Ashwin Chary February 5th, 2020 - 10:09 PM
After five gut-wrenching years, fans are finally at ease, as Lamb of God, the legends of creating insane headbanging worthy music, have released their first new original songin five years, “Checkmate”. Simultaneous to this release, the band has announced their new self-titled album, making it their eighth release.
Starting off with a tasty lick, and hype-building drums, “Checkmate” does not fail to impress. Their heavy riffs and screaming vocals perfectly blend with the bass and the fast drums.
The video to the song constant show churning gears, and a red sky. The fast-progressive riffs complement the buildup to the breakdown midway through the song. The blast beats following the break down makes it impossible to not head bang to the song.
As the song creeps to the end, a skull with horns is shown by gears, blended in the with hazy sand on the ground, the drums are pushing the suspense for the breakdown, as fingers are dancing along the fretboard, leading into one final breakdown. It’s safe to say this song definitely does not need more ‘cowbell.”
“‘Checkmate’ brings together all the components of the Lamb of God sound that we’ve been developing over the last two decades, but with the ambition and ferocity that comes with the start of a new chapter for our band,” said guitarist, Mark Morton. “Re-energized and reignited, this is LAMB OF GOD 2020. We’ve never been more excited.”
Lamb of God released their Legion:XX covers album in 2018, as Burn the Priest, the original name of the band. The album was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Lamb of God, featuring 10 cover songs from bands such as The Accused, Melvins, Bad Brains and more.
Lamb of God is set to kick off their 2020 European tour with Kreator and Power Trip, on Mar. 27, in Stockholm, SE, at the Fryshuset Arenan. The tour will conclude on Apr. 25, in London, UK, at the O2 Academy Brixton.
UPDATE (2/7): Lamb of God have premiered a new video for their song “Checkmate.” It’s a pretty no-frills affair, featuring steam-punk style gears and machinery framing shots of the band performing the brutal death metal track.
Photo Credit: Owen Ela
