Despite not releasing music in the last five years, Lamb of God has remained heavily active in the metal scene, touring extensively around the world. Today, the well-respected group is back with their eighth album, a self-titled effort exploding with impeccable instrumentation and vehement lyrics.
Vocalist D. Randall Blythe begins the 45 minute record with a spoken intro in his signature steady baritone before Lamb of God is off to riff city. Guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler expand on the band’s known prowess by taking the instrumentation on this album to the next level, joined by bassist John Campbell and new drummer Art Cruz.
On this self-titled album, the band holds nothing back. Lyrically, Blythe growls and screams his way through words that will have listeners both banging their heads and banging down doors in revolutionary fervor. The rest of the band follows suit, providing incendiary progressions throughout (check out “Resurrection Man” for the perfect example).
Coming into this record with limited knowledge of the band and having only seen their explosive live performance in the past, Lamb of God is stellar. Eight albums in and these five gentlemen are still finding ways to evolve their sound and, in turn, continue to both mesh with and stand out from the current metal landscape. The band has complemented this album with plenty of visual content as well so listeners can really understand the full scope of what Lamb of God is saying.
This album is one that requires your attention. Dive in, absorb the lyrics and shout them to the world if they capture you with the passion emanating from the band. The biggest downside now is waiting another year to experience this record live- although there’s no doubt that Lamb of God will emerge more fired up than ever before.
Lamb of God’s self-titled album is out now!
Story by Olivia Khiel
Photo credit: Travis Shinn
