 
Virginia’s finest export, metal heroes Lamb
of God are back in time to kick of 2012 with their
7th full length studio album. Leaders of the New
Wave of American Heavy Metal movement and leaders
of the damn metal genre in general, the band have
found huge success from their extremely captivating
guitar work, astonishing drummer, Randy Blythe’s
distinctive ear shattering vocals and powerful
lyrics; all of this has made them one of the most
well known and most loved metal bands in the world.
Their music is a display sheer aggression with
lyrics that speak to and stick with the fans;
because of the reaction they provoke their live
show is one of the most dangerous places a person
could ever be.
With 6 extremely successful albums already under
their belt the latest of which being 2009’s
“Wrath” - which broke through speakers
at an ungodly pace technical skill and hostility
- was still the same true to form style that was
present even on the band’s first album (as
Lamb of God anyway)“New American Gospel”;
as they say “if it’s not broken don’t
fix it” and I’m extremely damn pleased
to tell all of you that this “Resolution”
can brandish the same slogan. That’s not
to say there is no progression or experimentation
present because there’s some pretty great
additions here but the foundations are still exactly
the same; impressive riffs, aggressive beat and
vocals demonic enough to make any religious follower
wet their underpants.
I think the best place to start will be looking
at the 2 singles first, starting with “Ghost
Walking” which was released on the 5th December
2011. Opening with an acoustic intro may bewilder
a few people at first, but let it roll on and
you’ll see it’s got a really southern
rock feel and is still really quick, it soon rolls
off into that trademark style we all know and
love, when it drops I challenge anyone not to
bang their heads with that continuing southern
metal riff. “Desolation” they actually
only released today on the day I’ve received
the full album, not quite as brilliant as “Ghost
Walking” but it’s still something
you could definitely break people in half to due
to its speed and intensity.
The rest of the tracks are now locked in a battle
to see if they can stand their ground alongside
those singles and also the bands past albums;
“The Number Six” and “Insurrection”
have their own unique quality to aid them in the
battle, they’re 2 of the most sinister LOG
tracks I’ve ever heard. “Insurrection”
has truly haunting clean vocals in it and an eerie
down tempo backing accompanying the speed and
aggression giving it extra depth. “The Number
Six” as well has that creepy southern vibe
as well and with all the “You’ve Dug
Your Own Grave” chants you’ve got
a future show stealer here. These new additions
are spaced out along the album, the more southern
metal influence alongside the eerie atmospheric
inclusions are present in nearly every track and
it sets them apart; “To The End” has
bounce, “King Me” is deadly sinister
and “Invictus” has a lot of twangy
breakdowns.
All I have left to say is once again Lamb of God
have asserted their dominance in the metal community,
this album is definitely going to be a tough one
to beat in 2012 and it’s only bloody January!
Every album has managed to be exactly the same
yet completely different in terms of their style;
by which I mean they’re all still the same
musical style but every album has certain elements
that give them such a different feel to the next.
I think they’ve struck my favourite with
“Resolution”, it’s simply brilliant
and that’s all there is to it, UK tour please!
5/5
Review by James Webb
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