Description
Randy Blythe, Abe Spear, Mark Morton, John Campbell, and Chris Adler formed a band called Burn the Priest in 1998, and released this, their first full length album, in 1999. Then they dropped Abe, replaced him with Willie Adler (Chris' brother) and changed their name to Lamb of God (probably to appeal to a broader audience). Five or six years ago, Burn the Priest were almost unheard of; but now any metalhead should know who they are. The first pressing of the cd was released in a small quantity and then due to the success that Lamb of God they remixed, remastered and re-released Burn the Priests self-titled debut with a much friendlier cover artwork. If you thought "As the Palaces Burn" was brutal, you'll have to think of a different adjective for this band. You'll immediately know that this album is nothing short of a furious, all-out onslaught. It is simply relentless and extreme metal. You may make some comparisons to "New American Gospel," but if I heard this C.D. without knowing Lamb of God's history, I would have never guessed this was them. First of all, it is about five times heavier than L.o.G. and about two times darker. Next, Chris Adler's constant double bass drumming is missing-or it's not AS constant, at least. And finally, Randy's vocals are different. He still summons his guttural death metal growls, but he lays down an equal amount of VERY high pitched, throat straining yells. Sometimes, he even switches back and forth (between the two vocal techniques) in the same song (i.e. in track eight). This C.D. is pretty unique, but if I had to compare it to some other bands, I'd say it's like a cross of Behemoth, Black Dahlia Murder, and Heaven Shall Burn. Steve Austin (Today Is The Day) does guest vocals on track 3 ["Resurrection #9"], and Micheal Brosnan does guest vocals on track 8 ["Suffering Bastard"]. Very rare original pressing on Legion records Track listing: 1. Bloodletting 2. Dimera 3. Resurrection #9 4. Goatfish 5. Salivation 6. Lies Of Autumn 7. Chronic Auditory Hallucination 8. Suffering Bastard 9. Buckeye 10. Lame 11. Preaching To The Converted 12. Departure Hymn 13. Dwayne