Lamb of God is one of the most well-known names in American metal. Love them or hate them, they have undoubtedly paved the way for many metal bands that we now know today. Their seventh studio album, Resolution, will be released on January 24, 2011 via Roadrunner Records.
As a successor to their 2009 album, Wrath, Resolution is almost exactly what I was hoping for. While Wrath was not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, it just wasn’t as good as it could have been. Resolution, however, is a great album and a step in the right direction for the band. With their latest effort, Lamb of God has regained the path that they began their journey upon.
Resolution begins with the intro track, Straight for the Sun. This track is very slow and gritty and I feel like the band could have done without it. As soon as Desolation begins, however, things really start kicking. Desolation is one of the best tracks on the album and sounds like something that could have been included on the band’s 2004 outing, Ashes of the Wake. Desolation is followed up by Ghost Walking, the first single from the album. The acoustic intro to the song is somewhat of a new idea for Lamb of God and I feel that they use it successfully, not only here, but also in Barbarosa, the interlude track. Another one of my favorite tracks from Resolution is The Undertow. This track, like Desolation, sounds like something that could have been included in Ashes of the Wake or Sacrament, the band’s two best albums, in my opinion.
One of the high points of Resolution, as with any Lamb of God album, is the drumming. While it’s not quite as exciting or mind-blowing as his work on Ashes… or Sacrament, Chris Adler is still at the top of his game and he continues to demonstrate exactly why he is one of the most talented drummers in metal. His precision and dexterous footwork continue to amaze me. In addition, the rest of the band still shows an incredible amount of talent. The riffs and solos played by Willie Adler and Mark Morton are as solid as ever. Randy Blythe’s vocal performance on Wrath has been his weakest effort, but he hath redeemed himself with his performance on Resolution. His vocals are just as wicked and hellish as they have been on earlier Lamb of God albums.
Lamb of God’s Resolution is a solid start to 2012 and a step in the right direction for the band. While it is not my favorite Lamb of God album, with that title belonging to Ashes of the Wake, Resolution is still very well done and should definitely be checked out by any Lamb of God fan.
Links: Facebook
