Normally, when a band like Lamb of God release a new album, they hit the road and play it anywhere and everywhere. But their self-titled release came out in 2020, and there was a pandemic which prevented them from doing this, so what to do? It was the first time that D. Randall Blythe (vocals), Mark Morton (guitars), Willie Adler (guitars) and John Campbell (bass) had released an album without drummer Chris Adler, who was a founding member of Burn The Priest alongside Campbell and Morton back in 1994. Not only was he one of the longest-serving members of the band, but he is also brother to Willie, so not having him involved was a dramatic change for everyone. He was replaced by Art Cruz (Winds of Plague, Prong and Klogr), so how could they promote the album and showcase the new line-up?

A decision was taken to stream the album on September 18th, 2020, directly and live from their own studio in Richmond. They may not be able to get out and hit the road, but they could still play a live show and let fans see they are still a force to be reckoned with. Normally, when a band is on the road, they will play some of the new tracks mixed in with older ones, but this time LoG played the new album in its entirety, in the correct running order, adding some older songs on the end such as the mighty “Contractor”. When it comes to Groove metal there are few who can keep pace with LoG, who have released consistently strong and powerful albums throughout their career and have always been known for putting on great shows, so being able to blast through everything from their own studio was a cathartic release for a band who are as heavy and dramatic as they have always been. Randy Blythe has a recognisable growl, strong in the bass, while the rest of the band always lock in right behind to create the perfect platform. Cruz is an excellent drummer, with a very strong control of his kick pedals, adding multiple different rhythms to what is going on at the top end.

These unusual times have resulted in the band releasing a full live version of their latest studio release only a year after that came out but given, we can’t see the band play this is a great substitute. I only have the audio, but this has also been released with a full DVD, and for any fan of the band this is essential stuff.

Rating: 8/10

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