Lamb of god – Resolution

“Resolution” is the eagerly awaited new album from Lamb of God – their seventh album. With a career that includes three  Grammy nominations, some very impressive album and DVD sales , and a whole host of superb live shows including supporting Metallica on their World Magnetic tour, then expectations for the new album are high.

With this album the band have tried doing things slightly differently.  Firstly the album was written over a couple of years so more time has been spent on this early stage, and producer Josh Wilbur was brought in at an earlier stage as well.

According to guitarist Mark Morton, the album contains some of the bands swampiest, sludgiest stuff ever, as well as some of the most punk songs they’ve ever written.  There are also strings and acoustic guitars in the album – yes you did read that right – acoustic guitars and orchestral string instruments in a Lamb of God album !

I’m not going to describe the tracks in detail, but will comment on a few of them…

The album opens with “Straight for the sun”, and straight away sets the pace for the album – there’s no gentle introduction here, its straight in with the heavy in your face brutal sound that you expect from the band.

“Barbarosa” is a short track – around a minute and a half, and is a slow melodic instrumental number that is a real change of pace.  It’s this track that features the acoustic guitar, but despite it’s slow nature and the use of the acoustic guitar you still get the feel that the full intensity is waiting to break through. This slow track actually serves to make the following song have even more impact – when you’ve got a load of brutal songs one after the other they lose some of their impact, but after a short change of pace they hit you with full force again.

The final track on the album, “King Me” is a surprise – it incorporates string instruments (violins etc) in addition to the usual guitars, drums and bass, and also features an opera singer.  If you’re thinking its going to mean Lamb of God are compromising on the heaviness, think again.  This song is just as brutally heavy as anything else the band have done with their ferocious vocals and heavy guitar riffs, but the opera singer and strings are used in quite a subtle way to enhance the song without losing their trademark brutal sound.

Mark Morton sums up Resolution as: “If it doesn’t make you want to push the accelerator to the floor a little harder, flip off a cop or throw a bottle against a brick wall, then I haven’t have done my job.”

Well I have to say that he and the rest of the band have done an amazing job with the album – it’s probably not a good one to listen to while driving if you want to keep your license as it really does make you want to hit the accelerator.

Resolution is due for release on 23rd January 2012

Track listing:

1. Straight for the sun
2. Desolation
3. Ghost walking
4. Guilty
5. The undertow
6. The number six
7. Barbarosa
8. Invictus
9. Cheated
10. Insurrection
11. Terminally unique
12. To the end
13. Visitation
14. King me

About Ant May

I spend half my life at gigs or festivals and the other half writing the reviews and editing photos, and somehow find time for a full time job too. Who needs sleep - I've got coffee.