As Into Oblivion explores a world in flux, Lamb of God turn inward with “Blunt Force Blues”, reaching back to their Richmond origins and the local music community that shaped them. The track serves as the final preview of the band’s forthcoming album, which arrives on March 13 via Epic Records.
Randy Blythe reflects on Lamb of God’s formative years on the new single: “We learned how to play by watching and hanging out with other local dudes. That’s what we aspired to do – keep up with good local bands. They were just as much of an influence on us as any of the bigger bands from different cities.”
For Mark Morton, the song speaks to the perspective they’ve gained over the course of the band’s 25+ year career: “For me, the album is about having the space to breathe creatively and not feeling like we have to keep up with any trend or expectation. It feels nice to be untethered from any agenda beyond rallying around the notion of, ‘Let's just make music that we think is cool,’ which is really where it all started.”
In the months leading up to today’s announcement, the metal veterans released a trio of blistering singles that offered listeners a taste of the album’s range. “Sepsis,” the band’s first new song since 2022, also paid homage to the early ‘90s Richmond underground, with Consequence noting the song’s fresh approach, saying “Morton’s riffs are bruising at this slower pace,” and adding that Blythe bellows “like a heavy metal Nick Cave.” “Parasocial Christ” followed, evoking classic Lamb of God with a three-minute onslaught that Revolver dubbed an “anti-tech thrasher.” Most recently, it was the title track, “Into Oblivion,” which Metal Hammer deemed “ferocious,” while Brooklyn Vegan called it “as much of a gut-punch as you’d hope for from LOG.”
Produced and mixed by longtime studio collaborator Josh Wilbur, Into Oblivion was recorded across multiple locations tied closely to the band’s identity. Drums were tracked in Richmond, Va., with guitars and bass recorded at Morton’s home studio. Blythe recorded his vocals at the legendary Total Access studio in Redondo Beach, Calif., the birthplace of seminal punk records by Black Flag, Hüsker Dü, and Descendents.
Album pre-orders, including remaining limited-edition vinyl variants, a collectible Into Oblivion CD with a limited-edition zine featuring album art sketches, handwritten lyrics and never-before-seen studio photos, and various album-themed merch items are available now (https://shop.lamb-of-god.com/collections/into-oblivion). |
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