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Lamb of God Listening Party By Ellen Gager |
7/06/06 Each night of the Unholy Alliance tour, a lucky group of fans spotted wearing a Lamb of God T-shirt and carrying the official Revolver Magazine tour program are selected to preview several songs off of the Sacrament album (due out August 22) and then meet the band. From the taste we received, Sacrament promises to be Lamb of God's grittiest, most hardcore release yet, this time with no instrumentals and no political themes, in contrast to LOG's last album, 2004's Ashes of the Wake. Our experience led us down through winding ramps into the bowels of Cobo Hall in Detroit, MI, into a stuffy concrete cell where a red boom box awaited holding a sneak peek of three of Lamb of God's raw, unpolished tracks. A hush fell
over the small, salivating crowd in eager anticipation as tour
manager Dennis Solomon hit PLAY. The silence was followed by murmurs
of approval, closed eyes and nodding heads, foot tapping and drumming
simulation on any available surface. Post preview, there were
only a few brief moments for discussion before Lamb of God came
crashing in. |
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The band certainly knows how to make an entrance; suddenly the already crowded room is filled with a circus of trick bikes, men who could pass for ZZ Top's children and Mark Morton from Lamb of God toting a tinny portable amp for Mastodon's riff-master. First impression: "These guys know how to have fun." The entourage then made their rounds, cordially greeting fans, signing autographs, and answering questions before meeting with special guests, the best of the best of Japanese media. Although by the end, I was glad to be free of the sweaty room, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and felt very privileged to be part of an elite listening party that only a tiny portion of fans get to enjoy. I personally await the release of Sacrament and hope that the entire album embodies the aggression and power that was witnessed within those walls.
Photos by Jeff Brinn & JohnB
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