So here it is, finally, the new highly anticipated EP from Lamb of God, The Duke. I will confess that I am not the biggest Lamb of God fan out there, but when I heard about this project from them I became very curious as to how this EP will sound and even more curious when I found out about the subject of the title track to the EP. I have always found Lamb of God’s music to be very enjoyable, but I have never really been able to enjoy Randy Blythe’s singing style for the most part. I don’t have an answer why, but there is something about it that after a while kind of grates on me. Don’t get me wrong this is obviously just me as the Lamb of God fan base is one of the biggest and probably one of the most dedicated in heavy metal. From teenagers to folks my age Lamb of God appeals to a significantly large demographic, at least age wise. Also, I really do have a ton of respect for Randy Blythe both as a musician and a person. When I read anything about Mr. Blythe it seems that I come away more and more impressed with how intelligent and honest he seems to be. Now as I have never personally met Mr. Blythe that is pure supposition, but I am pretty sure that I’m safe believing it to be so.
In case you don’t know the story of the song ‘The Duke’ allow me to enlighten you; the song is dedicated to and inspired by a gentleman named Wayne Ford who Mr. Blythe had befriended a few years back. Sadly, Mr. Ford had terminal cancer (Leukemia) and only had a short time left on this earth. Mr. Blythe spoke with Mr. Ford often and his strength and courage with his impending death. Lamb of God wrote this song for Mr. Ford who was named after John Wayne (The Duke) and as far as I’m concerned they have done a fantastic job honoring Mr. Ford. ‘The Duke’ is a great song with plenty of hooks and the opening riff is really something to behold. The song starts off heavy enough but moves into a slower pace for the first quarter. When it does kick in, the opening riff continues and the band just explodes with power. The feeling that while recording this song in the memory of Mr. Fold is palpable and a credit to Lamb of God for honoring him in this fashion. The lyrics, so thoughtful and poignant, the realization of impending death, the acceptance of that death and the belief that we all live on in one way or another whether through our friends and family, our actions before we left earth or in this case through a song. In particular the lyrics “I will never die” have never had more meaning as this song will live on forever and with it the memory of Mr. Ford.
I need to mention two things at this point: First, for the first time I know of Mr. Blythe sings ‘The Duke’ with mostly clean vocals throughout and he sounds spectacular! Another wonderful thing about Mr. Blythe going with the clean vocals is that it helps make the song haunting and heartfelt all at the same time. Kudos to you Mr. Blythe, so appropriate for this track. Secondly, I waited until today to write this review because I thought the perspective would inspire me. You see, as I write this review I am receiving what will hopefully be my last chemotherapy treatment ever. I am in remission from stage 3 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and after 3 years of chemo looking forward to closing this chapter of my life. Unfortunately, my type of lymphoma is not curable, but hopefully it will stay away forever. So, as you can imagine as I write this review surrounded by many others in the room fighting cancer it gives me a special point of view on the subject matter. Now, I am not telling you this to feel sorry for me, I am a survivor, Mr. Ford wasn’t so lucky, the reason I mention this because as I hear this song I know what the feelings Mr. Blythe is conveying and most of us in this chemo room can relate…sadly. ‘The Duke’ is a wonderful song and so well written and performed that I have to believe that it will be on most metal head’s favorite playlists. It deserves to be heard and it deserves to be remembered almost as fondly as Mr. Ford.
The second new song on the album is titled ‘Culling’. This is a more proper Lamb of God song with the hard beating rhythms and thrashing guitar. Mr. Blythe’s signature scream/growl is back and in fine form. The song is strong, filled with riffs and what a fan would expect of Lamb of God. This is followed by three live tracks from Lamb of God’s sets from Rock am Ring and Bonaroo, if you have ever seen Lamb of God live then you will know what to expect from these songs. Once again, you have to give Lamb of God credit for being able to really entertain a crowd. This is the reason they have such dedicated fans and you young bands out there should learn a thing or two from them.
Although there are other songs on this EP it really is all about ‘The Duke’, a spectacular song with a spectacular subject and done in such a way that the band really does honor Mr. Ford and all of those lost to cancer and the people they leave behind. As a reviewer I can’t recommend this EP enough and I hope that fans and non-fans alike give this EP a chance as you won’t be sorry. I went into this album not exactly knowing what to expect, but Lamb of God have made me a fan.
Finally, if you go to the Lamb of God website they will be auctioning off some items to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and I ask that you stop by and bid on some items as all proceeds will go to LLS. This really is a great organization that does great things for people with blood cancers and as a recipient of this organizations guidance and financial aid I am eternally grateful that they are around. Please help keep them around by considering a donation or participating in Lamb of God’s events.
