Lamb Of God's bread and butter is their intense, in-your-face style of American metal. Resolution's opening track “Straight For The Sun” is a bit of a changeup, a slow and doomy crusher. “Desolation” is a more typical LOG song, an audio punch in the face with crisp drums and heavy riffs, accented by Randy Blythe's throat-searing vocals.
“Ghost Walking” starts with acoustic guitars, but quickly shifts into a potent groove. There's not a lot of letup in the intensity of the album, with riff after neck-snapping riff. Songs like “Guilty” barrel along at top speed, periodically slow down, then launch back into warp drive. Lamb Of God works in plenty of melody as well, especially on the anthemic “The Undertow,” one of my favorite tracks on the album.
When it comes to musicianship, Lamb Of God is a well-oiled machine. Drummer Chris Adler is extremely creative, and the guitar work of Mark Morton and Willie Adler is taken to an even higher level. Bassist John Campbell is not the most high-profile member of the band, but songs like “Terminally Unique” showcase his chops.
When a band has developed a distinctive style, there's a risk of everything sounding too similar. Lamb Of God definitely sticks to their sound on Resolution, but expand their sonic palette to avoid that pitfall. From brief (sort of) melodic singing on “The Number Six” to actual melodic singing on “Insurrection” to strings and female vocals on “King Me,” the band continues to push their boundaries while being true to their core sound.
The CD does seem a bit long, clocking in at 56 minutes. That's about 10 minutes longer than their last couple of albums, and some streamlining would have made things a little tighter. That being said, Lamb Of God fans will enjoy Resolution, which is packed with memorable riffs and melodies and a few surprises.
(released January 24, 2012 on Epic Records)
