Album Review: Lamb of God - Omens

Lamb of God are back and they’re angry; really angry. At the state of things, the state of the world and they’re not afraid to scream it in your face. Having dabbled in experimentation during their last few albums, the NWoAHM veterans have returned with their 9th studio album “Omens” and have stormed full speed ahead, straight for the jugular to present a spectacularly heavy record.

‘Nevermore‘ opens the album with a cacophony of riffage and thunderous drums supporting Randy Blythe‘s venomous spoken word introduction before descending into demonic screams. The track is both foreboding and wrathful with blistering riffs and a screaming solo. ‘Vanishing‘ doesn’t let up from the accelerator as it charges forward with a distant bell tolling in the background of fiery riffs. ‘To The Grave‘ is a head-banging, muscular, mid-tempo groove whereas ‘Ditch’ is a brutal assault picking up the pace once more.

‘Omens‘ is chant-worthy and aggressive, a classic Lamb of God track but in no way boring or predictable. This track is guaranteed to get the crowd screaming and headbanging in unison. ‘Gomorrah‘ is full of trepidation with Blythe screaming “everything is doomed to fail;” an atmospherically sinister track twisting and turning as it bombards you with blistering drums and chugging riffs. ‘III Designs‘ is a groove-laden, circle pit inducing performance with soaring solos and insane blastbeats.

‘Grayscale‘ begins the final section of the record and continues in the same blistering, chugging vein as the record surges on. ‘Denial Mechanism‘ is the shortest track on the record at just 2 minutes and 37 seconds long. It’s a frenzied attack showcasing the band at their old school best. Album closer ‘September Song‘ is the most surprising track of the record and demonstrates the band’s more creative side and their musical prowess. Emotive in nature but just as fiery as the rest of the record, it incorporates keyboards to create an alluring atmosphere, an epic soundscape twisting and turning with bursts of ferocious energy ending on crowd rousing chants and Blythe‘s demonic screams.

“Omens” was recorded the old-fashioned way with all members of the band together in the recording studio rather than remote work or file-sharing which a lot of bands had to accept during the Pandemic. It’s this kind of approach that really displays the raw energy present in the record. Incorporating their old school sound with a new lease of life with a few surprises here and there, Lamb of God are still here, still angry and still demolishing the heavy metal world.

Rating: 8.5/10

Released By: Nuclear Blast Records

Release Date: 7th October 2022

For Fans Of: Machine Head, Slayer,

Favourite Track(s): Nevermore, To The Grave, Ditch, Omens, September Song