Band: Lamb of God
Album: Resolution
Release Date: 23/01/12
From their early days being heralded as the next Pantera, Lamb of God have become metal royalty in their own right through a near faultless back catalogue and stunning live shows. This month sees the release of the band’s seventh album ‘Resolution’ and despite us having only just recovered from our turkey hangovers to notice that it’s 2012, this is already one of the year’s most anticipated metal releases.
‘Resolution’ is perhaps unsurprisingly a front to back mosh inducer, as we’ve come to expect from the Virginia bruisers it kicks harder than a carrot deprived donkey. Despite being in their 18th year as a band, listening to ‘Resolution’ indicates that Lamb of God are at the top of their game right now. Randy Blythe’s scathing vocals sound more furious than ever and his intense performance on the album cements his place as one of the best metal vocalists in the world today. However it’s no solo effort as Chris Adler’s drum parts remain as ridiculously good as ever, at time’s having to be heard to be believed. While the dual guitar assault of Will Adler and Mark Morton remains as vital as ever as the pair seemingly effortlessly turn out killer riff after killer riff that would leave all struggling guitarists crying into their chord books.
What makes this album a real blinder though is that as well as being a relentlessly heavy, the album is also remarkably diverse providing countless stand out moments. From the slow grinding doomy riffs of opener ‘Straight From The Sun’ to the more traditional fierce almost speed metal pace of ‘Guilty’ and ‘Cheated’. Yet the band also embrace a sense of the grandiose with songs such as ‘Insurrection’ and ‘King Me’ sounding nothing short of colossal; there is also hook filled groove driven belters such as ‘Desolation’, ‘Undertow’ and ‘To The End’, which will have you longing for festival season in order to neck twelve pints and circle pit like a loon to these absolute monsters.
When a band has a track record as good as Lamb of God’s you almost expect a new album to be good however when they release an album that is this good, easily up there with the best of their material that you recognise quite how special this band is. A good measuring stick for how good an album is should be how much your neck moves back and forward when listening to it. After listening to ‘Resolution’ you require a neck brace to cope with the severe case of headbanger’s neck that you’re left with! It may only be January but ‘Resolution’ is already a strong contender for metal album of the year.
Reviewer: Gavin Lloyd
