With nowhere to play a live gig during social distancing, the members of Lamb of God stayed home to perform a couple of songs off their recently released, self-titled eighth album.
In a video that showcases each of the band’s five members raging out at home, the group performs Lamb of God’s “Checkmate” and “New Colossal Hate,” and they also whipped out one of their calling cards, “Laid to Rest,” which appeared on their major-label debut, Ashes of the Wake.
After drummer Art Cruz counts them in, guitarists Willie Adler and Mark Morton herald the opening notes of “Checkmate,” a song that finds frontman Randy Blythe lambasting Trumpism as he sarcastically sings lines like “Make America hate again” and “the American Scream.” When they’re done, they take a quick break, Adler makes sure that “everybody’s doing great,” and they launch into the lurching, stuttering riffs of “Laid to Rest.” And then with no introduction, they take on “New Colossal Hate,” the only track of the bunch they have never played live.
As part of the album launch, Adler will also participate in a Facebook Live Q&A with the Arizona and Las Vegas independent music-store chain Zia Records at 7 p.m. ET Monday. And, later this week, Blythe will participate in an Instagram Live session and a Reddit AMA, though the band has not yet revealed a timeline for these.
The group previously released videos for “Routes,” which is a response to the Standing Rock Protests, and the zombie-themed “Memento Mori.”
