Epic Records

Lamb Of God, Omens (Epic 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

Omens is the ninth album from Lamb Of God and one of their strongest to date.

Starting out in Richmond, Virginia under the name Burn The Priest, Lamb Of God has a history nearly thirty years long. From New American Gospel in 2000 to the newest record, Omens, they have laid down the grooves and the metalcore like no other. Each new album is a massive occasion for fans, and the latest one is destined to be a stand-out set in their impressive history. The band is Randy Blythe (vocals), Mark Morton (guitar), Willie Adler (guitar), John Campbell (bass), and Art Cruz (drums).

It all starts out on a jarring note with “Nevermore” – a wailing, battering beginning that fills you with trepidation. A little dissonance is in there too to permanently unbalance you. Blythe’s voice grinds you up as you listen, then reassuring, melodic singing offers a soothing repast, but you know what is coming next. Great opener. “Vanishing” is next and it is rougher, if anything – a straight-up pummeling. The adrenaline continues to flow and spew, and the guitars line you up and shake you down. “To The Grave” wraps up the first triplet and the ligatures are tight by the end of that one.

“Ditch” is one of my favorite tracks on the record. It is a bloody raking of your senses, an aural calamity. This leads to the title track and the end of side one. “Omens” is a linear assault that shows you straight up what the deal is and leaves it with you. It is a heavy weight for you to decide what it means.

The second half of the album has all the grain of the first, and to me it seems even darker in tone. “Gomorrah” flat out tells you how bad things are, and on songs like “Grayscale” you feel as if the clock is ticking and the final bits of sand are about to filter through the narrow neck of the hourglass. The set ends with “September Song,” the longest track and perhaps the most somber. Mysterious desert vibes reach out and surround you at the front, entrancing and then hypnotizing. One minute in the terror starts and it never really lets up, even with the spacey interlude and the off ramp. This album is a monster. Highly recommended.

Omens is out now in a variety of forms through Epic Records. Check out the options at the links below.

Photo by Wayne Edwards.

Links.

Lamb Of God website, https://www.lamb-of-god.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/lambofgod/

Epic Records, https://epicrecords.shop.musictoday.com/dept/lamb-of-god

© Wayne Edwards

Lamb Of God, Omens (Epic 2022)

Chevelle, Niratias (Epic Records 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

The ninth album from Chevelle might be their heaviest one yet and therefore the most appealing to metal fans so far.

At this point, it is almost thirty years that Chevelle has been making music. In that time, they have sold more than four million album in the US. There first full-length album came out in 1999, Point #1, but they had to wait all the way until their second album, Wonder What’s Next, to sell in platinum numbers. They offer a guitar-driven, pop-oriented rock approach, and the new album, especially, leans in on the heavy and will have a broad appeal to metal fans.

I had not followed Chevelle very closely until a couple years ago when I saw them perform live at Aftershock in Sacramento. I found out two things: they have a lot of dedicated fans and they put on a great show. When I read the announcement for the new album, my focus sharpened with the memory the band playing in the California sun.

Niratias has thirteen tracks, including a transition bit or two. The opener is an instrumental, “Verruckt,” and it is a compelling piece that sounds like the process that goes on inside the CPU of an angry robot if it was thinking about heavy metal. “So Long, Mother Earth” is more pop-oriented and catchy, making it a go-to track for fans of yore. And then you are hit with “Mars Simula” and its aggressive stabbing riffs. The variety in the songs starts to make itself known, settling the idea of what kind of a record this will be.

Throughout the album there are tracks that stand out for me like “Pisstol Star,” which is claustrophobic and tense, and “Peach” with its excellent lead guitar work. The set closes down with the big statement of “Ghost and Razor” showing off a low, heavy sound that is burgeoning with angst (my favorite track) and walking off stage with “Lost In Digital Woods.” That last one is a quiet downer of sad poetry and piano for two minutes, then nature sounds or possibly screaming, and finally there is an echoing guitar that warbles in (and then out) in the final 75 seconds. Make what you will of that.

Niratias is out now. Hit the store link below to peruse the versions. It is a big album from every angle. Recommended.

Live band photo by Wayne Edwards from Aftershock 2019.

Links.

Website, https://getmorechevelle.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/chevelle

Store, https://getsomemerchandise.com/chevelle-merch/chevelle-music

Chevelle, Niratias (Epic Records 2021)

Lamb of God, Lamb of God review (Epic Records 2020)

Wayne Edwards, ,

For their eighth album, Lamb of God has gone self-titled. It makes perfect sense as it speaks directly to their fans and demonstrates that the band will always be exactly who they want to be.

Randy Blythe, Mark Morton, Will Adler, John Campbell, and Art Cruz. Fans already know who is whom in this lineup, and recognize Cruz is recording for the first time with the band after being the touring drummer for some time. Lamb of God is one of the most recognizable and highly regarded bands in heavy music today. The Richmond, Virginia-based band started out as Burn the Priest in the mid 1990s. They released their first Lamb of God album, New American Gospel, twenty years ago, and have been stalwart metal workers ever since. Ashes of the Wake and Sacrament were a sort of tipping point for the band where their notoriety rose to the level of nonerasable. It has been five years since their last studio album – the longest gap in the discography – so fans are more than ready for new music.

The new album is filled to overflowing with fresh, blistering riffs. The rhythm section is a rippling marching force, laying down the cadence and pounding out the attack. Randy Blythe has an iron voice that seems to strengthen with every album and every song. As a special bonus, there are guest appearances by Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed and Chuck Billy of Testament.

There is a narrative arc to this album. The first song is “Memento Mori,” which is usually translated as something along the lines of “remember you are going to die.” That’s a mood setter if there ever was one. Blythe has said in interviews that the album should be listened to in order because of the story it tells. He has gone on to say that they establish social issues in the first part of the album and that later songs provide an idea of how to resist what seems like a rising tide of horrors in contemporary society. Things might be messed up, and it is a struggle, but it is not the end. So don’t pick a song to listen to out of context, at least not the first time through. Sit down and listen to the whole album, front to back. It is all great music and you’ll have a better experience this way. You can always listen to your favorites again and again.

Lamb of God is out now and available absolutely everywhere. Epic Records has physical copies in many forms, and there are nice import choices from Nuclear Blast. This is one of the best releases so far this year. Highly recommended.

Band photos by Wayne Edwards, Aftershock 2019.

Links.

https://www.lamb-of-god.com/

https://www.facebook.com/lambofgod/

https://epicrecords.shop.musictoday.com/dept/lamb-of-god

Lamb of God, Lamb of God review (Epic Records 2020)