Lamb Of God – Resolution
This month Lamb Of God’s enigmatic frontman, Randy Blythe, launched a campaign via his blog, Randonesia, to be America’s next President. Considering the timing of the announcement, with the release of the band’s new album Resolution just days away, it’s quite clearly a tongue-in-cheek PR stunt. The question here though is will the album prove as determined as his campaign?
Historically, these Virginian heavyweights rarely fall short when it comes to honing real quality. As their album output has developed from sinister slabs of misguided anger into a study in the art of attack, they have built up a portfolio of killer material second to none. Following the raw bludgeon of their early efforts, including most notably As The Palaces Burn, where speeding cantankerous hardcore was doused in that signature cyclical death metal groove, they went on to hit the motherload when they also threw anthem-fuelled hard rock onto the flaming pile. Cue the utterly masterful assault course of Ashes Of The Wake which fed us neatly into the instant addiction provided by, first Sacrament with those half-spat shards and endorphin-loaded hooks, and then Wrath with its exploratory flashes of brilliance and swaggering ability to create memorable monsters. Consequently, the longing for Resolution and the continuation of discovery has become steadily unbearable.
Resolution divides its time between disconsolately hammering your brains out with spiked aggression and then piping through deeply-rutted rhythms that toss and turn themselves into yet more hook-in-mouth bloodlust. It takes the old, uncomplicated malevolence of As The Palaces Burn and combines it with the hands-to-the-heavens glory of Sacrament and Wrath. All this means yet more of those verses that jaggedy-jaggedy-jaggedy along, before rockstar-pausing to explode with a wham-bam-thankyou-mam into the colossus that is the chorus. Randy Blythe owns these parts with his earth-shattering whoops and throaty rasps that invigorate with their intensity, each one containing coherent, slick lyrics that demand repetition and naturally provide the opportunity for plenty of heartfelt hollerbacks. When they grubbily fall flat it is disappointing to find these sequences flooding a track to bursting point yet again but, when they shed the dirt and fire on all cylinders, there is nothing in metal today that gets the blood pumping faster. Such is the fine line that Lamb Of God now find themselves treading, though only a true hater would dare suggest that, given their history and the talent on show, they are a one-trick pony.
We always knew he was a legend-in-waiting but, by actually getting fully-involved in the whole process of making an album (i.e.; not nipping off to indulge in his other projects whilst the band lay down the backing tracks), Randy has finally revealed his true value to the band by injecting more haranguing invective and raw-throated intensity than ever before. He warms hugely to his lyrics here, tugging at themes of self-destruction and isolation, with the album title left implying something much wider than just the political statement that the cover and a couple of the tracks suggest, and he delivers them with the conviction of a madman. The other tour-de-force here is Chris Adler. His rampaging drums do the work of two; an army of machine-gun peppering kicks loaded into a world of polyrhythmic intersplicing that will leave you gasping for air. He is a machine and with Resolution he finds yet another level to impress at.
Dug in amongst all this we get yet more progressive elements to savour. They lurk in tracks like “The Number Six” and “King Me” and add something spicy to the melting pot. The former plumps for gang chants and half-whispered messages (redolent of Faith No More’s “Crack Hitler”) whilst “King Me” is on a whole other level. There’s more portentous, hushed vocal but here it’s given an operatic backing (producer Josh Wilbur’s suggestion which should be roundly applauded) and the soaring dark heart, where Randy turns himself into an anvil-topped storm cloud, boiling and bubbling into a destructive twister that threatens to rip the top of your head off and suck out the contents, is mesmeric. When he finally blows himself out, you can actually hear the man collapse.
Other more intuitive tracks like the thrashy rumblings (where Megadeth meets Agnostic Front) of “Guilty” and “Visitation”, the hunk of molten metalcore that forms “Cheated”, or the jerky, bawled punk of “Invictus” provide solid, if unspectacular, padding to absorb the smack of the money-shots like “Desolation”, “Ghost Walking”, “The Undertow” and “Insurrection”. They may be the album weak points, but they aren’t those obviously jarring dips in quality that your average album carries around as bulk.
In fact, considering the quantity of variation within, from the long doomy opening blast, via the snatch of acoustic riffing, to the snippet of clean vocal harmony, there is much keep you coming back for further listens over and over again. In fact, you’ll be amazed to hear they’ve even managed to Crowbar in (pun intended) some bluesy stoner rock with “To The End”.
All this and yet the flow of the album is superb with parallel tracks linked together with re-worked riffs or just fiendishly simple wordplay and, with fourteen songs to run through, there’s plenty of bang for your buck. Okay, there is still the sense that they’ve held back, yet again, on really twisting our melons with something from left-field, and pound for pound it’s not got the star quality of say Ashes Of The Wake or Sacrament, but then it’s not lagging too far behind. An essential purchase, though? Well, put it this way, if I was an American citizen, I’d be voting for Randy!
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66 Comments
January 20th, 2012 at 12:00 am
No doubt one of the best albums that will be out this year. King Me is an epic song, the strings and the momentum it builds is insane. Hopefully people will remember this one for the 2012 albums of the year list
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January 20th, 2012 at 12:04 am
Nice review, John! I never really got into Lamb of God that much and I doubt this album will make me change my mind. I’m not saying this album is bad or even the band itself, but I just never have been able to get into them. That being said, Lamb of God are a phenomenal live band and presidential candidate, Randy Blythe, is a great frontman. Though I’m not a fan, Lamb of God deserve respect.
One question: Do you really think they are a one-trick pony? It seems more like they’ve found their sound, stuck with it, and have been refining it gradually over many albums, in my opinion. Thoughts?
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John Skibeat replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 4:41 am
One-trick pony? Not on your nelly, but I have heard it said about them by naysayers. Surely, this album proves they aren’t beyond all measure. Yes, they do plump for the familiar parlo(u)r tricks of past albums for their singles, but here they also lay down a fearsome line in variation. I’m still in shock from the Crowbar meets Down vibe of “To The End”.
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Nitrohippie replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 6:42 pm
My bad. I thought you said that they WERE a one-trick pony, but I went back and read the review again. A lot of commas on that sentence, hehe. You are right, though. A lot of people do think that they are a one-trick pony. In my opinion, it’s better to have one trick than none at all. I will have to give this album a critical listen when I can.
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John Skibeat replied:
January 21st, 2012 at 8:02 am
Yeah, sorry about all the commas. My bad. I’m a punctuation fiend. In future, I promise I’ll split my sentences up a little more with lovely full-stops. Makes it easier on the eye.
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Nitrohippie replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 1:48 pm
No problem. I probably just read over it too fast, thus my confusion. Great review, sir!
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Nitrohippie replied:
January 26th, 2012 at 7:23 pm
I listened to a good bit of the album online and, I have to say, Straight For The Sun is the stand-out track for me. What a great way to open the album. I love the riff. I saw your comment below where you said that you thought Ghost Walking would have been a better opener. I think that Ghost Walking would have been a typical album opener with that acoustic intro. I think Straight For The Sun is an unpredictable start to the album, which is a good thing. It helps defeat the one-trick pony critique. Either way, though, Straight For The Sun is awesome, in my opinion.
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January 20th, 2012 at 12:08 am
I buy every album that this band puts out even though the last one that I loved was As the Palaces Burn. I have no expectations so maybe that will help with Resolution.
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JDS replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 3:15 am
I stopped listening to them after ATPB. I just couldn’t get into the vocals anymore even though the guitars as sick as hell.
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John Skibeat replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 4:43 am
Well, no pressure, but as this one invokes the power and mayhem of ATPB, you should hook in. I think you might find yourself liking Resolution a bit more than recent efforts.
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January 20th, 2012 at 12:18 am
I love the slow, crunching dirge, downtuned “straight For The Sun”..great opening track…great album!
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John Skibeat replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 9:27 am
Funnily enough, as a song to open an album, I’d have switched that for “Ghost Walking” and it’s sweet little acoustic intro (or would that just be a repetition of Wrath’s opening?). Either that, or “King Me” which is way too good to leave lounging all the way down there at the bottom.
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rev.j_blumpkin replied:
January 27th, 2012 at 9:04 pm
First off, great review. John, the fact that ‘king me’ came last was perfect IMO. Just as ‘reclamation’ ended WRATH on an epic note. This album is just fantastic. thats not a word i ever use, mainly because i imagine gay men use it way too often, but yeah fantastic. They ventured into a lot of uncharted territory and it payed off. Sung chorus, orchestral arrangements, wider range of riffage, and vocals that i imagine left randy clutching a bag of sucrets with a deathgrip. 4.5 is spot on, although i dont know how it couldve been any better.
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John Skibeat replied:
January 28th, 2012 at 2:12 pm
Kudos, Blumpkin! Glad you liked both the review and the album!
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January 20th, 2012 at 12:27 am
Music Video not available in my country , why?
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John Skibeat replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 9:23 am
Hi, Iwan. Assume you’re looking for the “Ghost Walking” animated vid. As an Englishman, I get the same message. I went through RoadrunnerUK to get it. Try: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk/lambofgod/ghostwalking/
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January 20th, 2012 at 12:37 am
Never really been a fan of LOG, although I loved Randy’s guest appearence on Haste’s “The Mercury Lift”. Guess I’ll have to take your word for it John and check out this album. Besides, I usually enjoy anything Josh Wilbur’s involved in
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 12:39 am
And I never would have known about the sorely underlooked band, known as Sydonia, if it wasn’t for Randy.
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January 20th, 2012 at 1:22 am
Nice Review
LOG is one of those bands that I’ve never really enjoyed, but I appreciate what they’ve done in influencing the metal scene.
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John Skibeat replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 4:51 am
Cheers, Sean. First time I came across LOG was whilst stood behind three dudes windmilling their heads almost continuously. By the end of their set, I was too. Over the years, LOG have gone on to prove themselves to be men of legend. I keep expecting a weak album like some kind of sick, negative vulture, but unlike so many other major bands (Machine Head I’m looking at you) they’ve never delivered anything but brilliant, shit-kicking brutality.
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January 20th, 2012 at 11:32 am
Have to say mate that this is a rather excellent review, probably the best I have read on here.
Also, really quite looking forward to this. Apart from Sacrement, I have loved everything they have done (and that has got better with more listens) so hoping this will kill.
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John Skibeat replied:
January 21st, 2012 at 7:59 am
Such kind words – much obliged. Well, for a butcher, there’s plenty of meat on Resolution for you to dissect. Have fun, matey!
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butcher666 replied:
January 22nd, 2012 at 11:11 am
Good good.
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January 20th, 2012 at 11:48 am
Great review as usual Johnny boy. Stoked for the record too!
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January 20th, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Totally nothing to do with the music…what a bunch of ugly lookin’ dudes! Thought I’d throw that in
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Zach replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Your allowed to be ugly when you can play like they do
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Chad Kallauner replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 1:27 pm
Hell, that’s the whole reason I decided to check out Metallica back in the mid-80s! They were ugly as fuck and didn’t care one bit while the Hollywood pretty-boy hair bands played their pop/rock and posed for Circus magazine.
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Davide replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 6:28 pm
Man,your photo makes my head blow,lol.
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January 20th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
John, your review was incredible! You sure do set the bar high for us newbies!
I loved Sacrament, and it looks like I’ll be checking out Resolution after reading your prose.
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John Skibeat replied:
January 21st, 2012 at 8:04 am
I doff my cap at you, Chad. *doff*
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January 20th, 2012 at 3:30 pm
Excellent review, as usual. I have always liked LoG, but they seem to be a two trick pony, rather than a one trick pony. They play it safe, but dabble in experimentation. It feels to me as though they just skim some ideas off of the surface and then just give up going forward with those ideas. Maybe this album will prove me wrong, and I hope it does. Wrath really wasn’t my cup of tea, though As the Places Burn and Sacrament are classics. Chris Adler, along with the rest of the band, uses the same techniques in most songs, which is a little disappointing. Oh well, I will pick this up and I hope it gives me a reason to love this band again, after my disappointment in Wrath.
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John Skibeat replied:
January 21st, 2012 at 8:08 am
Cheers. Now they’re all bringing something to the table, the band are getting more and more adventurous. Mark Morton, for instance, loves his blues and you can hear his influences throughout their more recent material. I think though you’re spot on about them “skim[ming] some ideas off the surface” – here they’ve really sunk their teeth into a couple. Here’s to them going the whole hog for their next opus.
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GRIMMICE replied:
January 21st, 2012 at 12:44 pm
Good to know that you can hear some different influences on Resolution! The fact that you cleared that up makes me want to hear this. Thanks John!
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January 20th, 2012 at 5:57 pm
Terrific review! Nice word play to you too sir! I pre-ordered this album and I can’t wait for its arrival. 4.5 sounds just about right for Lamb of God. These guys never dissapoint!
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John Skibeat replied:
January 21st, 2012 at 8:11 am
Wordplay? Oh… the Crowbar thang. Well, thanks Clinton. Delighted you picked up on that! Next up: Corrosion Of Conformity, so expect more of that chicanery.
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January 20th, 2012 at 6:27 pm
Excellent,excellent review John,you’ve said it all.For me the diference between this album and Wrath is astonishing,that one is full of great songs from begining to last,is like doing Sacrament but much better,more mature and with a few new ideas.The last song for example is epic and open new doors for the next album.Defenetly the best album of this guys to date.Cheers.
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John Skibeat replied:
January 21st, 2012 at 8:13 am
Muchos gracias, senor. Think this one will keep giving out more with each listen. I’m already looking forward to hearing a good 7 songs off it in a live arena. “King Me” – epic.
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January 20th, 2012 at 7:03 pm
so the day finally came where Randy decided to throw in a little clean vocals in a song. It worked perfectly too.
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January 20th, 2012 at 8:05 pm
who cares about one or two trick ponies? they might not steer from their formula of success that much, but they do such a good job writing the stuff they do there is no reason to. Their music continues to kick ass with each album they put out, and if they don’t diverge from their current sound I would not be disappointed. Resolution is def. not as good as some of their previous albums, but it has grown on me a lot after my first listen; def. at least a 4/5 cd. ‘Cheated’ is freakin’ awesome.
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GRIMMICE replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 8:17 pm
I care about one and two trick ponies. I don’t want to listen to the same album every 3 years. That’s no fun and it doesn’t say much for the artist. That’s why people are saying that they want this album to be good and show them progressing, not necessarily evolving. You can improve without changing styles, which is exactly what they do, but some people also like something a little different than what they have heard before
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Clinton replied:
January 21st, 2012 at 6:40 am
Grimmace…..
Listen to Bloodletting and then listen to Set to Fail and you tell me that these guys haven’t evolved.
You won’t be able to.
The whole pony idea is just plain silly. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard the same album from any group unless it’s a Best Of…. which in my mind are a waste of time and effort, unless of course the the band is nolonger together or dead.
Either way these guys have evolved for sure and they grow with each release.
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John Skibeat replied:
January 21st, 2012 at 8:27 am
Exactly. This is why anyone who dismisses Lamb Of God out of hand, simply because of past material they’ve heard, has to be seriously closed-minded considering the level of progress they’ve made. For a band to tweak every album they bring out and yet maintain the level of quality workmanship that they have, is a rare thing. Respect or fanaticism – you decide.
Of course, on a personal level, I’d love to see them throw something completely off-the-wall out there… I’m convinced they’d make a better job of it than most.
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GRIMMICE replied:
January 21st, 2012 at 12:53 pm
Clinton, I don’t necessarily hear an “evolution”, because that implies that they have changed. I hear more of a progression, if anything. So yes, I am saying that they haven’t evolved. Granted, I have not heard this album, that’s why I haven’t said anything bad about it. I agree with growing on each release, but not evolving. Anyway, I am willing to give this album a fair chance. People expect bands like Metallica to continue to release albums like Ride the Lightning and …And Justice For All, but they have evolved and really don’t sound like that anymore. When you hear a song but LoG, you can tell that styles haven’t really changed. That is all I am saying. Lee said it best, bands don’t have to evolve to keep interesting, they just have to grow. As before, I said that Wrath was a step back for me.
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Clinton replied:
January 21st, 2012 at 1:27 pm
Right on man! I feel the complete opposite about Wrath. Amazing album and it differs from the other releases tremendously. To me it’s more progressive and that’s why I beleive they have evolved and progressed with the last few releases. There’s nothing progressive about As the palace Burns or Sacrament.
But that’s my opinion.
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GRIMMICE replied:
January 21st, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Oh no, nothing progressive about ATPB or Sacrament, but to me, those are killer albums. I hope this one is as good. I didn’t hate Wrath, but it was disappointing to me, personally. I just didn’t want to hear Sacrament Pt. II or Wrath Pt. II, that’s what I was worried about. From what John has said, the influences from other genres really show on this one, and I am looking forward to that. Fingers crossed!
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John Skibeat replied:
January 22nd, 2012 at 11:48 am
“Cheated” – speeding hardcore/thrash combo, “To The End” – gritty, blues-encrusted stoner rock, “Straight For The Sun” – plodding doom-fuelled metal, “Invictus” – snot-covered punk, “The Number Six” – touches of alt-metal, “King Me” – progressive metal opera.
Yeah there’s plenty of stuff for those seeking “a progression”, and still some of those classic LOG anthems like “Ghost Walking” to get your fists pumping when they tour this bastard. There’s a collection of elements we’ve seen before but enough that’s new that you’d be hard-pressed to make a case for it just being a Sacrament/Wrath II.
:)
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January 21st, 2012 at 9:37 pm
I listened to the album and it sounds like wrath part two. I don’t hear anything special or fantastic about this, it just seems like they’re playing it safe.
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John Skibeat replied:
January 22nd, 2012 at 11:53 am
*shocked face* Sure, they haven’t exactly detached themselves from what they’ve done in the past but “Straight For The Sun” and “King Me”, on their own, are surely enough to convince you otherwise. If you haven’t stuck those two tracks on repeat, you’re doin’ it RONG.
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zach replied:
January 22nd, 2012 at 1:15 pm
King Me is definately different, I admit that. But one or two songs isn’t enough to change my mind. Thanks for the review though.
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Clinton replied:
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:33 pm
What are you looking for Zack? Path of Totality….??? You want LOG to do something off the wall and Korny? I sure as hell know that I don’t. LOG is “Pure American Metal” and I would expect nothing more from Resolution. I can’t wait till my PRE-ORDERED LP arrives in the mail. This is one band where I can pay for the music well in advance of the release date and still know that after it arrives I won’t feel like I wasted my money.
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zach klimek replied:
January 27th, 2012 at 9:36 pm
Nope, just something a little different.
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January 23rd, 2012 at 4:30 am
I miss really stand-out songs like Ruin, 11th Hour, Laid To Rest, Hourglass etc. from their earlier cds, but their last 2 albums had the same problem. Overal it’s pretty solid but I need to spin it a few more times to really get into it.
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January 24th, 2012 at 9:09 am
What a learning journey reading this review. Literally, I had to retrospect and check dictionary from time to time. Must have missed some reading fun…
I could really feel that John’s been pumped by this album. Can’t wait to explore. Cheers.
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January 25th, 2012 at 8:26 pm
Wrath is still my favorite because of its southern-fried Pantera-esque qualities. This album was good but not great to me. Good job John. Enjoyed the read brother.
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Clinton replied:
January 26th, 2012 at 8:48 pm
Hey there Lee what’s up? I like Wrath quite a bit but Resolution is starting to stick in my head after several spins. Randys never sounded better!
Cheer
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Lee replied:
January 28th, 2012 at 10:43 pm
Hey Clinton. How’s it goin’ brother? Don’t get me wrong…I like Resolution and all, but damn….Wrath is hard to top in my opinion. Randy does sound great…no doubt about it. Lamb Of God’s Wrath and Throwdown’s Deathless just gave me an idea of of what Pantera might sound like if they were still around making music today.
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Chris replied:
February 6th, 2012 at 11:40 pm
Resolution is definitely better than Wrath, IMO. Randy sounds amazing. The entire band kicked it up several notches.
I don’t know what’s up with the comparison to Pantera that you’re making, and why you aren’t judging it based on other Lamb of God albums. Thats not like you..
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January 29th, 2012 at 3:04 pm
I dont know!!!For me Resolution have,so far,more traces of Pantera sound than Wrath,but,hey,maybe is just me.Stay well Lee.
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Lee replied:
January 29th, 2012 at 3:19 pm
Have you listened to Throwdown’s Deathless? http://thenewreview.net/reviews/throwdown-deathless If you haven’t, you are REALLY missing out.
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Davide replied:
January 29th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Yes i know Throwdown and i like those guys.Know check the most Pantera Portuguese band,Anger,They dont exist enymore but have left 3 wonderfull albums.I hope you like it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47oIfZ_edNo(yes,the sound is horrible,but is the best i can do for you).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnSJpwlYGx4(this one is with a better sound but this song is not even close one of the best on that album.
Stay well bro.
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January 29th, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Ho,by the way,you maybe should check this band out,Medius-Burns Going Down,its the most close i have heard of Vulgar Display Of Power,believe me,is fantastic.The song #7 is amazing,sounds like Fucking Hostile.
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Lee replied:
January 29th, 2012 at 3:19 pm
The name sounds familiar. I’ll check them out. Thanks Davide!
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Davide replied:
January 29th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
You welcom,i just hope you like it.
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February 5th, 2012 at 5:52 am
Couldn’t get into Wrath for it’s lack of technicality; something that always ensured awesomeness for me in Lamb of God. This time, I feel they brought that back a bit, which makes this very, very, worthwhile. I approve this score, hahaha! Good review, man!
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February 6th, 2012 at 11:41 pm
Much delayed comment here, but I LOVE this album. Favorite since ‘Palaces and Ashes of the Wake, hands down.
Excellent review, John! You said it all..
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John Skibeat replied:
February 7th, 2012 at 3:58 am
Cheers, dude. I loved AOTW to bits but, if I’m honest, I’d take either Sacrament, Wrath or THIS to my desert island before it.
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