Powerhouse musicians Lamb of God are gearing up to release their ninth studio album, ‘Omens’ set to drop on October 7th. Jessie David from Metal Wani had a chance to chat with John Campbell, bass player for Lamb of God. The two discussed the new album, the challenges they faced, the inspirations they had, and John’s favorite song off the album.
During the recording of ‘Omens’ Lamb of God faced a new approach as they recorded the album in a studio together. During the creation of the album, John said “we recorded as a live band, so that we could get some moments that have that live feel.” Something Lamb of God do very well.
When it comes to writing a new album, they try to outdo and push themselves. Which reflects highly on this upcoming album. ‘Omens’ starts off with a song called ‘Nevermore.’ The song is as brutal and heavy as ever, but there are moments of clean guitars and melodic bridges. When asked why they went in this direction John said, “This is a development of parts and pieces we’ve been playing with for some time now. I think it just makes for a more interesting listening experience to have more dynamic music.” The last song on the album ‘September Song’ is a great example of this. It’s still identifiable as a Lamb of God song, but softer. There is one song that excited John Campbell off the album, and that was ‘Grayscale’ He said it’s an amazing song, and if he’s looking to get excited that’s the song he’s listening to.
Their upcoming album ‘Omens’ was recorded out in LA and Lamb of God were joined by special guests to provide gang vocals. Members of Body Count joined them in the studio. John said that there was no given song written for the band, just that it was something they had in mind, and it all worked out that way.
During the interview, Jessie asked John about Lamb of God’s newer drummer Art Cruz. Cruz joined the band in 2019 after filling in for then-drummer Chris Adler. This is the second record with Art Cruz. John said “he is a ferocious drummer who has taste and style. It’s great playing with him. It brings a dynamic to the band that we didn’t have before.” When it comes to Cruz influencing sound, John said that he brings a ridged approach to the band. As someone who grew up listening to Lamb of God Cruz brings a continuation of that sound.
John Campbell has been playing bass for over a decade, and when it comes to someone who influences him, John said that Mike Bishop of Gwar comes to mind. John, “Being able to see people with extreme talent like that, writing and performing music that I love was an extreme influence for me to realize, hey I can do that too.”
If John were introducing someone to Lamb of God who had never heard of the band before, the song he would show them first would be ‘Memento Mori’ as John said “ I love that song. It has nice pretty parts, it’s creepy, and then it’s just crushing. I think that’s a good idea of what Lamb of God is”
Look out for Lamb of Gods’ upcoming album ‘Omens’ set for release Oct 7th.
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