Lamb Of God are one of the biggest Metal bands in recent years. Controversial, heavy and mesmerizing, they’re one of the most influential Metal bands to have spawned since the likes of Metallica, Pantera and Iron Maiden and have only seemed to progress with each album they release.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of one of their most critically acclaimed albums to date, an album that inspired many artists and influenced some of the greatest Metal albums released over the last ten years. This remixed, remastered version of ‘As The Palaces Burn' is something for the fans to relish in as the tracks sound better than ever and an assortment of bonus content.

The album begins with ‘Ruin’, a track that is fast and heavy. It is a killer opening, filled with chuggy riffs, epic and complex drumming, shredding bass-lines and Randy’s unique vocal abilities. From the outset, you can hear the vast difference between sound quality from this remixed edition to the original version. Everything is heavier, sharper and more crisp. The mix seems a little more tight and things you may not have noticed before hand appear from nowhere.

Every little detail can be heard, providing a richer, more fulfilling album to listen to. Tracks such as ‘11th Hour’, ‘A Devil In God’s Country’, ‘Blood Junkie’ and ‘As The Palaces Burn’ really stand out, with ‘11th Hour’ being one of their most acclaimed and popular songs to date.

Everything works nicely, a smooth flow of heavy and furious Metal. With anger and hatred being spit out by Randy Blythe and with everyone else providing the instrumentals that help complete the album, it is an amazing experience that seeps into your mind. The lyrics are full of hatred that is aimed at the US government, questioning their motives and facing the subject of 9/11 (something daring seeming as the event took place just two years earlier).

People despised the album for it being so daring but it proved to be an essential album that helped influence so many other artists, including Machine Head, with ‘As The Palaces Burn’ helping to inspire their latter album, ‘Through The Ashes Of Empires’, released one year after Lamb Of God’s masterpiece. After the usual tracks from the original album, you get three unreleased demo tracks for ‘Ruin’, ‘As The Palaces Burn’ and ‘Blood Junkie’. These are the perfect companions for a tenth anniversary, showing the progression of these particular songs.

Fans will revel in the bliss of these demos and in the perfection of the entire album itself. Something of a collectors item for all the fans, it serves its purpose and does it well. The mix and the mastering is well handled, making sure every little thing can be heard providing an amazing experience for its listeners. It is something to give back to the fans and proves why this band are one of the biggest Metal bands in recent history. It is damn near remarkable.

With chuggy bass, precision drumming, electrifying riffs and vocals to wake the dead, this is something to behold and revel in its beauty. The original album was, and still is, amazing but this really helps bring it to the forefront, showing everyone just how good it is. It’s understandable why the band are as big as they are now, with this album alone proving their masterclass. Some hail it as their masterpiece, others say it was the first album that truly showed how good Lamb Of God are.

Whatever your opinion, there is no denying that this album is as beautiful as it is heavy, as shocking as it is amazing, as influential as it is controversial. It is inspiring whilst it makes you want to smash everything in sight. Now, what else would you want from a Metal album?

10/10

- Asa