When I wrote a review for 'Sacrament' 3 years ago I compared it to a perfectly performed free kick – above the wall, right in the corner (the goalkeeper being able only to watch helplessly). Well, 'Wrath' is more like England’s third goal against Germany from the 1966 FIFA World Cup final – neither the most beautiful goal ever, nor a goal at all, as the ball didn’t pass the line… But it did count! And so, “Wrath” may be a little under the very high bar of expectations, part of the magic may be absent but the mission is fulfilled. All starts with a very beautiful two minute instrumental – great solos, harmonies… like a fairytale. What follows is the sonic equivalent of God’s wrath descending from the heavens in the form of a cloud of scarabs hungry for sinner flesh – “In Your Words”. A few punches, then a ultimate thrash tempo start and Randy Brythe’s characteristic shriek (like in the beginning of “Ruin”). Then a crushing mid-tempo verse with the semi-clear “ghost chorus” vocal style they presented in “Sacrament”. Lamb of God by the numbers. “Contractor” (which, in Randy’s words, is kind of an attempt to make something like Discharge) is for all the people who were complaining that “Sacrament” is too polished and the brutal band jamming songs like “Black Label” and “Bloodletting” was gone. There is however the feeling that here we deal with a band that’s trying to do things according to its own formula rather than let the music guide itself, because that way it’s safer. The abovementioned “Contractor” for example has this one slow middle section without whom it might have been an even better tune. It’s like the band got scared that someone might not recognize them without a moment like that. There are also moments that point to the opposite, though – the last track, “Reclamation”, for example. The longest and most progressive one in the band’s discography. Seven minutes of multilayer post-apocalyptic metal with a lyric about how mankind is a parasite on the face of the Earth and is going to get it one day. And so with a new producer and a new label Lamb of God sound exactly like Lamb of God and don’t really deliver any surprises. They also don’t impress which is a first time for them. And even so “Wrath” stands its ground and will surely cause a lot of neck stiffenings and various other moshpit related fractures worldwide (God willing, in Bulgaria as well).