There was a time when Lamb of God were considered to be the next Pantera by many but themselves. Thankfully, they stayed very much to their own path and planted the flag firmly in the ground as the king of the hill and become a household name to the metal community. No one mutters the words of them like that anymore, Lamb of God are a colossal, magnificent, timeless beast of their own, and they aren’t close to being done yet.
Omens finds the band tens years on from one of their most worrisome times with the arrest of vocalist Randy Blythe, it also seems to have been a turning point for the band, sobriety, a coming together, and a lot of emotion have been channeled into refining their sound and with how the world has been beaten up through so much change in the last few years, the band have channeled their anger into what they know best.
Lamb of God might seem to do Lamb of God by numbers now, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Omens is no different to anything you may have heard before, but it is definitely one mean, pissed off record. Pitching in as their 9th studio album, it’s impressive to see such force and pin sharp accuracy in their songs. Had you not been aware of the departure of co-founder and drummer, Chris Adler before, you would be unawares, such is the perfect fit and abilities of Art Cruz. ‘Nevermore’ blends the sound of new and old, both in sound and lyrical, with a very politically charged touch on the current histories and past histories of their home nation with a nod to one Edgar Allen Poe. The perfect tone setting for what follows.
Riffs rip apart with groove and velocity, tracks don’t seem to stand out on the first listen or two, but work seamlessly as a whole to round out an end to end record of insatiable delight. The singles released in the build up to the release serve it well, you know what you are getting and what to expect. The farthest to different you can find will be the nod of back to roots love the band have from the old hardcore-punk bands in Denial Mechanism. Even that doesn’t give you a break, Omens is the proverbial bull in a china shop, but this bull is of the finest pedigree.
It’s easy to bash a band for never changing and always sounding the same, many do and the online world has created a place where if you can people can say something, it’s usually moaning, but these are also the same people that will complain that a band has changed! Like a tin of Ronseal, it does exactly what it says on the tin. You know what to expect with Lamb of God though, if you aren’t a fan, just don’t listen to it, if you are and enjoy their recent albums, then you’ll get on just fine right here. It is only two years on from the self titled, but Lamb of God show age is just a number as march their path through the storm and carry their flag high.
Lamb of God are soon set to return to UK shores with the long delayed State of Unrest tour featuring Kreator, Thy Art is Murder and Gatecreeper. Originally set for 2020, and postponed until ’21 and again to the winter of ’22, it will be the first UK tour in 8 years the band have embarked upon. Thy Art is Murder replaced the amazing Power Trip whom sadly last year lost their most kindhearted and unforgettable front man, Riley Gale. Dates and venues are as follows:
