LAMB OF GOD – interview

 

In just over a year, a lot has changed. Well, at least in the field of Lamb of God, since the interview you check out on now, held on April 2, 2020, showed a band obviously not knowing how to deal with the promotion of their new album, self-titled and that was yet to be released – Lamb of God hit stores on June 19 of that year. The whole world was indeed living the first weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic, and Randy Blythe (vocals), Mark Morton and Willie Adler (guitars), John Campbell (bass) and Art Cruz (drums) had, as well as many others, the hope that it wouldn't take so long for everything to get back to normal. It took a long time and is taking time, so the entirety of the chat with Campbell shows the even the quintet not considering a show via streaming, which ended up happening with quarantine videos and, also, a presentation on September 18 that became the Live CD/DVD in Richmond, VA (2021). So let's go back in time a little with the bassist's words – unlike spokespersons Blythe and Morton, an interviewee of few words.

Let's talk a little about the current situation because of the new coronavirus, because the tour in Europe was canceled and in the United States, with Megadeth, should follow the same path. With a new album on the way, how are you dealing with this new scenario?

 John Campbell: Yes, the European tour was cancelled, as were the festivals, but we hadn't announced anything other than that and the Megadeth tour. Our governor (N.R.: Ralph Northam of the Democratic Party) recently issued a new order for us to stay home, so it's all very uncertain. We don't know how things will turn out. I have stayed at home with my family and restricted my interaction with the outside world. It's crazy, but I believe the best we can do right now is stay home and stay calm.

About the new album, after having worked with Gene Freeman and Devin Townsend, for example, it seems to me that the band found in Josh Wilbur their honorary member…

 Campbell: It definitely became a big part of the process. Josh is incredibly talented and a great human being (N.R.: the producer has been with Lamb of God since Wrath, released in 2009).

And Lamb of God was recorded at Studio 606, owned by Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), who bought the Sound City soundboard when this legendary studio closed its doors. I think it was something special, because everyone says the equipment has a mystique of its own…

 Campbell: Man, it was amazing! It was almost like recording in a museum, only we could touch things, while respecting everything that was there. It was an amazing experience to be there, but at the end of the day it was just the studio where we were recording, something we could have done from anywhere in the world because of the technologies available. However, playing with historic equipment was really cool.

Chris' influence on Art is obvious, although Chris is more detail-oriented. However, Art brought his own style, including blast beats in On The Hook… Anyway, did something change for you, who is the bass player? Campbell: That's a tough question for me… What I can say is that Art has a lot of technique with his hands, but he plays with tons of energy. It seems that the battery is always on fire.

I usually say it's a matter of DNA, and songs like Checkmate, Bloodshot Eyes, Gears and New Colossal Hate are 100% Lamb of God.

 Campbell: We've operated on this process from the beginning, with Mark and Willie as songwriters, and they have nuances and talents that they bring to the band. They are unique nuances and talents, really unique and that make the Lamb of God sound

what was it like being a part of Slayer's farewell tour?

 Campbell: Amazing! We've played with Slayer many times over the years, and it was an honor for us that they invited us to be a part of that last tour, from historic shows for one of the greatest heavy metal bands in history, and to huge audiences. It was a dream come true.