Randy from Lamb of God answers the phone, immediately asking, ‘So do you like Lamb of God?’
‘Well, the first time I heard you I thought perhaps, you were mutton dressed as lamb. But after hearing the new record Wrath, I was like a lamb to the slaughter.’
I smile, knowing those two killer lines are sure to make an impression.
“Yeah OK” is all he says and I realize I wasted two days Googling ‘funny sayings about lambs!’
Needing to quickly move on, I ask him about Wrath, the follow up record to Sacrament, which scored the band a Grammy nomination and a legion of new fans.
“We were so proud of Sacrament, you know, we put so much into the production of that, trying to make every song perfect, which was good, but with the new album we changed direction. When you focus on production, you lose some of the life of the album, so with Wrath we tried to recapture a more raw idea.”
The record seems to have done the trick, showcasing a new array of skills, while still laying down heavy metal tracks that make you want to get up and fight something or someone. Balance, however is certainly still important, the band mixing aggression and control. Like Tyson on Prozac.
“We’ve certainly stepped up our songwriting abilities, and I think this is a more balanced record in a lot of ways.”
To get inspired musically and lyrically, the band draws heavily from their day-to-day lives when looking to get angry.
“I think a lot of it comes from the fact the world around us is kind of a disgrace. Musically, there are many bands who, with every record get softer, but with us I think we get more brutal, the motivation for this record came from us wanting to pursue a more difficult path, push ourselves not to fall into that trap.”
Being at the forefront of the American metal movement for over 15 years, you’d think the pressure would wear on the band, but the intensity doesn’t get to them Brian tells me, and they’ve never come to fisticuffs.
“We all have an interesting relationship, there are times when we have… problems,” he admits with a laugh, “but we’re all friends and because we are challenging each other we have a common goal, especially on Wrath. There was a new direction and we were all going the same way.”
Lamb of God are heading down to Australia when they tour for Soundwave festival, sharing the stage with legends Nine Inch Nails and The Dillinger Escape Plan. An orgy of fun for any music fan.
“The line up is awesome, Nine Inch Nails, Dillinger Escape, we will definitely try and check them out. That’s the good thing about festivals. Watch some bands then go and chop up your own set.
‘Like a lamb chop?’ I offer, only to hear the phone click dead, leaving me smiling to myself.
Check out Lamb of God at Soundwave at Eastern Creek Raceway Sun Feb 22, and Wrath drops February 24th on Roadrunner.
