Die aktuelle Lamb Of God-Platte "As The Palaces Burn" (Prosthetic) ist heavy as hell und ein absoulter Burner! Alles scheint noch eine Spur stimmiger, was die Songs im Ergebnis noch brutaler klingen lässt. Die Band hat mit Devin Townsend gearbeitet und der weiß bekanntlich fetten Metal in Szene zu setzen. Wer auf Bands wie Shadows Fall oder Killswitch Engage abfährt, sollte den Fünfer hier unbedingt antesten...

Musicscan: give our readers a short briefing about lamb of god, please. what is to know about you guys and what are you doing right at the moment?

Lamb Of God: We are a bunch of beer drinking heavy metal jerks from Richmond, VA who like to play thrash metal.

Musicscan: what's your self-understanding of lamb of god? what does your band stands for?

Lamb Of God: We don't stand for much of anything...this isn't a political party or a church, it's a band...we're all about the music and that's about it.

Musicscan: what was your reason to choose espacially this heavy kind of music? i mean it's very hard to please technical...

Lamb Of God: It just came natural...we grew up listening to punk and thrash, so when we srarted playing together it was immediately loud, fast and ugly.

Musicscan: what have been the past of bands members in the metal-scene? have you been in different bands before? seeing you band-picture you seem to be very young in age, what is your background?

Lamb Of God: We used to be a band called Burn The Priest but we changed the name in 1999 because we were sick of it. We've all played in other bands, but nothing you would have ever heard of I'm sure.

Musicscan: what is your connection to the hardcore szene? is there any connection? i think to remember that you played some of the big hardcore festivals last year like the hell fest...

Lamb Of God: We were a little suprised at how well we were received by the hardcore scene. We always thought of ourselves as a thrash metal band, but I guess some of the slower "breakdown" parts get the hardcore fans moving.

Musicscan: are those metalcore/ chaos-core bands infuences on lamb of god?

Lamb Of God: Yeah, we've been digging on Unearth and A Life Once Lost lately...but we're always checking out up and coming metal core bands.

Musicscan: i think you guys love older metallica and megadeath stuff as well - right? has it been an honour to have chris poland on the record?

Lamb Of God: Yes, we were very excited that he was gracious enough to participate...the results were fantastic.

Musicscan: i would describe lamb of god a band mixing modern metal with older thrash sounds and a bid of metalcore elements. is this what lamb of god is playing?

Lamb Of God: i'm not that happy with this neo-thrash-term everyone's using... We never really try to label our music...I don't think categories are particularly necessary or accurate. I'd say if you had to call it something, just call it metal.

Musicscan: you're using a lot of elements of different styles. is it planned to be more varied or/and natural happened? how do you go about writing a record? what is your main focus creating new songs onto?

Lamb Of God: Yes, we will continue to evolve as a band...always changing styles and techniques. That's what keeps us interested as musicians. Writing records is something we all do together, and we all have to approve of the songs and the sounds. We write records for ourselves...no one else.

Musicscan: if you would summarise the message and atmosphere of lamb of god's music in one sentence. what would it be?

Lamb Of God: Pure American Metal....even though that ain't really a sentence.

Musicscan: are there any messages that you guys are trying to get out into the scenes? where do you see your listeners?

Lamb Of God: There's no real message...we're not preachers or politicians....just metal heads. Our fans are all different types of people...some of them brilliant...some complete idiots.

Musicscan: are the lyrics equally important to the music? do all band members identify with? there is a strong statement against the bush-government on the record. i wouldn't have expected such a statement from a metal band. is lamb of god a metal band with a punk attitude?

Lamb Of God: Yes, Bush sucks...but don't blame me, I voted for Ralph Nader.

Musicscan: are there any principles you would never give up to as a band?

Lamb Of God: Hmm...well....we only ever do what we want...we don't care what fans or critics or writers say, so that's our only real principle, and we won't give it up. How's that?

Musicscan: you surely know this "new american wave of heavy metal" - some people count lamb of god under this term, too. what's your understanding of this?

Lamb Of God: I don't know...we're american and we're metal...we're not that new, really, but i guess you can call us whatever you want. Europeans definitely seem more interested in attaching labels to their music than Americans do....interesting.

Musicscan: what sets lamb of god apart from other bands? can you imagine something? i mean there are lots of metal bands outside playing a style of modern heavy metal. what are the strengths of lamb of god?

Lamb Of God: I would say our strength is our live show...I think we're much better live than we are on record, but that's just my opinion. I also think we're a very real band. We're not faking it.

Musicscan: many of todays heavy bands seem to miss originality and passion. your band has tons of both and i'm impressed every time i listen to your records. is it just a question of the right attitude towards music? what do you miss within the heavy music today?

Lamb Of God: I think there are a lot of bands that aren't being themselves. We don't have any pre-fabricated image or costumes or any bullshit like that. We just are who we are.

Musicscan: can you take one typical lamb of god song and explain what you hope people are getting out of it, please.

Lamb Of God: Honestly, we write these songs for ourselves...we don't care what anyone thinks of it. It sounds a little crass but it's true. we're flattered that so many people have related to what we're doing, but it doesn't change our primary motivation of writing what WE want to hear.

Musicscan: what is the song you guys feel especially proud of (whether compositionally, lyrically,...)?

Lamb Of God: "Vigil" is very special to me.

Musicscan: for your record i think you have managed to be more focused than in the past as well as being more controlled this time. do you feel it same way?

Lamb Of God: Yes, I think "As The Palaces Burn" is our best work yet.

Musicscan: your sound is really powerfull, highly metallic and noisy as well, but also melodic. what is your intention to create that particular sound or does it just happen? do you like to challenge your listener?

Lamb Of God: As I said before, this is the music we want to hear...that's why it sounds the way it does.

Musicscan: you chose devin townsend to work with. what has been his part on the record? did he additional push you to give the best you were able to?

Lamb Of God: Devin helped me immensely with my guitar playing. He is an extremely talented individual.

Musicscan:...and what about steve austin. is there something to know about his guest appereance?

Lamb Of God: Steve is a great friend and will always be a part of the Lamb Of God family.

Musicscan: you surely read press reviews for your releases. what are comments you can not feel familiar with? maybe some comparisms or something like this...

Lamb Of God: We don't pay a whole lot of attention to reviews...other peoples opinions don't affect our music. It's nice if you like it, and it's fine if you don't.

Musicscan: your biggest wish to happen for the band?

Lamb Of God: To continue to work together and improve as musicians and as a band.

Musicscan: anything left you want to say?

Lamb Of God: We can't wait to tour Germany...hopefully we'll see you soon.