Photo: Travis Shinn
LAMB OF GOD has unveiled a blazing in-studio guitar playthrough for the song “Checkmate,” the first single from the self-titled Lamb Of God, the band’s first release in five years, due out May 8 via Epic Records.
“Checkmate,” a commentary on the current American political landscape, was released last month, whetting fans’ already ravenous appetite for new LAMB OF GOD music. Watch the video for “Checkmate” at
https://youtu.be/lNwHjNz6My4.
A true collaboration between all members of the band, LAMB OF GOD’s eighth studio album – first to feature new drummer Art Cruz – is an amalgam of each individual’s contributions, blended to create a singular style. Guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler fuel the album with a mountain of riffs, taking what Lamb of God are known for, and unbelievably, upping the ante to new levels. The rhythm section of John Campbell, looming large as a rhythmic shadow, and drummer Art Cruz underpin the proceedings with passion, sweat and expansive dynamics. Vocalist D. Randall Blythe is as angry, insightful, and informed as ever. Never one to shrink from facing the darker aspects of our nature head-on, Blythe delivers with no punches pulled, and as only he and Lamb of God can in 2020. The fact that the band’s eighth studio effort would warrant ‘self-titled’ status is a testament to the band’s pride and satisfaction with these songs and this period in their creativity.
In the midst of writing the ten songs that appear on Lamb Of God, the group hit pause on the works-in-progress to man the stage as main support Slayer’s “The Final Campaign.” After months of playing their best-known songs nightly, LAMB OF GOD returned to the new tracks and began to work with longtime producer Josh Wilbur (Korn, Megadeth, Gojira, Trivium). Special guests Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed) and Chuck Billy (Testament) also make appearances on Lamb Of God.
The Richmond, Virginia, quintet propelled heavy metal into the new millennium two decades ago with the prophetically titled New American Gospel. They followed with 2003’s As the Palaces Burn, which made the Rolling Stone list of the Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time. Ashes of the Wake, released in 2004, was the first LAMB OF GOLD album to be certified gold by the RIAA, as was 2006’s Sacrament, which also made a Top 10 Billboard 200 chart debut. In 2009, LAMB OF GOD released Wrath, their first with Wilbur at producer, and earned the number one album spot on Billboard’s Hard Rock, Rock, and Tastemaker charts, with a number two position on the Billboard 200.
Those number one positions were repeated with 2012’s Resolution, which swung effortlessly between thrash, traditional metal, sludgy doom, with flashes of crust punk swagger and bravado. LAMB OF GOD’s last album, VII: Sturm und Drang (2015) made its debut on the Billboard 200 at number three and finished number 2 in the world charts, reaching Top 5 in five countries and six addition Top 15 positions.
LAMB OF GOD will begin their 2020 touring cycle this month, as the quintet heads to Europe for a co-headline tour with Kreator, followed by a multi-leg North American co-headline tour with Megadeth.
LAMB OF GOD tour dates:
w/Kreator and Power Trip:
3/27 – Stockholm, SE @ Fryshuset Arenan
3/28 – Copenhagen, DK @ Forum Black Box
3/30 – Oulu, FI @ Club Teatria
3/31 – Helsinki, FI @ Ice Hall Black Box
4/2 – Kraków, PO @ Tauron Arena
4/3 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
4/4 – Oberhausen, DE @ Turbinenhalle
4/5 – Wiesbaden, DE @ Kulturzentrum Schlachthof
4/7 – Zurich, CH @ Samsung Hall
4/8 – Munich, DE @ Zenith
4/9 – Ludwigsburg, DE @ MHP Arena
4/11 – Hamburg, DE @ Sporthalle
4/14 – Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz
4/15 – Madrid, ES @ Sala Riviera
4/17 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia Bruno Coquatrix
4/18 – Saarbrücken, DE @ Saarlandhalle
4/19 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
4/21 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy Bristol
4/22 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy
4/23 – Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy Glasgow
4/24 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy Birmingham
4/25 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
5/9 – Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome to Rockville (US Festival)
w/Megadeth, Trivium and In Flames:
Summer 2020
6/12 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
6/13 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
6/14 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
6/16 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
6/17 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
6/18 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavillon
6/20 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
6/21 – Boston, MA @ Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
6/23 – Syracuse, NY @ St. Joseph’s Heath Amphitheater at Lakeview
6/24 – Providence, RI @ Bold Point Lake Amphitheater
6/26 – Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
6/28 – Burgettstown, PA @ S&T Bank Music Park
6/29 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
7/1 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theater
7/2 – Mount Pleasant, MI @ Soaring Eagle Casino Amphitheatre
7/3 – Indianapolis, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
7/5 – Atlanta, GA @ Ameris Music Center
7/7 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion
7/8 – Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
7/10 – Chicago, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago, IL
7/11 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis, MO
7/12 – Nashville, TN @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium
7/14 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
7/16 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
7/17 – Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
7/18 – Irving, TX @The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory+
7/20 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
7/21- Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Federal Theatre
7/23 – Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheatre
7/25 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
7/26 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
7/29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
7/30 – Pocatello, ID @ Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre
8/1 – Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion
Fall 2020
10/2 – West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
10/6 – Birmingham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
10/7 – New Orleans, LA @ UNO Lakefront Arena
10/9 – Corpus Christi, TX @ American Bank Center Arena
10/11 – El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center
10/14 – Springfield, MO @ JQH Arena
10/16 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
10/21 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
10/23 – Huntington, WV @ Mountain Heath Arena
10/24 – Bethlehem, PA @ The Wind Creek Event Center
10/27 – Quebec City, QC @ Centre Videotron
10/28 – Laval, QC @ Place Bell
10/30 – St. Paul, MN @ Armory
10/31 – Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center
11/2 – Omaha, NE @ Baxter Arena
11/3 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
11/5 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
11/7 – Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay Events Center
11/10 – Spokane, WA @ Spokane Arena
11/11 – Nampa, ID @ Ford Idaho Center Arena
11/13 – Reno, NV @ Reno Events Center
LAMB OF GOD is:
D. Randall Blythe – Vocals
Mark Morton – Guitar
Willie Adler – Guitar
John Campbell – Bass
Art Cruz – Drums
LAMB OF GOD online:
