Sacrament (album)

Sacrament
Studio album by
Lamb of God
ReleasedAugust 22, 2006
Recorded2006
Studios
Genres
Length46:14
Labels
ProducerMachine
Lamb of God chronology
Killadelphia
(2005)		 Sacrament
(2006)		 Wrath
(2009)
Singles from Sacrament
  1. "Redneck"
    Released: June 2006
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.comStarStarStarStarHalf star[1]
AllMusicStarStarStarHalf star[2]
Blabbermouth.net8/10[3]
Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles8.5/10[4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal8/10[5]
Drowned in Sound9/10[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB[7]
PopMatters7/10[8]
Rolling StoneStarStarStar[9]
Spin8/10[10]
Stylus MagazineB[11]

Sacrament is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Lamb of God. Released on August 22, 2006, Sacrament debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 charts with first-week sales of 63,000.[12] The album was the top-selling heavy metal album of 2006 and received the Album of the Year award from Revolver magazine. As of 2010, it has sold over 331,000 copies in the United States,[13] and was certified Gold by the RIAA on September 27, 2019.[14]

The song "Redneck" was nominated in the 2007 Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance, but lost out to Slayer's "Eyes of the Insane".[15]

Background and recording

After headlining the 2005 'Sounds of the Underground' tour in August 2005, Lamb of God returned to Richmond, Virginia and began the writing process for Sacrament.[16]

In a 2006 press release drummer Chris Adler stated:[16]

We've taken this process very seriously, We have been spending 5 or 6 days a week and 6-8 hours a day writing. It's a very intense and productive process that has paid off in a very big way.

Following several months of writing the band took a break in December 2005 to headline a European tour.[16]

The album was produced by Machine who produced their previous 2004 album Ashes of the Wake. Pre-production began in Richmond, Virginia on March 13, 2006.[16]

Release and promotion

The albums first and only single "Redneck" was released on June 21, 2006.[17]

The album was later released on August 22, 2006 and sold 62,000 copies in its first week debuting at number 8 on the Billboard 200.[18] The album went on to become the best selling heavy metal album of 2006.[19] It was initially released on CD and DVD deluxe edition, which included a 90 minute special behind the scenes footage of the making of the album.[20]

The band appeared on major tours to support the album, including The Unholy Alliance with Slayer, Mastodon, Children of Bodom, and Thine Eyes Bleed,[21] Gigantour, supporting Megadeth;[22] main stage at Ozzfest;[23] an appearance at the Download Festival, and an exclusive co-headlining tour with Killswitch Engage, Soilwork, and DevilDriver, where Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God shared headlining spots alternately each show.[24] The song "Pathetic" was performed live on the February 9, 2007 edition of Late Night with Conan O'Brien.[25] This marked the first major network performance for Lamb of God.

Critical Reception

The album received generally positive reviews Christopher Monger of AllMusic dubbed "Pathetic" one of the best metal songs of 2006 and gave the album a 3.5/5 stating "If Sacrament suffers from anything, it's a pounding sense of sameness. They rarely stray from the "Drop D" tuning, resulting in a second half that tends to blur, shake, and sputter out a bit, but there's no denying Lamb of God's almost unnerving power to conjure wind from the tiniest of stereo speakers."[26] Blabbermouth.net gave the album a 8/10 claiming "Sacrament" is a "damn fine album that is assuredly worthy of accolades, based on a refinement of its patented sound and a consistently strong batch of songs.  "Sacrament" is in no way disappointing and will be a contender for many writers' year-end Top 10 lists; it's just that the outstanding "Ashes of the Wake" is awfully hard to top."[27]

Awards

Year Award Category Result
2006[28] Revolver Album of the Year Won
2006[29] Metal Storm Awards Best Thrash Metal Album Nominated
2007 Grammy Awards Best Metal Performance (for Redneck) Nominated

Accolades

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Loudwire[30] US 10 Best Metal Albums of 2006 2020 7
Revolver[31] US 13 Great Metal Albums From 2006 2026 NR

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lamb of God.

No.TitleLength
1."Walk with Me in Hell"5:11
2."Again We Rise"4:30
3."Redneck"3:41
4."Pathetic"4:31
5."Foot to the Throat"3:13
6."Descending"3:35
7."Blacken the Cursed Sun"5:28
8."Forgotten (Lost Angels)"3:05
9."Requiem"4:10
10."More Time to Kill"3:36
11."Beating on Death's Door"5:06
Total length:46:14
  • The deluxe edition of the album includes a bonus DVD with two videos for the track "Redneck" and a 90-minute making of the album itself, along with an Easter egg video segment entitled "Go Karts". The DVD was produced by High Roller Studios and directed by Doug Spangenberg, the same director from Lamb of God's Killadelphia DVD.
Best Buy exclusive bonus disc (XM Satellite Radio studio sessions)
No.TitleLength
1."Laid to Rest" (Live)3:50
2."Now You've Got Something to Die For" (Live)3:39
3."Omerta" (Live)4:45
Total length:11:34

Personnel

Lamb of God
Production
  • Machine – producer, mixing
  • Drums recorded by Josh Wilbur and Machine
  • Pro Tools by Josh Wilbur and Richard Stoltz, assisted by Jim Feeney
  • Guitars recorded by Josh Wilbur, Ian Whalen and Machine; Additional editing and assistance by Jim Feeney; Assisted by Jeremy Miller and Brian Hoffa
  • Vocals recorded at The Machine Shop, Hoboken, NJ, assisted by Jim Feeney
  • Brian Gardner – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA
  • Vlado Meller – mastering on "Redneck" at Sony Studios, NYC
Artwork
  • K3n Adams – art direction, design[32]

Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[33]25
Irish Albums (IRMA)[34]79
UK Albums (Official Charts)[35]89
UK Rock & Metal Albums (Official Charts)[36]5
US Billboard 200[37]8
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[38]1
US Indie Store Album Sales (Billboard)[39]3

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[40] Gold 50,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[41] Silver 60,000‡
United States (RIAA)[42] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Bowar, Chad. "Lamb of God – Sacrament". About.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  2. ↑ Monger, James Christopher. "Sacrament – Lamb of God". AllMusic. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  3. ↑ Alisoglu, Scott. "Lamb of God: Sacrament (Epic)". Blabbermouth. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Lamb of God – Sacrament". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. Archived from the original on November 19, 2006. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
  5. ↑ Popoff, Martin; Perri, David (2011). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 4: The '00s. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 282. ISBN 9781-926592-20-6.
  6. ↑ Rauf, Raziq (October 12, 2006). "Lamb of God – Sacrament". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  7. ↑ Collins, Clark (October 13, 2006). "Sacrament Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  8. ↑ Begrand, Adrien (September 21, 2006). "Lamb of God: Sacrament". PopMatters. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  9. ↑ Steffen, Chris (September 29, 2006). "Lamb Of God: Sacrament : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  10. ↑ Gross, Joe (October 5, 2006). "Lamb of God, 'Sacrament'". Spin. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  11. ↑ Lee, Cosmo (September 7, 2006). "Lamb of God – Sacrament – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  12. ↑ "LAMB OF GOD's 'Sacrament' Enters BILLBOARD Chart At No. 8!". Blabbermouth.net. August 30, 2006. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Week Ending Aug. 1, 2010: The Downloading Of Eminem - Chart Watch". New.music.yahoo.com. August 4, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  15. ↑ "SLAYER, LAMB OF GOD, STONE SOUR Among GRAMMY Nominees". Blabbermouth.net. December 7, 2006. Archived from the original on September 16, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Lamb Of God prepare new album". lambgoat.com. March 2, 2006. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Lamb Of God's new track, "Redneck," is now online". lambgoat.com. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Lamb Of God's new album has debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 with 62,000 copies sold". lambgoat.com. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  19. ↑ DiVita, Joe DiVitaJoe (September 22, 2020). "10 Best Metal Albums of 2006". Loudwire. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Lamb Of God album details". lambgoat.com. July 20, 2006. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  21. ↑ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET - SLAYER: 'Unholy Alliance Tour' DVD Preview Available". www.roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  22. ↑ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET - 'Gigantour 2' Complete DVD And CD Details Revealed". www.roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Ozzfest ::". www.ozzfest.com. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  24. ↑ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET - LAMB OF GOD Drummer Issues Update". www.roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  25. ↑ LAMB OF GOD "Pathetic" Live On Late Night With Conan O'Brien Posted Online MetalInjection.et (February 10, 2007). Retrieved on 3-24-09.
  26. ↑ Sacrament - Lamb of God | Album | AllMusic, retrieved April 1, 2026
  27. ↑ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET". blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  28. ↑ "LAMB OF GOD 'SACRAMENT' CD". Revolver Magazine. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Metal Storm Awards 2006". Metal Storm. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  30. ↑ DiVita, Joe DiVitaJoe (September 22, 2020). "10 Best Metal Albums of 2006". Loudwire. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  31. ↑ Adams, Gregory. "13 great albums from 2006". Revolver. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  32. ↑ "LAMB OF GOD – SACRAMENT". www.K3n.comm. August 22, 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Lamb of God – Sacrament". Hung Medien.
  34. ↑ "irishcharts.com – Discography Lamb of God".
  35. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 15/10/2006 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  36. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart on 15/10/2006 – Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  37. ↑ "Lamb of God Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  38. ↑ "Lamb of God Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  39. ↑ "Lamb of God Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
  40. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Lamb of God – Sacrament". Music Canada.
  41. ↑ "British album certifications – Lamb of God – Sacrament". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 19, 2022. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Sacrament Lamb of God in the "Search:" field.
  42. ↑ "American album certifications – Lamb of God – Sacrament". Recording Industry Association of America.
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