Much has been said about Randy Blythe's incarceration, acquittal and subsequent badassery. We already know this stuff, so let's delve into 'VII: Sturm und Drang', the return of Lamb of God, and see if it's worth the wait.
This quintet, who hail from Richmond (motherfucking) Virginia, have never released a bad album and they're not about to start now. Still Echoes gets us up to speed with that unyielding shift in dynamics – you know, a solitary riff before the whole band joins in and pulverises eardrums. Blythe dispenses disgustingly brutal-yet-intelligible screams while Chris Adler's splashing cymbals pepper an imperiously tight outing behind the kit. It's brutal. It's catchy. It's the middle ground between Pantera and death metal. So far, so Lamb Of God.
Fans of the band will find much to circle pit along to here. The chunky thrash of Erase This and Footprints blazes through the speakers, the former featuring a talk box guitar solo and the latter a defiant, insanely infectious cry: “How the fuck did you think this would end?” There's a 'Sacrament', 'Ashes Of The Wake' vibe here, with Mark Morton's grooves combining with Willie Adler's downtrodden chugging to produce that trademark guitar interplay. 512's strangled, half-clean roars and Anthropoid's gang vocals have been brought forward from 'Wrath' – indulging the band's dirty, punk edge – and Delusion Pandemic features a spoken-word sermon that falls just on the right side of hammy.
Elsewhere, experimental flourishes flutter. Overlord has Blythe singing cleanly – think Alice In Chains vocal harmonies – and, while his range isn't exactly great, the change in pace delivers a middle finger to the faces of the No Clean Singing Crew. The tune seems to give up on its eerie ballad guise halfway through, though, making the section seem a tad throwaway.
Deftones' Chino Moreno pops up on Embers, a traditional Lamb Of God ripper turned, well, Deftones number. The band ease back to accommodate Moreno's customary wails, making for a strange ambience to accompany John Campbell's clunky bass outro. Dillinger Escape Plan's Greg Puciato also features on the album finale, delivering a phaser-laden croon over a sinister soundscape that erupts into another of Blythe's barked tirades. While both guest performances are left-field treats, they're not going to please rigid-minded fans, veering further from the template than even King Me dared to.
Not including their debut as Burn The Priest, this is the group's seventh full-length. They've taken risks. Some have paid off. Others not so much. The fact that, around two decades into their career, Lamb Of God are willing to try new things and can still craft an album that succumbs only to 'Sacrament' in terms of quality tells you a thing or two about the band. 'VII: Sturm und Drang' is a certified rager and trumps its two predecessors, promising to incite circle pits everywhere, from bedroom to ballroom.
Megadeth and Lamb of God Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon November 09 2015 - DUBLIN 3 Arena
Wed November 11 2015 - GLASGOW Braehead Arena
Thu November 12 2015 - MANCHESTER O2 Apollo
Sat November 14 2015 - LONDON SSE Arena Wembley
Sun November 15 2015 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
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