Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe says the band’s upcoming, self-titled studio album takes its inspiration from the current political climate in the US.
The follow-up to 2015’s VII: Sturm und Drang is set for release on May 8 through Nuclear Blast, with the band sharing the first material from the record last week in the shape of Checkmate.
Speaking with Kerrang, Blythe says of Checkmate: “It’s the most on the nose politically, but this whole record is political. There’s not a single song about an individual.
“When we had US President George W. Bush during the Ashes Of The Wake era, he was a whole lot easier to write specifics about because we had the war in Iraq and the mythical weapons of mass destruction. But right now, the political world everywhere looks like Peewee Herman’s playhouse.”
Blythe adds: “They are two sides of the same coin. Civility and discourse is at an all time low, and that’s because people view political parties now not for their policies, but they support these different parties like sports teams. The lyrics reflect that. The system is a fucking fraud.”
The self-titled record will feature 10 songs produced by Josh Wilbur and includes appearances from Testament vocalist Chuck Billy and Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta.
The record will also be Lamb Of God’s first with drummer Art Cruz, who has replaced Chris Adler, with guitarist Mark Morton previously praising Cruz for bringing “a whole fresh new energy” into the band.
Lamb Of God will return to the UK in April for a handful of shows with Kreator and Power Trip.
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
