There are precious few metal bands who have scaled similar heights as Lamb of God by packaging genuine extreme tendencies with more hooks than a butcher’s shop. But on their ninth album ‘Omens’ they have apparently opted for a curveball, assembling what they call the most diverse record of their career.
But is it? Opener Nevermore initially appears to be an odd choice if it’s intended to herald a new era. In fact, it wastes no time in scene setting, opting instead for the kind of full-bore groove metal assault Lamb of God are known for.
Still, its riff is a little more spidery than usual, Mark Morton’s fingers crawling at the end of a fretboard, and Randy Blythe, renowned for his glass-gargling roar, sneaks in a bluesy croon. It’s an all too brief moment, though, and sadly doesn’t reappear.
On a similar, subtly experimental note, the excellent Denial Mechanism dresses fist-swinging hardcore up in a Lamb of God coat—the drumming is unmistakably DIY basement show.
At the tail end, September Song starts with the kind of methodical percussion and echoing guitar you might expect of post-metal, which isn’t a world away from where it eventually ends up, with strings and symphonic flourishes.
The finale of the album is certainly the most interesting and out-there stylistically that they’ve produced, even while it remains anchored by their groove roots. As a result, the answer to the question of whether this really is as diverse as the band claim it to be is a resounding maybe.
Other than a few standouts, it’s very much Lamb of God by numbers. But nobody does Lamb of God as well as they do. Muscular grooves and gravel-throated vocals are very much their forte and ‘Omens’ has them in spades, along with some twists that shake things up a bit without corrupting a winning formula.
Lamb Of God Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Tue December 13 2022 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
Wed December 14 2022 - GLASGOW O2 Academy Glasgow
Thu December 15 2022 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
Fri December 16 2022 - BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
Sun December 18 2022 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy
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