Ozzy Osbourne will release his latest album this fall, and in anticipation has debuted the album’s lead single and its companion video.
Osbourne is scheduled to release his new album, Patient Number 9 Sept. 9 through Epic Records. In anticipation of the record’s release, he debuted the album’s lead single/title track and its companion video Friday.
The album’s track listing is noted below.
PATIENT NUMBER 9 track listing:
1. Patient Number 9 (feat. Jeff Beck)
2. Immortal (feat. Mike McCready)
3. Parasite (feat. Zakk Wylde)
4. Mr. Darkness (feat. Zakk Wylde)
5. One of Those Days (feat. Eric Clapton)
6. A Thousand Shades (feat. Jeff Beck)
7. No Escape From Now (feat. Tony Iommi)
8. Nothing Feels Right (feat. Zakk Wylde)
9. Evil Shuffle (feat. Zakk Wylde)
10. Degradation Rules (feat. Tony Iommi)
11. Dead and Gone
12. God Only Knows
13. Darkside Blues
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Patient Number 9’ is an interesting composition. The majority of its body is a melodic, radio ready rock song. However, the song’s bridge presents a distinct blues-infused sound and style, which makes for an interesting contrast to that main body. The whole is an engaging and entertaining composition.
When asked recently about the song’s lyrical theme during an interview, Ozzy simply said the song is about a mental institution.
The video for Osbourne’s new single was directed by famed animator Todd McFarlane, who has drawn for the likes of Marvel and Image Comics. The animated portions of the song feature decidedly psychedelic elements, which clearly play into the overall theme of a mental institution. The live segments at times feature Ozzy singing his new single in what is meant to look like an institution.
More information on Ozzy Osbourne’s new album, single, and video is available along with all of his latest news at:
Lamb of God is marking the 15th anniversary of the release of its 2006 album Sacrament this week with the re-issue of the album Friday. The slightly expanded package is an intriguing presentation, especially considering the accolades that the original album garnered for itself and the band. The original album debuted at #8 and sold 65,000 copies in its first week and eventually went on to be certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Additionally, the album’s single, ‘Redneck’ earned the band its first ever Grammy nomination, in this case in the category of “Best Metal Performance.” Considering all of those positives and items compared between the original album and re-issue, this latest presentation of Sacrament really sadly does not fully live up to the legacy of the original album.
Lamb of God’s new 15th anniversary edition of its 2006 album Sacrament is sadly a presentation that simply does not live up to the legacy created by the album upon its original release. One of the reasons that it comes up short is the “Making of” documentary that comes with the presentation. For those who might be unaware, the almost 90-minute documentary (one hour, 25 minutes speaking more specifically) was also featured in the “Walk With Me in Hell” DVD in the deluxe expanded edition of the album in the record’s original release. The documentary is engaging and entertaining. There is no denying that. It highlights the album really as a turning point in the band’s career. The humility and dedication that the band showed throughout it all is truly inspiring. However, that the original deluxe edition of Sacrament is still available today through many major retailers leaves on scratching one’s head as to the inclusion here. Yes, it is positive in that audiences received the documentary again as part of the album’s release, but at the same time, again, the reality is that it is not really anything new. To that end, the documentary’s presentation here is not necessarily an overwhelmingly major reason to purchase this re-issue regardless of whether they already own the album from its original release.
Another concern from this new re-issue of Sacrament is the “bonus” live content that is featured as part of the record. The re-issue features three songs that were originally recorded Feb. 14, 2020 at Lamb of God’s performance at House of Vans in Chicago, IL. The performance was the band’s only live, in-person performance of 2020. The thing is that the set featured a total of 13 songs. The performance clearly deserves the title, “career-spanning,” as its set list pulled from all but two of the band’s eight total albums. The only albums not represented in the performance are the band’s 2000 debut, New American Gospel and its 2015 album, VII: Sturm Und Drang. Keeping that in mind, that this re-issue features only three of that show’s songs is really a disservice to audiences. This is proven even more in that early this year, the band featured its full 2020 livestream in its re-issue of its latest album, Lamb of God (2020). It makes curious why the band did not just go the same route here with the Feb. 14, 2020 show instead of just teasing audiences with three live songs. Had that full House of Vans show been featured as a bonus DVD/BD, then that really would have been a saving grace. Sadly though, that just was not to be here.
Rounding out the most concerning aspects of this new re-issue is the fact that its release is solely digital for now. That means that audiences who may actually want this re-issue will have to find it online. This is a disservice to audiences and the band alike. That is because despite the continued push to make all things digital, there are still those audiences who have common sense and realize the importance of all things physical. Yes, a vinyl release is planned for the early portion of 2022, but for now, audiences who might actually want this re-issue even with all of its concerns, will have to purchase it online instead of in person. Keeping this in mind along with the other concerns addressed here, the 15th anniversary edition of Sacrament really proves to be anything but a tribute to this key addition to Lamb of God’s catalog or to the band’s legacy.
Lamb of God’s new 15th anniversary re-issue of Sacrament is a surprisingly disappointing update on the album that was already iconic upon its original release. It really is a disservice to the band’s legacy and that of the album. That is proven in part through the album’s “Making of” documentary. The documentary in question was already featured in the deluxe edition of the album upon its original release. That original release is still widely available today among most major retailers. The “bonus” live tracks are really not bonuses at all. They are only a tiny fraction of the Feb. 14, 2020 show that the band played at House of Vans in Chicago, IL. Considering that the band already released its entire first livestream of 2020 in its recent re-issue of its 2020 self-titled album, this becomes even more problematic. That this re-issue is currently available exclusively as a digital download only serves to see the band shoot itself in the foot even more. Each item examined is critical in its own way to the whole of the re-issue’s presentation. All things considered, they make this re-issue a largely forgettable offering from one of the leaders of the current age of metal. The re-issue is available now.
More information on Lamb of God’s Sacrament re-issue, upcoming live dates, and news and more is available online now at:
Lamb of God is taking audiences behind the scenes of the video for its single, ‘Redneck.’
The single is featured in the band’s 2006 album, Sacrament, which is scheduled for re-issue digitally Friday through Epic Records. The album’s re-issue is meant to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the album’s release. The behind the scenes video for the ‘Redneck’ video is streaming here.
The re-issue will feature three previously unreleased live tracks along with the original album’s presentation. The songs were recorded at the band’s 2020 performance at the House of Vans Chicago, which was the band’s only live show from 2020. The re-issue’s full track listing is noted below.
Sacrament (15th Anniversary) track listing:
1. Walk with Me in Hell
2. Again We Rise
3. Redneck
4. Pathetic
5. Foot to the Throat
6. Descending
7. Blacken the Cursed Sun
8. Forgotten (Lost Angels)
9. Requiem
10. More Time to Kill
11. Beating on Death’s Door
12. Walk with Me in Hell (Live from House of Vans Chicago)*
13. Redneck (Live from House of Vans Chicago)*
14. Descending (Live from House of Vans Chicago)*
*Previously unavailable on DSPs
In related news, Lamb of God will premiere its documentary, Walk With Me in Hell alongside the album’s re-issue. The presentation is a documentary that follows the band as it made Sacrament. A trailer for the documentary is streaming here.
Courtesy: Death By Toys
In other news, Lamb of God has partnered with Death By Toys to release an action figure of front man Randy Blythe. The figure presents Blythe as he appeared in the ‘Redneck’ video complete with shaved head and accompanying party favors. The action figure is a nod to the Sacrament cover art. Loudwire is holding a contest that will award one lucky fan their own free Randy Blythe action figure.
Death By Toys Owner Dan Polydoris was upbeat as he talked about making the action figure.
“This was a really fun project for me, and working with the band was such a privilege,” he said. “The black/purple design of the album cover is so iconic and has such a distinct feel that I definitely wanted to use it for the cardback. The birthday party from the music video is so ridiculous and over-the-top, and I wanted to capture a little of that in this toy (without getting in the way of the Randy figure). So I included a bunch of birthday party stuff as tiny accessories for him. Plus, the Happy Birthday sign is actually made from a screenshot of the music video.”
In even more news,
Lamb of God is scheduled to tour with Megadeth, Hatebreed, and Trivium. The bands’ tour schedule is noted below.
Megadeth and Lamb of God 2021 North American Tour Dates:
Fri Aug 20 Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Sat Aug 21 Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Sun Aug 22 Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
Tue Aug 24 El Paso, TX – Don Haskins Center
Wed Aug 25 Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Fri Aug 27 Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Sun Aug 29 Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theatre
Tue Aug 31 Reno, NV – Reno Events Center
Wed Sep 01 Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre
Thu Sep 02 Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion***
Sat Sep 04 Portland, OR – Moda Center
Sun Sep 05 Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre***
Thu Sep 09 Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago***
Sat Sep 11 Danville, VA – Blue Ridge Festival*
Sun Sep 12 Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Mon Sep 13 Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion
Wed Sep 15 Camden, NJ – B&T Pavilion***
Thu Sep 16 Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center***
Sat Sep 18 Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center***
Sun Sep 19 Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre***
Mon Sep 20 Cincinnati, ON – PNC Pavilion
Wed Sep 22 Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP***
Fri Sep 24 Mount Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino Amphitheatre
Sat Sep 25 Indianola, IA – Knotfest Iowa**
Sun Sep 26 St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis***
Tue Sep 28 Minneapolis, MN – Armory
Thu Sep 30 Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Fri Oct 01 Laval, QC – Place Bell
Sat Oct 02 Quebec City, QC – Centre Videotron
*Festival Date featuring all 4 bands.
**Festival Date, Knotfest Iowa does not include Hatebreed
More information on Lamb of God’s Sacrament re-issue, upcoming live dates, and news and more is available online now at:
Lamb of God’s 2006 album Sacrament will see the light of day again next week.
The band is scheduled to re-issue the album digitally Aug. 20. The band made the announcement through a press release distributed Thursday. The document adds that a vinyl pressing will come in 2022, with an exact release date under consideration. According to the press release, the re-issue is meant to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Sacrament‘s original release.
The re-issue will feature three previously unreleased live tracks along with the original album’s presentation. The songs were recorded at the band’s 2020 performance at the House of Vans Chicago, which was the band’s only live show from 2020. The re-issue’s full track listing is noted below.
Sacrament (15th Anniversary) track listing:
1. Walk with Me in Hell
2. Again We Rise
3. Redneck
4. Pathetic
5. Foot to the Throat
6. Descending
7. Blacken the Cursed Sun
8. Forgotten (Lost Angels)
9. Requiem
10. More Time to Kill
11. Beating on Death’s Door
12. Walk with Me in Hell (Live from House of Vans Chicago)*
13. Redneck (Live from House of Vans Chicago)*
14. Descending (Live from House of Vans Chicago)*
*Previously unavailable on DSPs
In related news, Lamb of God will premiere its documentary, Walk With Me in Hell alongside the album’s re-issue. The presentation is a documentary that follows the band as it made Sacrament. A trailer for the documentary is streaming here.
Sacrament debuted at #8 upon its original release Aug. 22, 2006. It sold approximately 65,000 copies in its first week. The album’s single, ‘Redneck‘ earned the band a Grammy nomination in the “Best Metal Performance” category. It was the band’s first-ever Grammy nomination. Additionally, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in September 2019.
In other news, Lamb of God is scheduled to tour with Megadeth, Hatebreed, and Trivium. The bands’ tour schedule is noted below.
Megadeth and Lamb of God 2021 North American Tour Dates:
Fri Aug 20 Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Sat Aug 21 Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Sun Aug 22 Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
Tue Aug 24 El Paso, TX – Don Haskins Center
Wed Aug 25 Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Fri Aug 27 Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Sun Aug 29 Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theatre
Tue Aug 31 Reno, NV – Reno Events Center
Wed Sep 01 Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre
Thu Sep 02 Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion***
Sat Sep 04 Portland, OR – Moda Center
Sun Sep 05 Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre***
Thu Sep 09 Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago***
Sat Sep 11 Danville, VA – Blue Ridge Festival*
Sun Sep 12 Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Mon Sep 13 Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion
Wed Sep 15 Camden, NJ – B&T Pavilion***
Thu Sep 16 Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center***
Sat Sep 18 Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center***
Sun Sep 19 Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre***
Mon Sep 20 Cincinnati, ON – PNC Pavilion
Wed Sep 22 Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP***
Fri Sep 24 Mount Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino Amphitheatre
Sat Sep 25 Indianola, IA – Knotfest Iowa**
Sun Sep 26 St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis***
Tue Sep 28 Minneapolis, MN – Armory
Thu Sep 30 Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Fri Oct 01 Laval, QC – Place Bell
Sat Oct 02 Quebec City, QC – Centre Videotron
*Festival Date featuring all 4 bands.
**Festival Date, Knotfest Iowa does not include Hatebreed
More information on Lamb of God’s Sacrament re-issue, upcoming live dates, and news and more is available online now at:
Lamb of God debuted the live clip for its song, ‘Resurrection Man‘ this week.
The band debuted the clip Wednesday. It is taken from the DVD featured with the new Deluxe edition of the band’s self-titled album. That album was released in 2020 while the new Deluxe Edition was released March 26.
Guitarist Mark Morton talked about the band’s new clip during a recent interview.
“‘Resurrection Man’ has been a fun song to watch the fan reaction to and a fun one to play live for the first time,” said Morton. “We wrote the music for that song quickly and spontaneously in pretty much an afternoon in our jam room. [Guitarist] Willie [Adler] freestyled the opening riff and we built from there. Sometimes it’s cool to just let stuff flow without overthinking things to death. I feel like ‘Resurrection Man’ is a great example of that.”
Lamb of God’s ‘Resurrection Man’ clip is just the latest visual presentation to come from Lamb of God Deluxe Edition. The band most recently unveiled the lyric video for its song, ‘Hyperthermic/Accelerate.’ The song is one of two bonus tracks featured in the album’s expanded presentation. The album’s other bonus track is ‘Ghost Shaped People.’
The complete track listing for Lamb Of God Deluxe Edition is:
Disc 1
Lamb Of God Original Album + 2 Bonus Tracks
1. Memento Mori
2. Checkmate
3. Gears
4. Reality Bath
5. New Colossal Hate
6. Resurrection Man
7. Poison Dream feat. Jamey Jasta
8. Routes feat. Chuck Billy
9. Bloodshot Eyes
10. On The Hook
11. Ghost Shaped People
12. Hyperthermic/Accelerate
Disc 2
Lamb Of God – Live From Richmond, VA
1. Memento Mori (Live)
2. Checkmate (Live)
3. Gears (Live)
4. Reality Bath (Live)
5. New Colossal Hate (Live)
6. Resurrection Man (Live)
7. Poison Dream (Live)
8. Routes (Live)
9. Bloodshot Eyes (Live)
10. On The Hook (Live)
11. Contractor (Live)
12. Ruin (Live)
13. The Death of Us (Live)
14. 512
Disc 3
Lamb Of God – Live From Richmond, VA DVD
1. Memento Mori
2. Checkmate
3. Gears
4. Reality Bath
5. New Colossal Hate
6. Resurrection Man
7. Poison Dream1.
8. Routes
9. Bloodshot Eyes
10. On The Hook
11. Contractor
12. Ruin
13. The Death of Us
14. 512
Digital copies will contain only Disc 1 and Disc 2.
Lamb Of God – Live From Richmond, VA vinyl track listing:
Side 1
1. Memento Mori
2. Checkmate
3. Gears
4. Reality Bath
5. New Colossal Hate
Side 2
1. Resurrection Man
2. Poison Dream
3. Routes
4. Bloodshot Eyes
5. On The Hook
In related news, Lamb of God’s tour with Megadeth is scheduled to launch in July following delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Trivium and In Flames are scheduled to provide support throughout the tour. The UK leg of Lamb of God’s tour with Kreator will tentatively follow in November and December. Tickets for each tour are available here.
More information on Lamb of God’s new singles, album, upcoming live dates, news and more is available online now at:
Lamb of God’s latest album is getting new life. The band re-issued its self-titled 2020 album Friday with a rather rich amount of extra content, the most notable of which being the bonus recording of its first livestream of 2020, which it recorded last year from its hometown of Richmond, VA. While the bonus livestream recording is itself a positive for this re-issue, the limitation in its availability proves problematic to the overall presentation. Luckily though, it is not enough to make the re-issue in whole a failure, even with the concerns that it raises. Keeping that in mind, the re-issue does have one more positive in the form of the two bonus songs featured in the main disc. They add a little more to the appeal in the recording’s presentation. When they are considered along with the full bonus livestream recording, that whole makes this re-issue a mostly successful presentation.
Lamb of God’s newly released re-issue of its self-titled 2020 album is a presentation that the band’s audiences will find interesting. That is due in large part to the bonus recording of its first livestream concert from 2020. The recording in question features a full performance of that latest of the band’s studio recordings and a handful of encores. The encores in question – ‘Contractor,’ ‘Wrath,’ ‘Death of Us,’ and ‘512’ – reach back into the band’s catalog. Represented through these songs are the band’s 2009 album, Wrath, its 2003 album, As The Palaces Burn (which is itself still considered a key album in the band’s evolution), and its 2015 album VII: Sturm Und Drang. ‘Death of Us’ is featured in the soundtrack to the 2020 movie Bill & Ted Face The Music, so that in itself is a special bonus for Lamb of God fans who otherwise might have opted to avoid that otherwise forgettable flick. When it is joined with the other encores – and even the rest of the performance – the performance in whole gives audiences plenty to appreciate. In short, they get the band’s latest album in its studio and live setting in one package along with some encores that pull from some of the band’s older, more recent, and new releases. That in itself forms a solid foundation for the recording’s bonus content. While the concert itself will appeal to audiences, the big problem with the recording is the limitation in its presentation.
The bonus concert featured with Lamb of God’s Deluxe Edition re-issue is featured in the re-issue’s physical and digital platforms. However, the full audio-visual presentation is available exclusively along with the audio-only presentation in the re-issue’s physical platform. Meanwhile, the album’s digital release offers the livestream recording only in audio format. There is nothing wrong at all with doing everything possible to promote the physical object against the digital. At the same time though, there just are those audiences who refuse to see the light about the importance of the physical object. Those people are very likely going to feel that by limiting the availability of the recording’s presentation across platforms, it might actually discourage them from buying the re-issue on either platform. Concerts are meant to be enjoyed fully, after all, not just heard. So by presenting the full concert experience for one group of audiences but not the other is going to leave some audiences unhappy. It is a disservice that Epic Records and Lamb of God are doing not only to the audiences, but also to themselves. Luckily, it is not enough to make the recording (including the original album with its two bonus tracks) a failure. The two bonus songs that accompany the album’s main disc work with the bonus livestream recording to add to the recording’s appeal.
The two bonus songs featured in Lamb of God’s main album are ‘Ghost Shaped People’ and ‘Hyperthermic/Accelerate.’ The song’s musical arrangement is a blistering, guitar-driven track that will appeal to longtime Lamb of God fans. The heavy, up-tempo rocker is a fiery work whose energy and overall sound will keep listeners engaged and entertained. According to information about the song, its lyrical theme is meant to discuss the topic of someone entering the afterlife. That in itself breaks somewhat from the band’s trend of tackling hot button socio-political concerns through the rest of the album and its existing albums.
‘Hyperthermic/Accelerate’ is another familiar work in terms of its musical arrangement. The guitar arrangement pairs with the vocals and drums to take listeners back to the days of As The Palaces Burn. The fire in the song’s musical arrangement pairs well with the song’s lyrical content, which seems to deliver a commentary about mankind bringing hisown downfall. That is of course just this critic’s own interpretation. As nihilistic as the seeming message is, it hits hard and is certain to resonate with listeners, especially when it is paired, again, with the song’s powerful musical arrangement. When this song and ‘Ghost Shaped People’ are considered along with the bonus performance of ‘Death Of Us’ in the bonus livestream recording and the whole of that recording, those elements collectively make Lamb of God’s new re-issue of its latest album a mostly successful presentation.
Lamb of God’s new re-issue of its self-titled 2020 album is a presentation that audiences will find for the most part, a positive new offering from the veteran metal band. That is due in large part to the bonus recording of the band’s first 2020 livestream featured with the re-issue. The recording offers plenty to appreciate, presenting audiences with the band’s latest album at least semi-live in its entirety. It is accompanied by some of the band’s older material and one new song that until now was only available on the soundtrack to Bill & Ted Face the Music. So that old and new, along with the noted bonus track gives audiences much to enjoy. As much as the content does to make the livestream recording appealing, the limitation in its availability no doubt detracts from that appeal to a point. However, it is not enough to make this re-issue a failure. The two bonus songs included with the main album add their own appeal to the presentation. Regardless of whether they were songs that ended up on the cutting room floor from the Lamb of God sessions, they are still their own positive addition thanks to their musical and lyrical content. When they are considered with the overall content featured in the livestream recording, the two items collectively still give the re-issue a presentation that is at least somewhat of an improvement on the original album. Lamb of God Deluxe Edition is available now.
More information on Lamb of God’s new album, its new album, single, news and more is available online now at:
Lamb of God kicked off the weekend by debuting a new music video.
The band debuted the video for its single ‘Ghost Shaped People‘ Friday. The song is featured in the forthcoming re-issue of the band’s 2020 self-titled album, which is scheduled for release March 26 through Epic Records.
The video for LOG’s new single is a full black and white presentation. It features a large screen set atop a large mound that is set against what looks like a post-apocalyptic setting. According to information provided about the video, the additional imagery used in the video is meant to tell the story of a man’s journey into the afterlife.
‘Ghost Shaped People’ is available to stream through a variety of outlets. The song’s musical arrangement is a blistering, guitar-driven track that will appeal to longtime Lamb of God fans while its companion lyrical content comes across as a statement about human nature. Front man Randy Blythe even asks in the song’s chorus, “How far are you willing to go/What is the cost of victory.”
The expanded packaging for LOG’s self-titled re-issue will feature the band’s original album along with two additional discs, one of which will feature the full audio of the band’s first livestream of 2020. That performance featured Lamb of God performing its latest album in whole along with four encores, ‘Ruin,’ ‘Contractor,’ ‘512’ and its brand new song ‘The Death of Us.’ The song in question was crafted for the soundtrack to the movie Bill & Ted Face the Music.
The second bonus disc featured in the forthcoming re-issue is a DVD that contains the full audio-visual presentation of the band’s noted livestream concert. It should be noted that the DVD will only be available with the re-issue’s physical releases and not digital. A trailer for the DVD and overall re-issue is streaming here.
‘Ghost Shaped People’ is just one of the bonus tracks featured in the new re-issue of Lamb of God. Along with that song, the re-issue also features the bonus track ‘Hyperthermic/Accelerate.’
Pre-orders for Lamb of God’s forthcoming re-issue are open. The record’s track listing for each of its platforms is noted below.
The complete track listing for Lamb Of God Deluxe Edition is:
Disc 1
Lamb Of God Original Album + 2 Bonus Tracks
1. Memento Mori
2. Checkmate
3. Gears
4. Reality Bath
5. New Colossal Hate
6. Resurrection Man
7. Poison Dream feat. Jamey Jasta
8. Routes feat. Chuck Billy
9. Bloodshot Eyes
10. On The Hook
11. Ghost Shaped People
12. Hyperthermic/Accelerate
Disc 2
Lamb Of God – Live From Richmond, VA
1. Memento Mori (Live)
2. Checkmate (Live)
3. Gears (Live)
4. Reality Bath (Live)
5. New Colossal Hate (Live)
6. Resurrection Man (Live)
7. Poison Dream (Live)
8. Routes (Live)
9. Bloodshot Eyes (Live)
10. On The Hook (Live)
11. Contractor (Live)
12. Ruin (Live)
13. The Death of Us (Live)
14. 512
Disc 3
Lamb Of God – Live From Richmond, VA DVD
1. Memento Mori
2. Checkmate
3. Gears
4. Reality Bath
5. New Colossal Hate
6. Resurrection Man
7. Poison Dream1.
8. Routes
9. Bloodshot Eyes
10. On The Hook
11. Contractor
12. Ruin
13. The Death of Us
14. 512
Digital copies will contain only Disc 1 and Disc 2.
Lamb Of God – Live From Richmond, VA vinyl track listing:
Side 1
1. Memento Mori
2. Checkmate
3. Gears
4. Reality Bath
5. New Colossal Hate
Side 2
1. Resurrection Man
2. Poison Dream
3. Routes
4. Bloodshot Eyes
5. On The Hook
In related news, Lamb of God’s tour with Megadeth is scheduled to launch in July following delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Trivium and In Flames are scheduled to provide support throughout the tour. The UK leg of Lamb of God’s tour with Kreator will tentatively follow in November and December. Tickets for each tour are available here.
More information on Lamb of God’s new singles, album, upcoming live dates, news and more is available online now at:
Lamb of God will re-issue its 2020 self-titled album in an expanded package next month.
The band made the announcement Friday. The re-issue is scheduled for release March 26 through Epic Records, which has also released many of the band’s albums, reaching all the way back to the band’s landmark 2004 album Ashes of the Wake.
The expanded packaging will feature the band’s original album along with two additional discs, one of which will feature the full audio of the band’s first livestream of 2020. That performance featured Lamb of God performing its latest album in whole along with four encores, ‘Ruin,’ ‘Contractor,’ ‘512’ and its brand new song ‘The Death of Us.’ The song in question was crafted for the soundtrack to the movie Bill & Ted Face the Music.
The second bonus disc featured in the forthcoming re-issue is a DVD that contains the full audio-visual presentation of the band’s noted livestream concert. It should be noted that the DVD will only be available with the re-issue’s physical releases and not digital. A trailer for the DVD and overall re-issue is streaming here.
Along with all of the noted content, the re-issue also features two bonus tracks titled ‘Ghost Shaped People’ and ‘Hyperthermic/Accelerate.’ ‘Ghost Shaped People’ is available to stream through a variety of outlets. The song’s musical arrangement is a blistering, guitar-driven track that will appeal to longtime Lamb of God fans while its companion lyrical content comes across as a statement about human nature. Front man Randy Blythe even asks in the song’s chorus, “How far are you willing to go/What is the cost of victory.”
Pre-orders for Lamb of God’s forthcoming re-issue are open. The record’s track listing for each of its platforms is noted below.
The complete track listing for Lamb Of God Deluxe Edition is:
Disc 1
Lamb Of God Original Album + 2 Bonus Tracks
1. Memento Mori
2. Checkmate
3. Gears
4. Reality Bath
5. New Colossal Hate
6. Resurrection Man
7. Poison Dream feat. Jamey Jasta
8. Routes feat. Chuck Billy
9. Bloodshot Eyes
10. On The Hook
11. Ghost Shaped People
12. Hyperthermic/Accelerate
Disc 2
Lamb Of God – Live From Richmond, VA
1. Memento Mori (Live)
2. Checkmate (Live)
3. Gears (Live)
4. Reality Bath (Live)
5. New Colossal Hate (Live)
6. Resurrection Man (Live)
7. Poison Dream (Live)
8. Routes (Live)
9. Bloodshot Eyes (Live)
10. On The Hook (Live)
11. Contractor (Live)
12. Ruin (Live)
13. The Death of Us (Live)
14. 512
Disc 3
Lamb Of God – Live From Richmond, VA DVD
1. Memento Mori
2. Checkmate
3. Gears
4. Reality Bath
5. New Colossal Hate
6. Resurrection Man
7. Poison Dream1.
8. Routes
9. Bloodshot Eyes
10. On The Hook
11. Contractor
12. Ruin
13. The Death of Us
14. 512
Digital copies will contain only Disc 1 and Disc 2.
Lamb Of God – Live From Richmond, VA vinyl track listing:
Side 1
1. Memento Mori
2. Checkmate
3. Gears
4. Reality Bath
5. New Colossal Hate
Side 2
1. Resurrection Man
2. Poison Dream
3. Routes
4. Bloodshot Eyes
5. On The Hook
In related news, Lamb of God’s tour with Megadeth is scheduled to launch in July following delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Trivium and In Flames are scheduled to provide support throughout the tour. The UK leg of Lamb of God’s tour with Kreator will tentatively follow in November and December. Tickets for each tour are available here.
More information on Lamb of God’s new singles, album, upcoming live dates, news and more is available online now at:
The band has partnered with Charlotte, NC-based Nightflyer Roastworks to create its new “Memento Mori” coffee line. The blend’s name is taken from a song featured in the band’s recently released self-titled album.
Nightflyer Roastworks is owned by Between The Buried and Me guitarist Paul Waggoner.
More information on Lamb of God’s new album, its new album, single, news and more is available online now at:
Black Eyed Peas released its latest album Translation Friday, and sadly, the news is not good. The trio’s eighth full-length studio recording, it is the group’s lowest point to date. That is due in large part to the record’s musical content. This will be discussed shortly, as it is both good and bad. The lyrical content (or relative lack thereof) plays into that, too. The album’s sequencing rounds out the most important of its elements. It is perhaps the only real positive of the whole presentation. Of course even that is a bit of a stretch. Each noted item is important in its own weird way to the whole of this album. All things considered, they make this album the absolute lowest point for Black Eyed Peas.
Black Eyed Peas latest album Translation is the least memorable of any of its studio recordings to date. Coming less than two years after the trio — will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo – released its seventh album Masters of the Sun Vol. 1, the 17-song record (this version came from Target with two remixes of the album’s song ‘Ritmo’), it is the group’s lowest point so far in its life. That is due in large part to its musical arrangements. Whereas the arrangements featured in Masters of the Sun Vol. 1 took the group back to its high points in its 1998 debut album Behind The Front and its 2000 follow-up Bridging The Gap, this record is more akin to the sounds produced in its more mainstream records Elephunk, Monkey Business and The E.N.D. and its follow-up The Beginning. Even taking the sound featured in those records into consideration here, this record’s arrangements does bear some semblance to said works, but in the case of this record, the arrangements are even more poppy than ever. Rather than actually having any real substance per se, this record’s arrangements are mostly just that, instrumentals that are more a fit for clubs than for radio. The music from the group’s other mainstream pop records meanwhile at least gave those works something onto which Top 40 pop programmers could latch. Music, such as that which is used in clubs does not necessarily require a lot of thought, but rather a steady beat and some keyboards and electronics. It does not even require any real lyrical content. This is another problem with this record.
Considering that Translation is composed largely of instrumentals that are more useful in the clubs than on the radio or even in people’s stereos (or computers, smartphones, what have you), it leaves little use for lyrical content. Given, there is some lyrical content here, but it is limited. Most of the record’s lyrical content is anything but impacting or even memorable. Case in point is the presentation of ‘Mabuti.’ This song presents another infectious club groove, and its lyrical content goes right along with that arrangement. It finds the group going on about seeing a woman dancing, going so far as to tell the woman, “I like the way you shake it/baby, if you hot/Why don’t you go ahead, get naked/Wiggle it/I like the way you jiggle.” That is not exactly the most enlightening or engaging lyrical content.
While the record’s lyrical content is largely less than hard-hitting or even memorable, there is at least a small amount of content that does help the record. The only truly notable lyrical moment in this LP comes in the standard album’s closer, ‘News Today.’ The light, guitar-driven song addresses everything going on in the world today, from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak to the political issues caused by Donald Trump. The song notes in its lead verse, “Did you watch the news today/Did you hear what they say/1,000 more people passed away/Ah, naw/Somebody tell me what’s going on/New York, New York/Big city of dreams/There’s a nightmare going down from the brox to Queens and everywhere in-between/We’re fighting something we can’t even see/There’s n invisible enemy/Just knocked out Italy/Keep the mask on/’Cause if you caught/They gonna look at you like you did a felony/And in theory can’t hug nobody/Not until we find a remedy/So we pray for Spain, France and the U.K./China and U.S.A./I pray we gonna be okay/Pray for the grandmas and grandpas/So they can live to see another day.” From there, the song mentions people believing “the news is fake” and being told to “inject yourself with bleach.” In other words, there is even mention of the damage that Donald Trump has done to the nation and world. It is really the album’s only really thoughtful lyrical content. To a point, one can compare this song to Buffalo Springfield’s timeless song, ‘For What It’s Worth’ both in terms of its musical arrangement and its lyrical content. It’s only one of the rare moments that stands out in this record because of its lyrical content. The only other rare moment that stands out because of its lyrics comes late in the record’s run in the form of ‘Todo Bueno.’
Will.i.am stresses in ‘Todo Bueno’ that “even when I’m going through some really hard changes/You gonna hear me explainin’/That the life’s amazing, oh yeah/So don’t stop me if I’m dreaming/’cause I’m just over here, living my dream/I’m gonna keep believin’/even if nobody believes me/Keep collaborating ‘till my life is supreme.” This is really the only lyrical content in this record that can be considered impacting at all. That is because it is positive and uplifting. The other rare lyrical content is not exactly in-depth or thought provoking. This is important to note because as with the group’s first two records and this record’s predecessor, the lyrics in said albums actually had substance. They had a lot of social commentary and thoughtful insights in each case. That just is not the case here. Simply put, the lyrical content, or lack thereof here makes the record that much more of a step down for this once great act. It’s like lyrically, the group has just completely phoned it in here, which is so disappointing.
For all of the negatives that weigh down Translation, it does have at least one positive – its sequencing. From the beginning to the end of its 64-minute run time (again, this Target-bought copy is longer than the standard edition because it has two remixes), the record does manage to at least keep the energy flowing from one song to the next. Every arrangement featured in this album is a mid-tempo, 2/4 time composition with its own keyboard-driven arrangement that rests on its own merits even despite the steady beat. In other words, while the arrangements are stylistically similar from one to the next, the overall sound does change albeit slightly at best while the energy in each arrangement remains stable throughout. The result is an overall album that will appeal to fans of club-style songs, but few others. To that end, audiences in general will find this album worth at least maybe one listen, but sadly not much more than that.
Black Eyed Peas’ eighth full-length studio recording Translation is a troublesome release for a trio that so many years ago was such a notable group. It is a work that shows how far the group has fallen from its early days when it was actually a noteworthy hip-hop group. In place of the once memorable social commentaries of its first two albums are songs that lyrically are mostly simple, dumbed down works about dancing. Yes, there is a tiny amount of more thoughtful material here, but that content is rare. The record’s musical content is just as simple in comparison to the group’s earliest works and even the work that it produced in its other, more mainstream records. These arrangements are, from one to the next, largely similar, steady 2/4 time works that bear little variance from one to the next. The only positive here is the record’s sequencing, which keeps the energy in those simple dance-style arrangements stable from one to the next. There just is not a lot here to make this record memorable or even notable. To that end, it is the band’s lowest point so far and is worth hearing one time at the most. The album is available now. More information on Black Eyed Peas’ new album is available along with all of the group’s latest news at:
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