Lamb Of God – Into Oblivion (Review)

New logos always imply a new stylistic direction for a band — especially if said band is a longstanding household name with a unique signature sound. So what do Lamb Of God want to tell us? Shall we expect a complete 180 with acoustic ballads and power metal vocals on their tenth full-length record entitled Into Oblivion? Or is this more of the same we’ve come to love from the Richmond powerhouse?

To answer these questions right from the start, Into Oblivion is another worthy addition to the band’s catalogue and no one should be worried that they’ve lost their bite and vigor. Randy Blythe is still pissed off by the state of modern society, Mark Morton and Willie Adler still ambush you with their signature southern-tinged thrash riffs, and Art Cruz still underlines the songs with his groovy and song-oriented drumming skills. This is apparent as soon as the striking title track opens the record with a thunderous breakdown, pinch harmonics, infectious hooks, and a vicious madman at the wheel. The track also serves as one of the record’s strongest cuts. While being nothing the band hasn’t done before, it still grips you in the right way — especially the added harmonies and leads throughout the second half.

Most of these attributes can also be applied to the record’s other tracks, as the LOG playbook is as well known among metal fans as a grandmother’s cooking skills. Therefore, a lot of the tracks start reminiscing about other older cuts (for instance see “Parasocial Christ” vs. The Wrath’s “Contractor”), which certainly isn’t a bad thing but makes the record come off as a little safe overall. But that doesn’t mean these new songs do not bang. “Sepsis“, with its sludgy bass intro and more relaxed tempo in the first half, serves as a nice contrast to the harsher and faster cuts such as further strong points “The Killing Floor” and “St. Catherine’s Wheel”, while El Vacío offers some more atmospheric clean sections from Randy akin to Sturm und Drang’s “Overlord“. Although the latter does not quite reach its ten-year-old spiritual predecessor’s quality due to its weaker melody, “El Vacío“ still serves as a nice dynamic shift. The second half of the concise 40-minute onslaught comes across as a little less engaging than the record’s first but still offers enough urgency and quality to make you bang your head.

Into Oblivion is a statement that the band is not willing to slow things down but also does not offer the same level of innovation or excitement that the band’s legendary three-album run from As the Palaces Burn onwards did. But in the end, which band can? With their tenth record, Lamb Of God prove that they’re still among the most competent and pissed-off combos in the realm of mainstream metal. The difference between being consistent and being interesting is getting smaller, though.

Ray Transcended

From: Neheim (Germany)
Favorite Artists: Black Sabbath – Every Time I Die – Dissection
Best Show: The Last Dillinger Escape Plan Show @Gloria, Köln
Band: Cold Gloom