LAMB OF GOD – INTO OBLIVION (CD)

Description
LAMB OF GOD’s tenth album, “Into Oblivion”, sees them embracing their position as music veterans: Beholden to no one, with nothing to prove. As such, “Into Oblivion” is an album that simultaneously references LOG’s roots, doubles down on their signature groove, and explores new sonic territory. Ask vocalist Randy Blythe why the band decided to call their tenth album “Into Oblivion”, and he doesn’t mince words: “Because that’s where we’re heading,” he says. “In general, the album is about the ongoing and rapid breakdown of the social contract, particularly here in America. Things are acceptable now that would’ve horrified people just 20 years ago.” Blythe also explores underlying factors of personal accountability. “People’s increasing inability to accept uncertainty within their own lives has led them to look for someone to tell them, ‘Everything’s going to be okay as long as you believe in me. I have all the answers. I alone can fix it,’” Blythe says. “There’s this willing relinquishing of agency and of responsibility.” Produced by the band’s longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur, “Into Oblivion” was recorded at three different studios across the country. The drums were tracked at The Bakery in Richmond. The guitars and bass were tracked at Mark Morton’s (guitar) home studio in Virginia. The vocals were recorded at Total Access, the legendary studio in Redondo Beach, California, that birthed Black Flag’s “My War” and seminal records from Hüsker Dü, Descendants and Saint Vitus. “When I walked in there, I immediately felt at home because I felt that punk rock history, which is the world I come from,” Blythe enthuses. In the end, all these factors—the music, the recording, the lyrical themes, and the band’s own creative goals—coalesced into what you hear on “Into Oblivion”.