After sowing a huge underground audience on the strength of its first two albums, New American Gospel and As the Palaces Burn—both released on the indie Prosthetic Records—Lamb of God has merged into the big arena with its high-profile new album and second-stage slot on Ozzfest 2004. To the band, however, it's just another gig.

"From my perspective," insists bassist John Campbell, "it's the same five guys that have been hanging out and playing music since '94. We never tried to get a record deal; we started (this band) to play music and play the party down the street, and it just grew from there."

Campbell assures that this higher profile hasn't compromised his band's music. "We're not going to tailor our record to fit some idea of what's going to sell, but there's melody and a lot of thought put into the arrangement and the structuring." While some of that melody has crept into the songs on Ashes, the band's four instrumentalists pummel each note with even more lockstep precision than on any previous release.

Campbell and guitarist Willie Adler, both Peavey endorsers, provide plenty of the backbone for Lamb of God's machined riffing. Campbell credits his road-tested Peavey Millennium® bass for adding texture to the band's songs.

"The Millennium is a dynamic bass—you can dial it to be muddy and thick or you can crisp it up," he says. "You can go pretty much anywhere. It's a solid bass that'll withstand the rigors of a touring metal band. It's proven."

Adler has his Peavey Rotor™ and the V-Type™ guitars on road duty, too. "Both the Rotor and the V-Type are set up the same, as far as the action, and they're both really easy to play," he raves. "You can have the lightest touch and play super fast with them.