Artist: LAMB OF GOD
Album: VII: STURM UND DRANG (CD)

Year: 2015
EAN/UPS: 727361355906
Media type: CD

„Exploring new Fields, while staying true to the roots! The kings of NWOAHM are back With a new album reeking of pure strength!”
METAL HAMMER (NO)


With such a dramatic entry point for the writing process for LAMB OF GOD’s seventh album, this was never going to be an upbeat affair. Inspired by those initial lyrical ideas, Randy Blythe and guitarist Mark Morton have conjured a collection of dark and menacing but ultimately inspirational lyrics for »VII: Sturm und Drang«, an album that deals with extreme real life circumstances and mankind’s ability to weather the most brutal storms in the ongoing quest for peace and happiness.

“It’s a record about how people handle extreme situations,” says Randy. “The literal translation is »Storm And Stress« - it sums up everything on the record, it really does, perfectly. Obviously it started with me being in prison, but this isn’t my prison album. The song '512' is asking 'How am I handling this?' Anyone who’s been locked up will probably understand what I’m trying to say. It’s about the brutal psychic shift you undergo when you become incarcerated, because it’s not a normal situation at all. People in prison think and act 100% differently from people on the outside. It’s a different world.”

Reflecting this overall theme, »VII: Sturm und Drang« features several songs that arose from Randy’s fascination with digging deeper into the horrors of history, the strength of humanity and our never-ending battle against oppressive, dishonest regimes. Closing track 'Torches' was inspired by the story of Jan Palach, a Czech man that set himself alight in Wenceslas Square in protest against the Soviet Union’s invasion of Czechoslovakia. The furious 'Engage The Fear Machine' deals with the manipulation of mass media to control the masses, using scare tactics and outright lies to spread fear and paranoia, as with the recent worldwide ebola scare and its exploitation by unscrupulous broadcasters. Meanwhile, the hair-raising brutality of 'Anthropoid' was inspired by the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the 'Butcher Of Prague' and architect of the Nazis’ final solution, in 1942. His assassins were “ratted out” and found themselves holed up in a local church crypt, with 800 Nazi stormtroopers out for their blood.

To match the jarring intensity of the lyrics, the music on LAMB OF GOD’s seventh album had to be both powerful and emotionally shrewd. In keeping with their previous works, »VII: Sturm und Drang« contains all the cherished LOG trademarks, but as with its predecessor »Resolution«, this is not a record that sits comfortably within a cozy formula. Instead, from the flailing muscularity of 'Erase This' to the startling melodic vocals and surging crescendos of 'Overlord,' from the skull-rattling grooves of 'Still Echoes' to 'Embers'’ heart-rending mixture of fragility and grandeur, this is both a consolidation of the values that LAMB OF GOD have long upheld /and/ a bold leap into fresh territory that once again heralds the expansion of this band’s unique vision. With guest appearances from DEFTONES’ frontman Chino Moreno (on 'Embers') and Greg Puciato from THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN (on monumental album closer 'Torches'), »VII: Sturm und Drang« is a cohesive, focused and emotionally devastating piece of work.

Having lived through times that would have stopped most bands in their tracks, LAMB OF GOD are back in 2015 with a renewed sense of purpose and a fresh perspective. They will embark on a full European festival tour in the summer of 2015, and then the 'Summer’s Last Stand Tour' across North America, as direct support for SLIPKNOT, and also featuring BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, and MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. LAMB OF GOD are ready to roll.

“It’ll be cool to get out and tour the world and play this new stuff for the fans“, says Randy. “As always, I’ll try to see things I haven’t seen before, get out and do some photography and writing as well.“

“I’m really lucky to still be doing this with these guys and tour around the world,” Mark concludes. “That’s an honour and it’s one I don’t take for granted. It’s great to be part of something that’s as cool as LAMB OF GOD.”

TRACKLIST:

01. Still Echoes
02. Erase This
03. 512
04. Embers
05. Footprints
06. Overlord
07. Anthropoid
08. Engage The Fear Machine
09. Delusion Pandemic
10. Torches


LINE-UP:

Randy Blythe | vocals
Mark Morton | guitars
Willie Adler | guitars
John Campbell | bass
Chris Adler | drums