Review by Rick Eaglestone for MPM
From their underground origins as Burn the Priest to five Grammy nominations and over two million albums sold, the Grammy-nominated Richmond groove-metal titans Lamb of God are back with album number 10 – Into Oblivion
Title track Into Oblivion opens the record with the kind of neck-snapping conviction that reminds you exactly why Lamb of God built the reputation they did and is as good an album opener as the band have produced in years, it should be blasting out of every venue PA before the lights go down.
Follow up track Parasocial Christ finds the record immediately widening its scope – there is a groove here that sits somewhere between the churning momentum of Ashes of the Wake and the more nuanced layers the band developed across Resolution. Randy Blythe’s vocal delivery has lost none of its ferocity, but what strikes you is how measured it is – every syllable weaponised, nothing wasted.
Sepsis takes cues from the early ’90s Richmond music scene that the members of were inspired by
and is celebration of the underground local bands such as Breadwinner, Sliang Laos, and
Ladyfinger.
The Killing Floor is where the album truly finds its centre of gravity. This is quintessential Lamb of God, the kind of track that could sit comfortably on any of their classic records while still sounding entirely of the moment. The riff here is enormous. If you need evidence of why this band have headlined Download, Hellfest, and every major metal festival worth attending, put this on at full volume and allow the question to answer itself.
EL Vacio takes a slower but no less urgent approach the is a foreboding throughout that is entirely captivating which is a great palette cleansernot a ballad by any stretch but an opportunity to provide a moment of breathing room before St Catherine’s Wheel forces its way into potential live favourite with its brooding mid-tempo drive and fierce delivery throughout this track in particular feels like a summation of everything the album has been building toward and well, if you need any further evidence Blunt Force Blues arrives just in time to provide arguably the albums crowning glory – There also has to be some credit to producer and the band’s longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur as its evident that he has a real insight to the how the band tick and the type of message they want to portray musically and really culminates in this moment.
Ask Blythe why the band decided to call their tenth album Into Oblivion, and he doesn’t mince
words: “Because that’s where we’re heading,” he says. “In general, the album is about the
ongoing and rapid breakdown of the social contract, particularly here in America,” he explains.
“Things are acceptable now that would’ve horrified people just 20 years ago.”
Bully has the type of riff structure and delivery that will get most people frantically trying to add it to any current gym playlist and is followed by A Thousand Years which the more I hear it is fast becoming an absolute earworm – it’s a track that as a fan of Lamb of God you will absolutely get behind and if there is anyone who still after 25 years still doesn’t get them this may very well be the track that changes their mind as buried deep within that groove in a deniable musical maturity and if that isn’t enough to shift opinions then the albums final track Devise/Destroy is frankly nothing short of maniacal genius – there’s a lot to unpick in a short space of time and if you like a sledgehammer wrapped in surgical precision then you will love this
“People’s increasing inability to accept uncertainty within their own lives has led them to look for someone to tell them, ‘Everything’s going to be okay as long as you believe in me. I have all the answers. I alone can fix it,’” Blythe says. “There’s this willing relinquishing of agency and of responsibility.”
Into Oblivion Track Listing:
- Into Oblivion
- Parasocial Christ
- Sepsis
- The Killing Floor
- El Vacio
- St Catherine’s Wheel
- Blunt Force Blues
- Bully
- A Thousand Years
- Devise/Destroy
Line-up:
D. Randall Blythe – Vocals
Mark Morton – Guitar
Willie Adler – Guitar
John Campbell – Bass
Art Cruz – Drums
Website: https://www.lamb-of-god.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3JFsVIxOn7STeilPICkkB2
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lambofgod/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lambofgod
9/10
Album pre-orders, including remaining limited-edition vinyl variants, a collectible “Into Oblivion” CD with a limited-edition zine featuring album art sketches, handwritten lyrics and never- before-seen studio photos, and various album-themed merch items are available now: https://shop.lamb-of-god.com/collections/into-oblivion.
