Band members:
Randy Blythe: Blythe is the lead vocalist of the band. He has been a part of Lamb of God since 1995, when the original vocalist (Abe Spear) left the band after only a year of being together.
John Campbell: Campbell is the bass guitarist for the band and has been a member since the beginning in 1994. Campbell is the only band member who has stayed since the band was formed.
Mark Morton: Morton is one of the lead guitarists and has been a part of the band since it started, he is also one of the original band members. He just released a solo album called “Anesthetic.”
Willie Adler: Adler is the other lead guitarist and has been a part of the band since 1999. Although a later member of the group, he has been here for almost 30 years.
Art Cruz: Cruz is the drummer for the band and has been here since 2019. He is the youngest member of the group and is 37 years old.
Background:
Lamb of God has been around since the 90’s and has released many albums throughout the 90’s and 00’s. Some of the other albums include “New American Gospel,” “As the Palaces Burn,” Killadelphia,” “Ashes of the Wake,” “Sacrament,” “Wrath, Resolution,” “Vll: Sturn Und Drang,” “Lamb of God and Omens.” “Omens” came out in 2022, and this was their last album until their latest, which came out on March 13 of this year. The band was formed in 1994 by Virginia Commonwealth University students Mark Morton, John Campbell, Chris Adler and Matt Conner. They all met in Adler’s house and brainstormed new lyric ideas while simultaneously attending the university.
New Album:
The new album that just got released is called “Into Oblivion.” The album consists of 10 songs with a run time of 39 minutes. “Into Oblivion” follows the same genre as past albums, with screaming to amazing guitar riffs, creating a beautiful, unique sound. However, midway through the album, a song called “El Vacio” goes against the metal stereotypes, as it takes on a more melodic sound and doesn’t consist of any growling or screaming of that matter. The song is almost like an intense lullaby. The rest of the album is still outstanding and very intense guitar solos that are askew to past albums.
Teacher Testimonials:
Mr. Dow: The beloved math teacher at Damascus High School, Mr. Dow, is a die-hard metal head, just listened to the opening song of the new album, and gave us his outstanding thoughts. He believed that the music was too heavy for him, but without the vocals, it is very melodic. Dow also said that it’s “not a bad band, but it isn’t [his] style of music.” However, he loved the guitar portion of the songs.
Mr. Cyrus: Mr. Cyrus is a heavy metal listener and took the time out of their busy day in the Media Center to listen to the new album. “After listening to the new Lamb of God album, [they] can safely say they have a new fan!” He loves heavy metal but hasn’t listened to it before today. They “really enjoyed the instrumental portions” and think that the vocals “complemented it pretty well.” Their favorite song of the album was “Bully” because “it had a really nice beat!”
Song List:
“Into Oblivion”
“Parasocial Christ”
“Sepsis”
“The Killing Floor’
“El Vacio”
“St. Catherine’s Wheel”
“Blunt Force Blues”
“Bully”
“A Thousand Years”
“Devise/ Destroy”
