Here we are with Lamb of God back with their 9th (or 11th, depending on if you count what they have released as Burn The Priest) studio album, with a line-up which has been together for more than 20 years apart from the departure of founding drummer Chris Adler after his motorcycle accident. His place was taken by Art Cruz (Prong) who has been in that seat since 2019, and this is his second album with the band and there is no doubt he has settled in really well indeed. Lamb of God are one of those bands who hit a groove early in their career, and have decided the formula works well so why change it? This means that fans of LoG have a fairly good idea of what any new album is going to sound like before they even play it, and what is wrong with that? Fans of most bands are often disappointed with how they may change direction over the course of their career, while others sound just the same as they always have, and LoG are one of those.

Bass heavy, complex riffs which often contain elements of djent, they utilise complex time signatures and styles with over-the-top aggression and brutality and a frontman in Randy Blythe who has a guttural style and a powering presence which means he is always the focal point of everything that is taking place. This is music which demands to be played as loudly as the speakers will take it so the neighbours can enjoy it as well, brutal with no room whatsoever for prisoners. I once had a very strong debate with myself about attending a Metallica gig just to see LoG who were the support, but in the end, I could not bring myself to do so, but do live in hope that one day they will be back here on our shores. Covid meant they were unable to tour ‘Lamb of God’ so went back into the studio and gave us this album far more quickly than expected, so let us hope that a world tour means just that for us down here at the end of the world. Nearly 30 years on from their inception, LoG are still delivering the metallic goods.

Rating: 9/10

Links:
https://www.lamb-of-god.com/
https://www.nuclearblast.de/