Lamb Of God - Resolution

Lamb Of God is one of the few bands throughout their career where one could listen to each album and get a different experience each time from them. From the raw 'New American Gosepel' to the more mainstream and groove oriented 'Sacrament,' listeners have come to know Lamb Of God as one of the more popular Metalcore/ Death Metal/ Groove Metal/ Modern Metal American bands of the early 2000s, and it just seems they keep getting better and better. Their latest effort, 'Resolution,' again turns their style on its head and incorporates new elements for fans who always hunger something new to gouge on while not alienating older fans. Their last effort, 'Wrath,' was a solid mix of Death/ Groove Metal with a few interesting elements, but it seemed a bit restrained as it aimed for solid rhythm and melody rather than crushing brutal power like some earlier albums did (such as 'As The Palaces Burn'). Here, that energy is resurfaced directly with the opening track "Straight For The Sun" which is a short, almost Sludge Metal based chugger with excellent vocals, gritty guitars, and thundering drums that energizes right from the beginning. The rest of the album is a mix of groove and rhythm from an album like 'Sacrament' and 'As The Palaces Burn,' and brings forth the combination that 'Wrath' was missing. Tracks like "The Number Six" and "Cheated" are fast, aggressive tracks that feature a bit of Punk rhythms with death growls and snarls that sound perfect and not winded or tired, along with great guitar work that include strong hooks, memorable riffs, and the solos obliterate.

Of course, like 'Wrath,' Lamb Of God don't shy away from trying new things without fear of alienating fans. They throw in an instrumental- soft and bluesy- called "Barbarosa" right in the middle; a new tactic aside from usually opening with something or nearly closing. It's a nice break from the insanity that some fans might find too intense. There is a bit of acoustic guitar work on the hit "Ghost Walking," which sounds very similar to the groove orient of "Redneck" from 'Sacrament,' but without the Pantera-esque vocals. In fact, there are clean vocals included on the album, but they sound completely different than anything Lamb Of God has done before with "Insurrection," and will leave fans wondering why THAT wasn't included on 'Sacrament.' And of course the final epic "King Me" pushes Lamb Of God's limits to greater heights as they make it the most monumental track ever created. Like "Reclamation" there is an acoustic opening to lure listeners in before things explode in churning guitar, but it actually carries through the whole song rather than stop halfway and leave fans with a wasted three minutes of silence. There is orchestral elements and even female backing vocals, giving a whole new symphonic grandeur to enjoy. Lamb Of God fans will definitely enjoy this album overall, and new fans will find this not a bad place to start. It may not be as brutal as 'New American Gosepel,' but it is an excellent step forward... yet again.

  1. Straight For The Sun
  2. Desolation
  3. Ghost Walking
  4. Guilty
  5. The Undertow
  6. The Number Six
  7. Barbarosa
  8. Invictus
  9. Cheated
  10. Insurrection
  11. Terminally Unique
  12. To The End
  13. Visitation
  14. King Me

Reviewer: Colin McNamara
Feb 12, 2012

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