Review: Lamb of God Find Their New Groove on Ferocious 'Omens' | Revolver

Review: Lamb of God Find Their New Groove on Ferocious 'Omens'

NWOAHM titans sound locked-in on second LP since roster shakeup
lamb of god MENZER coney_090922_006.jpg, Rob Menzer
photograph by Rob Menzer

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Lamb of God don't have anything left that they need to prove. The Virginian NWOAHM stalwarts are a veritable institution, one of few acts in their festival-headlining tier of heavy music who've never once dropped a wet blanket on their fans. Sure, their discography has peaks (contentious ones, according to guitarist Mark Morton), but their valleys are still mountainous compared to most bands who've been consistently releasing albums for over 20 years.

Omens, the band's ninth album (due out October 7th via Epic Records), isn't a reinvention but a reminder of everything Lamb of God have excelled at throughout the last two decades. Their 2020 self-titled record was their first in a long five years, and also marked the debut of the new guy, Art Cruz, who replaced founding drummer Chris Adler in 2019. It was enough of a straightforward Lamb of God album that you wouldn't necessarily pick up on Adler's absence, which felt like a pointed statement of reassurance to their fans: "Don't worry, we haven't changed a bit."

Omens is another LOG fastball pitch, but this time the band sound less stiff without the pressure of having to break the longest gap in their release schedule and introduce a new member. They sound as hungry and angry as ever on songs like "Ditch," "Gomorrah" and "Omens," three of the catchiest, most re-playable cuts Lamb of God have penned in the last decade. The title track, in particular, is a shining example of how adept the group are at writing noggin-clobbering metal songs that still get caught in your head for days after hearing them.

They can also swing the opposite way, however. Opener "Nevermore" doesn't waste a second before it leaps into skronky chords and a jagged groove that wouldn't feel out of place on a Dillinger Escape Plan album. "Denial Mechanism" speeds up to a hardcore sprint that offers a nice counterweight to a song like "To the Grave," which has an oaky main riff and a pendulum-like swing that rests in the Southern metal tradition that Lamb of God continue to honor.

The instrumentation sounds sharp and finely tuned, but Randy Blythe's vocal performances are some of the most awe-inspiring moments on the whole record. His craggy snarl lunges from his throat with a boomerang-like whipping motion, flinging words forward and suddenly tearing them back right before they hit a syllabic dead end.

"Ditch" begins with, "I DON'T GIVE A GODDAMN," exploding from every pore in his body, a glorious one-liner that feels like a surefire burst of excitement at future shows. The way he sings, "Everything is doomed to fail," during the gloomy hook of "Gomorrah" sounds both nihilistic and irate, like he's reasonably reacting to the ceaseless horror show of dread that are today's current events, but still gives enough of a shit to remain furious.

With a tight 10-song tracklist, Omens doesn't attempt to overstay its welcome, and every song feels like it's trimmed down to the most essential parts. There're no shoehorned clean vocals, no awkward experiments with new trends, and no frivolous guest appearances.

The longest track is the show-stopping closer, "September Song," which earns every bit of its six-minute runtime. A subdued, TOOL-ish instrumental intro leads into typical LOG heaviness, but then the groove turns Meshuggah-like, glorious strings shine above the madness, and a uniquely melodic guitar solo rocks the song to sleep — only to be awakened by an epic finale of mighty gang chants sounding off atop a moshy breakdown.

Lamb of God are at a point in their career where they don't need to outdo themselves. They've already made enough kickass records to be able to sit back and play the hits for as long as they'd like, but that's not their vibe. Clearly, they'd rather continue to make bangers. Omens is a banger.