Year: 2022
Total Time: 40:59
Label: Epic Records/Nuclear Blast
Twenty two years have passed by, since the day LAMB OF GOD introduced themselves to the world, with their debut full length “New American Gospel”. The truth is that the record made no impression and the band had to wait for three more years and the album “As The Palaces Burn”, in order to catch the attention of metallers and see their name get bigger. In fact, many people back then started talking about those who would replace PANTERA. The band could also be easily included in a category of bands such as CANNIBAL CORPSE, MOTORHEAD, ACDC. Bands that you always know how their new record will sound. So, two years after their self-titled album, the band returned this year with the ninth release of their career. As expected, LAMB OF GOD did not have any surprises for us, regarding its originality, as they remain loyal to their well known musical recipe. PANTERA and SLAYER influences, enhanced with elements from Hardcore/Punk and all of these filtered through the band’s personal, musical identity.
The difference with this new release is the fact that LAMB OF GOD sound a lot more angry and raw, compared to what we have heard from them within the last years, as the album has a lot of amazing groove parts. It is pretty obvious that they decided to focus on creating a record with massive sound than fast compositions. The result of that is that they manage to create a very enjoyable and angry album, that will withstand the test of time. A typical example of that is the title track, along with “Grayscale”, “Ditch” and “Nevermore”. The compositions that are quite different from the overall record are “Denial Mechanism”, which moves in a high speed tempo with a Punk aesthetic, and “September Song” which closes the album. There, LOG are slightly more melodic, reminding us the song “512” from the album “VII: Sturm und Drang”. Also, responsible for this wild feeling of the album is the fact that the it was recorded live in the studio, with producer Josh Wilbur (MEGADETH, KORN).
LAMB OF GOD’s triumphant return with “Omens” was something certain, as the band has never let us down so far. Superior, of course, to his predecessor, presents the band in tremendous form, creative and bonded together. The songs have some of the aura of the great “Ashes Of The Wake”, as well as common elements with its amazing cover. As a result, the Americans give us, in my personal opinion, their best album since “Resolution” of 2012. So, words are useless. Turn up the volume on your speakers and enjoy New Wave Of American Heavy Metal at its best, from the leaders of the genre.
Rating: 8/10
Editor: Nikos Manousis
Related Link: LAMB OF GOD – Official Page
