffs, which at some point made me think that another song started playing in the background. The second track 'Reflexiones De Una Existencia Vana' is fine and there isn’t really anything I could complain about that song in particular, plus it nicely transitions to the final track by Lvctvs, which felt a lot more focused and well-structured. I personally felt a bit that both bands don’t go together that well due to how each one expresses himself differently, although considering the fact that both are DSBM projects, the combination of their songs isn’t a complete misfire. The only real issue that I have with this split release is that it feels really short, with a total of exactly 20-minute length that quickly draws itself to a conclusion without there being a big payoff in the end. The production of both bands has a raw sound with a buzzsaw guitar tone, raw vocals and a solid drum sound. 

I personally think that this split is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of how both bands decided to unite under one banner. I think that the main criticism that I have towards this issue is just how it feels far less engaging and attractive than it should be, especially since I ended up preferring one sole track by Lvctvs over the two that were done by Suspirium. If you are interested to check this split release for yourself, feel free to do so and see what you make of it. 

Rating: 6.6 out of 10