The triumphant return of LAMB OF GOD is here, following some work with other bands including PROTEST THE HERO and MEGADETH for drummer Chris Adler and an unfortunate and seemingly unfair prison sentence that vocalist Randy Blythe faced it's safe to say this is a band that has been to hell and back. "VII: Sturm Und Drang" is as Heavy as it is innovative, its new and brings something new that past albums didn't have, everyone likes new.

LAMB OF GOD are a band that know how to please everyone, with each new album offering traditional LAMB OF GOD songs that you've come to expect and songs with something brand new to offer, whether it be more personal lyrics or an overall writing style. Some of the more traditional songs on "VII: Strum Und Drang" are "Erase This" which is standard to be expected LAMB OF GOD featuring a Kirk Hammett wah solo and "Engaging The Fear Machine." Songs like "Still Echoes" and "512" are much more personal being vocalist Randy Blythe's story of prison, the songs are rather haunting with the idea of what this prison were like. Certain lyrics stuck in my head giving me a vivid idea of the horror Blythe must have faced, one of these comes in the opening track "Still Echoes" with lyrics like "one thousand heads, cut clean across their necks right down the hall from me" and how he can hear the "Still Echoes of their screams." Being the first single released from the album this is a song that's gonna make you feel the power this album will have behind it.

Some of the more obscene songs on this album are songs like "Embers" which features clean vocals from DEFTONES vocalist Chino Moreno and probably one of the coolest riffs on the album during it's verse. Moreno offers a nice contrast in vocals when both himself and Blythe are singing side by side. Last song on the standard version of the album is "Torches" which features another guest on it, although not a huge fan of his vocals anywhere I've heard him, the similarities and differences between himself and Blythe makes for a war of words in this song and makes the vocals even more powerful, I am talking about Mr. Greg Puciato formally of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN. So with two guests present there's one last special part of this album to note, "Overlord," when this song opens you might go "who's singing? Who's the guest on this song?" Well much to my surprise as well, Blythe can actually sing! The first half of the song is clean singing where as after an incredible bridge riff the band breaks into the heavy and destroys everything. "Overlord" is a hot and cold kind of song and hearing Blythe's contrast with himself in his vocals is something I don't think anyone could have possibly expected from this album.

LAMB OF GOD are back and man are they busy, Blythe's book is on the brink of release, the band is on tour with SLIPKNOT, Chris Adler is about to play double duty on an upcoming tour rocking drums for both LAMB OF GOD and MEGADETH in Europe. "VII: Sturm Und Drang" is a spectacular release, it might not be the absolute finest hour for LAMB OF GOD but it's definitely their most innovative and it's a must have for any fan of the band.<