Lamb Of God have released a video for their new single Memento Mori.
It’s the opening track from the band’s upcoming self-titled studio album, which is ready to launch on May 8.
Frontman Randy Blythe says: “There is a vast amount of indisputably real and depressingly negative occurrences happening across the globe. Currently, at the forefront of everyone’s mind is the global COVID-19 pandemic.
"This is a very real concern, and proper precautions need to be taken by everyone in order to protect those most at risk – the elderly, infirm, and immunocompromised.
“It is indeed a scary time, but in this hyper-connected age with its 24/7 never-ending news cycle of atrocity, outrage, and lurid click-bait headlines – not to mention ill-informed lunatics running amok and spreading misinformation and panic on social media – it is all too easy to lose sight of the fact that life is still carrying on, and good things do in fact still happen.”
Blythe says that he wrote Memento Mori months before the coronavirus outbreak as a reminder to himself not to be consumed by “the omnipresent electronic harbingers of doom that surround us – cellphones, computers, and television screens.”
He continues: “While these devices can be useful tools, and it is important to stay informed, it is equally important to remain engaged with the real, physical world we with live in, not just digitally filtered representations of reality.”
As for the video, Blythe says: “I wrote the narrative music video treatment a few months ago to illustrate how warped and myopic our mental states can become when we fail to remain engaged with that reality – if all you pay attention to is catastrophe, then soon you will begin to see monsters everywhere you look.
“The actual monsters we used in the video are Sinisteria, a local Richmond, Virginia haunted house/dark performance troupe I met on the street at our annual Krampus Nacht parade.
“Richmond has a strong tradition of loud music and weird costumed monsters working hand in hand to make salient points, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Music has always been there for me, raising my spirits during hard times, and it is my hope that this song’s positive message will do the same for fans of our music right now and beyond.
“The release date for the tune was set a good while ago, but the timing seems eerily prescient to me now. So enjoy the song and video, and then remember to step away from the screens for a bit - real life is waiting for you. We only get one shot, so don’t waste this day. Everyone be well, keep a cool head, take care of yourselves, and take care of each other.”
Last month, Lamb Of God released the first track from the new record in the shaper of Checkmate.
Lamb of God: Lamb Of God
1. Memento Mori
2. Checkmate
3. Gears
4. Reality Bath
5. New Colossal Hate
6. Resurrection Man
7. Poison Dream (with Jamey Jasta)
8. Routes (with Chuck Billy)
9. Bloodshot Eye
10. On The Hook
