Lamb Of God, for much of their career, have been incredibly consistent in terms of quality and arrangement. Although subtle changes occurred between albums, it was arguably only on VII: Sturm Und Drang that the band sufficiently varied the formula, introducing the odd clean vocal and offering a more rounded album in the process. Since that album, much has changed. The band had a brief hiatus before returning with renewed vigour, touring with Slayer on their final tour; there was the release of a covers album under the Burn The Priest name and, crucially, renowned sticks-man Chris Adler departed the fold. If all this unsettled the band, there’s no evidence on display and, as anticipation built around the long-awaited follow up to 2015’s VII, the only question was whether the band could build upon the monumental success of that record.
Of course they could… Make no mistake, whilst there is much about this self-titled effort that is familiar, the band have also upped their game, delivering an album that takes a little longer to get its hooks in but, once snared, it keeps the listener to the bitter end.
Opening with the moody Memento Mori, Lamb Of God resist the temptation to hit hard from the outset, keeping their much-vaunted power in reserve, ready to deal a knock-out blow only after the listener has been given the impression that time may have mellowed this most vicious of beasts. It’s a brave opener and, when a more traditional LOG-style riff finally emerges, nearly two-minutes in, it detonates with all the force of a hydrogen bomb. Credit is particularly due to Randy, who delivers a blistering vocal performance that is among the best he’s ever given. As intense as ever, it’s the hint of melody he allows to creep in, even at the heaviest moments, without sacrificing any of the band’s latent power that gives LOG much of their strength and it perfectly sets up the album for what is to follow. Next up, the raw Checkmate cruises off the back of an unexpected stoner riff before explosively returning to more typically-LOG territory. With Randy’s incisive lyrics delivered with clarity and conviction, it delivers exactly the dose of scything fury the metal scene needs right now. Similarly, Gears harks back to Laid This To Rest in terms of sheer, untrammelled rage, neatly straddling the divide between nostalgia for past glories and the necessary forward momentum of a band still hellbent on global domination.
Having deployed the heavy guns, Lamb Of God offer a brief change of pace with the dark musings of Reality Bath, a track that sees off-kilter guitars churning queasily beneath a brief spoken word intro before the band once more build up to their usual crushing momentum. The deft shifts in pace and tone make for a dynamic and charged offering, whilst New Colossal Hate offers no such concessions, adopting a Bolt Thrower-esque pace that sees the track simply flattening the opposition. An album highlight, resurrection Man may emerge from a music box, but it soon adopts the most colossal groove of the band’s career, the entire song feeling like a slow-motion headbang that could cheerfully last forever. Perhaps the first track on the album that feels a touch like LOG-by-numbers, Poison Dream is a fine song, but lacks some of the demonic darkness found elsewhere on the album, although it does give new boy Art Cruz a good opportunity to flex his muscles, whilst a welcome drop in from Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta adds an extra layer of vitriol to proceedings.
Delivered like a hailstorm of bullets, Routes is one of the album’s heaviest moments and it utterly slays. The band clearly inspired by the appearance of Testament’s Chuck Billy, step up with an unutterably brutal slab of thrash-infused metal and, as Chuck and Randy trade lyrics, it’s like being caught in the ring between two masters, the blood and sweat flying as the music cascades around you. After such a display of crushing might, Bloodshot Eyes sensibly side steps into more atmospheric territory, an effective tactic that allows the album space to breathe before the band deploy a chorus that emerges all the more powerful for the moment of calm that precedes it. The album concludes with the Lamb-Of-God-In-Excelcis of On The Hook, one last brutal broadside that breaks itself upon the listener’s shattered senses before the album spins to an end.
A powerfully concise album that successfully pairs the best of Lamb Of God’s storied past with enough new elements to keep the band’s forward momentum, this self-titled effort really does feel like a rebirth for Lamb Of God. Refocused and with the chaos of the world informing Randy’s typically incisive lyrics, Lamb Of God is arguably the finest album the band have yet produced. Utterly immense. 9.5
