Lamb Of God - 'Hourglass'

Practically essential modern metal.

Hourglass practically exemplifies the phrase “value for money,” serving as a cost-effective beginner’s crash course for anyone remotely interest in the recorded output of this Richmond, Virginia post-thrash act. Coming together in three volumes—The Underground Years, The Epic Years and The Vault—the Hourglass collection does just that: present Lamb of God’s aesthetic musical history into one tight, affordable package.

Each of the discs here is pretty self-explanatory, with The Underground Years covering the band’s earliest recordings under the moniker of Burn the Priest, while also delving into the band’s first two efforts for the Prosthetic/Metal Blade label, New American Gospel (which featured LoG’s first “classic” track in the form of the punishing “Black Label”), and 2003’s breakout As the Palaces Burn.

It’s on this disc where the sludgy, swampy sound of Lamb of God—specifically with vocalist Randy Blythe—is brought most to the forefront, displaying a young ‘n hungry band whose talents were clearly evident from the get-go. In comparison, The Epic Years focuses on the band’s recent, neo-Pantera success, offering selections from the band’s most recent three discs, Wrath, Ashes of the Wake and 2006’s career apex, Sacrament.

It’s The Epic Years which should prove most familiar to new fans, with many of these tracks being singles and/or having videos to accompany the tunes. This disc is also where the members of Lamb of God truly come into their own as songwriters and mouthpieces for a new, violent generation, however; cannon-blasting mortar shells of modern thrash riffing (think Testament and vintage Metallica) with the Southern groove pioneered by their redneck countrymen in Pantera. Overall, it simply crushes.

For diehard fans, however, it’s gonna be The Vault which truly piques the interest and pinches the pocket, for this final disc is the one which collects the band’s Japanese bonus tracks, rehearsal tapes and Burn the Priest vinyl singles together for the first time—a true goldmine for any Lamb of God obsessives seeking to complete their collection.

So is Hourglass worth it: your time, money and attention? You’re damn right it is, man. For first time fans and longtime listeners alike, Hourglass is a well-thought out and worthy compilation, suitable for a comfy place in your collection.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.