Lamb of God are, without a doubt, one of my favourite bands to have emerged in the millennium. From the moment they were introduced to me by a good friend who blasted my eardrums with ‘as the palaces burn’ and ‘ashes of the wake’ back to back, they have been a constant companion and they have never disappointed, unleashing a succession of albums over the years and, particularly on the most recent release: the quite excellent ‘VII Sturm und drang’, expanding their musical horizons to include a greater emphasis on dynamic that perfectly fits the otherwise brutal nature of their music. What marks them out however, far beyond the music, is the fact that, in Randy Blythe, the band have a singer who embodies the integrity that marks out the subject matter of much of his lyrics. Witnessing the honourable and decent way in which he handled the Prague court case that could so easily have ended his career and his life, was a revelation – this was a musician who was not only politically aware on a broad scale, but also all too aware of the potential consequences of his own celebrity. He could have run; he could have drummed up sympathy and public feeling via the net; but instead he chose to acknowledge the horror of the situation and to ensure that such a tragedy could never occur again.
As such, for Lamb of God to produce an EP as both a tribute to a fallen fan and as a means to raise awareness of the disease which killed him feels natural. There is no grandstanding here, there is no overt moralising or preaching. Instead, Randy and his band once again show an innate awareness of their ability to do some little good via the position they have reached. As we have come to expect from Randy and his band mates, it is quite possible to ignore the social context in which the EP was produced and enjoy it as a piece of music – such is the nature of choice – but as a testament to a fallen brother, it is not only a powerful piece of music, it also sees Lamb of God continuing to move outside of their comfort zone to deliver a powerfully melodic piece of music that continues the artistic growth of ‘VII…’
The moody title track, written from Wayne’s perspective, is a brilliant expansion of the sonic palette the band worked from on ‘Vii…’. With a delicate guitar intro paving the way for a surging riff, it still feels lighter on its feet than Lamb of God’s typical fare. This, coupled with Randy’s clean vocal, gives the whole piece a feel that is more akin with Stone Sour than Pantera, although a seething chorus still allows that trademark Blythe roar to emerge from the smoke and shadows. Possessed of a surprisingly appealing clean vocal tone and with deft use of harmonies, it’s hard to believe that this is the same vocalist who declared ‘lay this to rest’ with such devastating authority, and yet the more melodic approach perfectly fits the subject matter without once sounding maudlin or self-involved. Given the back story to the EP and Randy’s touching description of Wayne Alan Ford, it seems that the music was perfectly informed by Wayne’s stoic, laid-back demeanour and it is a touching tribute without being mawkish. More characteristic of the band is the storming ‘culling’ with its cyclical riff (and blistering intro solo) giving way to a familiar, Blythian roar that sees the band back to their brutal best. Percussive and with huge, grinding riffs, ‘Culling’ is prime Lamb of God, whilst Chris Adler turns in a truly seismic performance on drums that has to be heard to be believed. He truly is one of metal’s greatest sticksmen, and ‘Culling’ shows why.
The remaining tracks are live cuts, brilliantly recorded, and all taken from the band’s most recent outing. First up is a truly demonic rendition of ‘Still echoes’ recorded at Rock am Ring, which sounds even tougher than the album version. The band are ferociously tight, so much so that it’s hard to believe you’re listening to a live performance at all, and there’s no questioning the depth of feeling that underpins the material from ‘VII…’ ‘512’ (“about a shitty place I spent some time in…”) arguably gains even greater power in the crushing performance from Bonnaroo and it certainly stands as the highlight of the three live tracks on offer. Last but not least is ‘Engage the fear machine’, also recorded at Bonnaroo, which closes out the EP and, as any good live track should do, makes you instantly want to seek out the original album so that you can listen over again and remind yourself just how damned good it is.
‘The Duke’ EP is a perfect tribute to a fallen fan. The moody, dynamic opening track is a testament to the virtues Randy frequently espouses in his songs whilst ‘culling’ is Lamb of God at their most chillingly potent. The live tracks, meanwhile, offer a chance to hear compellingly dynamic versions of three of the stand out tracks from the excellent ‘VII: Sturm und drang’. A throwback to the days when singles and EPs were a common occurrence, quite aside from the emotional weight of its subject matter, it’s simply good to hear Lamb of God sounding quite so inspired on this all-too-brief outing and there’s no doubting the emotional currents that were working upon the band when they stepped into the studio to record these tracks. A compelling EP, then, and for a worthy cause, ‘The Duke’ is a must-have for LoG fans. 9
Read more about the back story to the EP here.
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