Lamb Of God - Resolution Album Reviews & Song Lyrics

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Lamb Of God Resolution Album Cover

Lamb Of God "Resolution" album

- Release date : January 2012 -

Resolution is the seventh studio album by American groove metal band Lamb of God, released on January 24, 2012 in the US, January 31 in Canada. Like the band's previous release, this album was produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur. The lead single, entitled "Ghost Walking", was released on December 5, 2011.

"Resolution" album tracks and lyrics

"Resolution" album reviews

Don't take the (relatively) touchy-feely title of this Virginia metal band's seventh studio album as indication that Lamb of God has acquired a peaceful, easy mind-set since the release of 2009's Grammy Award-nominated "Wrath." On "Resolution," frontman Randy Blythe still growls his guts out while his bandmates hammer away at economy-sized grooves that suggest an extreme-sports version of Southern rock. (More illustrative track titles include "Desolation," "Insurrection" and "To the End.") Lamb of God reteamed with "Wrath" producer Josh Wilbur here, and the result is a continued crystallization of the band's sound. Indeed, the 14-track outing is so consistent (and so consistently hard-edged) that you sometimes find yourself wishing for some kind of sellout softening moment. When an acoustic guitar sneaks in for a few seconds at the start of the song "Ghost Walking," it feels like a welcome ray of light piercing an otherwise murky sky.

*** by Mikael Wood, Billboard ***

With 2009’s Wrath, Lamb Of God made a point of moving away from the more polished sounds of their mega-selling predecessor, 2006’s Sacrament. In doing so, the Virginian quintet set out to prove that they were still a metal band through and through, and while the record achieved this, it didn’t offer much in the way of variety or innovation. With Resolution, the band not only further stake their claim as belonging among the genre’s heavy hitters, but they have delivered perhaps their quintessential album, encompassing elements recognizable from every stage of their career while also proving that there are dimensions to their sound as yet unexplored.

The record opens with perhaps the heaviest track they’ve put their name to, the sludgy “Straight For The Sun,” which demands your attention from the start. LOG deliver streamlined metal anti-anthems by the fistful: The simplistic titles of “Desolation,” “Cheated” and “Guilty” are well-matched to the single-minded attack driving them, though the songs’ more technically intricate structures make them much more than your average mosh-starter. The band are at their most involving when they evoke a more sinister tone, though, such as “The Number Six” and “Terminally Unique.” The closest LOG come to revisiting Sacrament territory, these two tracks are imbued with a sweeping, epic tone that sees the band kicking at the limits of their sound without compromising on aggression. However, they make their boldest statement with the six-and-a-half-minute closing track “King Me” drenched in eeriness and emboldened by strings and a female operatic vocal that counterpoints the sandblasted roar of Randy Blythe. That they manage to do this and retain their distinctive sound is impressive to say the least, and the song’s potent drama provides a fitting finish to the album.

On the strength of these songs, it is conceivable that Resolution may be the first in a series of more progressively oriented releases from Lamb Of God—a tantalizing prospect. Regardless, it is a solid, exciting and ambitious album that proves is still a lot of mileage left in the band.

*** by Dan Slessor, Alternative Press ***

The ever-sturdy Virginia metal ensemble known as Lamb Of God can boldly boast many things: a mastery of the craft, longtime dedication to fans and country, a line-up with immense staying power, not to mention sheer brutality on any given stage or speaker. Where 2009′s Wrath took on production value akin to late-era nu-metal, Resolution feels more organic. There are no concepts, no gimmicks, no frills: just straightforward metal, period.

Introductory “Straight For The Sun” chugs along from a deep inhale by vocalist Randy Blythe, who soon slaughters every preconceived notion brought on by “Set To Fail”. “Desolation” shows off the Adler siblings at guitar and drum kit, mutilating your musical landscape in much hastier time. Lead single “Ghost Walking” kicks off shortly thereafter, resembling KMFDM’s “WWIII” on the outset, later replete with a metric ton of speedy riffs for your eardrums which segue into the equally devastating “Guilty”.

Our word of the day is “relentless.” Everything about Resolution is precisely this: an unfettered abuse to the head and headphones. Lamb Of God incorporates new ways to spell out old ideas (“Invictus”, “Visitation”), they teach old dogs new tricks (“The Number Six”, “Barbaraosa”), and they include a good ol’ fashioned — almost European — epic closing scene, snarkily named “King Me”.

Truth is, if any band has a right to dub its album Resolution, it’s the always determined and periodically original Lamb Of God. Fans can only hope that 2012 does not prove to be the band’s ultimate end, and judging by the success of “Ghost Walking”, they may not have to worry much. Book-ended by what Eddie Vedder might call “a breath and a scream,” here’s to the new year, and here is our Resolution. Horns up.

*** by David Buchanan, Consequence of Sound ***