Into Oblivion

About

“We try to do something different every time without reinventing the wheel,” Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe tells Apple Music. “We’ve been around for 30 years. We’re not going to all of a sudden turn into a polka band. But we try to add different layers and not repeat the same old things.” The vicious title track of the metal squad’s 10th album sets the tone with one of LOG’s signature power grooves as Blythe gives voice to the four horsemen of the apocalypse. On the other side of the end-times coin, the blistering thrash of “Parasocial Christ” sees Blythe calling out social media’s legion of dependents, especially the online parasites that stoke society’s fears. Other songs find their roots in the early-’90s Richmond, Viriginia, music scene from which LOG sprang. According to guitarist Mark Morton, lead single “Sepsis” takes musical inspiration from long-gone Richmond underground pillars Breadwinner, Ladyfinger, and Sliang Laos. “On every album we’ve made, particularly the last three, we’ve learned to work better together,” Blythe says. “In our band, we tend to treat our contributions to the music as a little bit precious, like, ‘I came up with this and I really love it.’ Over the years, that’s resulted in a lot of conflict. As we get older, we have held on to our individual parts less and less. We’re trying to think of the greater whole.” You can hear the big picture on “El Vacío,” a song in which LOG tempers heaviness with atmosphere, laying down a moody, dynamic foundation to buttress Blythe’s nuanced vocal performance. There’s a similar shading to “A Thousand Years,” a sludgy, bass-propelled tune in which Blythe imagines a modern-day vampire feasting undetected amidst the world’s chaos and distraction. Along with the album’s title, it’s “an existential cry of angst as the world dies,” Blythe says. “Because that’s what’s happening.” The good news? As long as there’s a world to make music in, Lamb of God will keep making music. “Most bands don’t last 30 years,” Blythe points out. “They just don’t. So I guess we’re heading into legacy act territory. But I don’t care what category people put us in. As long as I like the music and my bandmates are happy with it, we’ll keep doing it.”

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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