I’m a little apprehensive about putting metal on Unsung, because I know it’s among the world’s most divisive musical genres. I’m especially apprehensive about recommend a band as popular of Lamb of God. If you’re into metal, you’ve already heard this record. If you’re not into metal, you’ve already decided I’m less credible than I was a couple hours ago.
But every year, there’s a couple metal records that come out that are well-produced and just stupidly good. This is one of those records.
A couple years ago, Lamb of God’s vocalist was (wrongly) imprisoned in the Czech Republic for the death of a fan at one of Lamb of God’s shows. And this is the first record the band has made since his release.
And he sounds mad.
This is the sort of thing that makes for a great metal record: pure, focused aggression. This is the best Lamb of God record since As the Palaces Burn, one of their earliest. They have not been this on fire for probably around a decade, if not longer. These guys sound amazing. The guitar work is insane, their drummer is a beast, and vocalist Randy Blythe sounds positively possessed.
I wouldn’t describe this as a pop record, but if you need something new to work out to at the gym, or to run to, or to listen to in rush hour traffic, this is tops.