Lamb of God, ‘Resolution’ – Album Review

Lamb of God don't take any hairpin turns nor do they shift gears drastically or cruise in several different sonic lanes on 'Resolution.' They stay the course on their latest album and that's exactly what we want from them. Consistency is key, especially when it it occurs in such a flawless, metallic execution.

If Lamb of God had gotten too experimental or dramatically changed the fundamentals we've come to know, expect and desire from them, that would be like going the wrong way down a one way street. They try a few new things here and there, but for the most part, the band churns out grooves that will make you want to put your fist through plaster.

The album launches with a throat-tearing scream and the slow, sludgy and terrifying 'Straight for the Sun.' It's the doomiest the band has ever sounded, but it's still heavier than granite. This song is also one of those newish things the band tries without changing shape.

The band guns it with first single 'Ghost Walking,' which packs a memorable chorus, and the fast and furious 'Desolation.' Much of the album operates at hardcore's pace, with similar pissed off, "I want to use music to change the world" intensity and energy. But whereas hardcore tends to be a bit idealistic, Lamb of God remain steadfastly realistic, offering up meat and potatoes metal and allowing their music to be an outlet for the average, redblooded American looking to blow off a whole lotta steam.

Drummer Chris Adler's hand and footwork is some of the most aggressive in metal today, while vocalist Randy Blythe foams at the mouth militaristically on record like he does on his blog: viciously, venomously and in a manner in which you are magnetically attracted. Guitarists Willie Adler and Mark Morton manufacture Pantera-like grooves designed for maximum headbanging; that tone is a hallmark of the LOG sound.

'Guilty' and 'The Number Six' are as chunky as they are noisy, while the quietly ominous 'Barbarosa' is a bluesy instrumental tossed right smack dab in the middle of the maelstrom just to show how angrier-than-a-starving Rottweiler the rest of the album is,' while 'Invictus' is another mid-tempo anthem, with a somewhat sludge-caked opening and frenetic middle and ending.

The album is lots of pummeling fists and pounding fury, but it closes with the moody epic 'King Me,' which has more parts than a symphony, include Blythe's spoken word passages. It's the artiest moment on the record.

'Resolution' is 14 songs strong, but never wears out its welcome. Sometimes you need an album that is wholly cathartic. 'Resolution' is it.