Many if not all of you know that Lamb Of Gods latest album VII: Sturm Und Drang dropped this past Friday. This is a huge release for the band with everything that Randy and company has endured through the past few years.
Lets just get into this album
Still echoes:
Starts out classic Lamb of God style, nice guitar riff into drums and Randy s vocals. More blast beats used by Chris these past few albums. They are a band that doesn’t need the blast beats but Chris does a great job with them. Never goes over the top with the quantity of blasts. By the time the chorus comes around, i gotta say i do like the chorus, and then the guitars between will and Mark. They seem to be more connected as a team for this album. Starting the album off with a solid track like this one is a great way to get the show started.
Erase This:
Guitars, drums, i really am digging this song, so far one of my favorites on the album, the classic Chris drum sound/ style his double bass fills are his signature attack. Randy belts out a line, they go into a slower feel than the fast beginning but. Then go into a transition of fast riffs and drums. Break it down ” For what it’s worth ” great head banging pace of Lamb of God grooves. This album has a similar feel for me to Ashes of the Wake with the guitars. the fast pace of the song right before the chorus is great, it really builds you up to get into that chorus and groove. the song goes right back into the way it started with the riff, and drums, but the bridge has the guitars using a pedal I haven’t heard the guys use in other albums. Damn it sounds good, they are going back to a rock, bluesy feel to the metal. Its like they are adding spices to this album that work very well. The song ends with the chorus and the guitars and drums riff for a few bars then end.
512:
Starts out with the guitars playing and Randy comes in with his spoken word style vocals. The guy really has one of the best voices for metal because to utilize the spoken, and then his heavy lower mid range brutal vocals yet he can still get those high screams. This song is definitely a slower mid paced song, but you will be moving to the beat. It is a solid tune with a great beat, the chorus ” my hands are painted red” has great lines. then into a great guitar solo. The next verse starts and midway through Randy speaks again, going right into the chorus. You can almost feel how the songs and lyrics have such a strong emotional impact on Randy. You can feel it through the music
Embers:
Starts out with an echo like guitar riffs, and you can hear the drums sound like a nice double bass feel with the snare on the quarter notes. Just a solid set up and it fades in clear with a drum fill to enter the clear sound. One hell of a great song beginning in my opinion. When Randy does come in we here Chris switch from hi hats to his crash cymbal then into his splash which is a classic musical move. It just works perfectly for him I mean it is effortless for Chris to play killer metal drums. The song goes into a chorus back into a verse, again into the chorus, and then a bridge that features Chin Moreno’s vocal talents. Randy growls leading up to Chinos classic vocal sound. This section of the song is worth the buy right here. As a Lamb of God fan and a Deftones fan this is a killer track that really works with both Randy and Chino. I would love to see some more collaboration between the two in the future.
Footprints:
Double bass roll and tom roll out, into with blast beats to fill the gap between the bars. This continues until Randy joins in. This is a mid paced heavy tune, with a verse that reminds me of the earlier albums, and then a chorus that brings back the blast beats and into the next verse. Gotta love Randy’s vocals, I hold this album higher than the previous four albums. Nothing but great songs so far. The lead up into a bridge is brings the listener into a faster paced groove hi hats classic Chris double bass fill. with Randy screaming and into another verse that has an enhanced sound. That’s the sound of Chris wailing on the bell of his ride cymbal. The song transitions into the beginning sequence for a few bars and then transitions into the chorus with Chris hitting the crash cymbal on the quarter notes to emphasize that this is the conclusional chorus which we bring on the ending sequence. a killer guitar riff, and Randy giving the microphone everything he has left in his lungs.
Overlord:
Now here is the song a lot of people have had a hard time with. It is a slow paced song, with Randy doing semi clean vocals. IT has a very Alice in Chains feel to me. Bluesy rock fuelled Layne Staley-like vocals. This song is the song that so many people will get hung up on. Mark likes a blues guitar sound, this is most likely the most soulful song on the album as far as he is concerned. The guitar solo after the second chorus is almost too short as far as I am concerned. Maybe they wanted it to be short and sweet, but i would have liked to have heard a little more out of it. for the listeners who stayed the whole song it picks up speed to a fast paced bridge with Randy doing his usual vocals. The song remains fast paced until t it fades out with the same guitar riff they used in the beginning with a little feedback and some drums. One more chorus to round the song out, slowing to half time emphasis on the crash cymbal, and fade out feedback.
Anthropoid:
Does not hold back Randy is growling some heavy vocals the moment the song starts. a nice up tempo tune, with the first verse sounding like classic Lamb of God, pre chorus Chris raises the intensity bar with his splash cymbal and then Randy with some higher vocals, the chorus ” WE ARE” ” WE ARE” the crowd chanting metal anthem of the album. the next verse starts off nice and heavy with half the bars and into the pre chorus.Chris on the splash into the chorus ” We are the faces of the end,We are the architects of ruin,fathers of rebellion, disciples of the reaper,We are the apex predator” This song is heavy Lamb of God bringing it back to the “as the Palaces burn” feel to the verse. “Yet still has a Omerta feel to it. The songs kicks ass no matter what way you look at it.
Engage The Fear Machine:
Now Randy has gone on about this song, basically its about the media. It fuels our fears, what happened with Ebola? there was a global panic, and then it vanished. The song is about the powers keeping the fear machine ( media) well oiled and running smoothly to get reaction from the population. It starts out with a march drum roll feel, with bass drum on the first note of the bars. it progresses into Randy screaming and a mid paced tempo with a really bad ass guitar riff. The verse is a mid tempo line transitions into a killer guitar riff and Chris wailing on the bell of his ride. The chorus is solid, ” Paranoia writes the checks” its not the fastest Lamb of God song, it may not be the heaviest either. But it is solid, well written song.
Delusion Pandemic:
Killer fast riff to start out the song. Fast paced, man the guitars are killer on this Chris hitting the bell. then half time, crash cymbal but still that guitar riff is bad ass. I could honestly have listened to that for 5 minutes alone. Randy comes in with his vocals great verse solid straight to the point. Pre chorus builds the song up with two changes. The chorus ” this is the rise of our demise! Randy has some seriously powerful lyrics on this album. I did like Resolution, but really this album is the best I have heard from these guys since ashes of the wake. An unexpected transition into a slower pace with Randy doing his preaching style vocals. the intensity level builds its going to get sick in 3..2…1.. slow bad ass breakdown, the pit will go nuts right about now.
Torches:
Has a slower feel to it, Randy talking ” the soul of the nation” tranquil guitar riffs, with very minimal percussion until Randy crescendos bringing the intensity of the verse up for a few bars, then it drops back down to the slower pace feel. the song transitions by progressing with a snare drum pattern and double bass roll leading into a heavy mid paced pre chorus. This song features Greg Puciato as backing vocals. The song continues to build on itself, until “I am the inferno, I am legion” where the song fades out. Definitely a song to end the album with. Unless like me you got the
DELUXE EDITION!!!!
Wine & Piss:
Southern rock sounding slower to mid paced song with a solid riff, the verse starts in with slow pace and after the first bar picks up double time for a few bars, back into the verse. it maintains its pace the whole time not many changes in this song. its just a consistent tune. It really has that flip the middle finger attitude throughout the entire song. Not a bad tune, maybe not my favorite, but its still a solid tune.
Nightmare seeker: (the little red house)
More of a fast paced song, emphasis on Chris splash and the guitar riff. Few bars like that until it gains a little more dimension When Randy comes in the song transitions into the slower but heavy paced feel, with his vocals that growl from low to the higher dragged out banshee style.This is a fun song to be listening to, I mean when the pre chorus comes in the guitars are great, solid chorus. You really have to give it to Willy and Mark they write riffs that are just great. Think of all the songs with pretty bad ass riffs, Laid to Waste, The Subtle arts of Murder and Persuasion, In Defense of our Good Name, Vigil,Ashes of The Wake to name a few. This is a great song right here, everything about it. The bridge Chris playing on his splash, and then going to the ride, but using his other hand to hit the bell of another cymbal. Then a short solo, into the chorus. “I CAN NEVER FORGET War is coming, (never forget) War is coming to take us again. War is coming ( never forget) war is coming to take us again!” This repeats a few bars and fades, out with a classic Randy growl,
All in all this is a killer album, best Lamb of God work in a while. Every song has it’s place, every song has it’s own fingerprint making it unique. The album is a must have. Do yourselves a favor and get the Deluxe edition.
get it on iTunes
buy it from Amazon
Listen to it on Spotify
Then go to their Facebook page and tell them how bad ass it is.
-Badger \m/
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com
The Metal Breakdown 