This 2015 release was a comeback album for Lamb of God, as in 2012 singer Randy Blythe was arrested by Czech police for his actions which resulted in the death of a fan after Blythe had pushed him off stage at a 2020 concert. The large legal fees incurred, plus the inactivity during court cases, meant that Lamb of God were in a precarious legal position and they actually announced a hiatus in 2014. Then in April 2015 they started teasing fans, and the album was released in July. As the title suggests, this was the seventh album as Lamb of God, although everyone apart from rhythm guitarist Willie Adler had actually played on the debut album when they were billed as Burn The Priest. The sextet were back with something to prove, to show that even after all the trials and tribulations they were still in the game, as important to the metal movement as they had ever been.

With Lamb of God one always has certain expectations: the music will be brain numbingly heavy, there will be a groove running within it, the guitars will be running off all over the place with complex runs and riffs, the rhythm section will be locked down, and Blythe will be providing rich frenetic vocals owing as much to punk as they do to aggressive metal. Those expectations are definitely met on this album, with “Still Embers” kicking things off with just one guitar and then the rest of the band kick in and they are all there, right in your face and kicking hard. The nuances and heaviness are there as always, combined with real musicality and hooks, with the result is something which at one level is designed to make your ears bleed but is also highly melodic with hooks that get inside your brain.

Rating: 8/10

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