Mark Morton Of Lamb Of God: Success 'Was A Non-Reality'

If you told Lamb Of God guitarist Mark Morton one year ago that he’d have a busy February in 2007, complete with an appearance on the Conan O’Brien Show and Grammy Award nomination, he’d probably think you were talking about another more radio-friendly band. But it is indeed Morton and his bandmates who are living the dream after over a decade together. While the band has been praised in the past for their skillfully executed guitar work and gritty vocals, it’s the last few years that have brought about accolade after accolade.

When the band made its national television debut on Feb. 9 with a performance on NBC’s Conan O’Brien show, the event introduced millions of fresh ears to Lamb Of God’s melodic, but unrelenting metal. The show appearance came not so long after receiving a Grammy nod for the single “Redneck,” and although they didn’t win, Lamb Of God seems to finally be reaping the rewards of their hard work. Morton recently talked with UG writer Amy Kelly about the latest whirlwind of events that continue to keep his band in the public eye.

UG: You recently made your television debut on the Conan O’Brien show. What was that experience like?

Mark: It went pretty well. It was definitely kind of a new experience for us. That was our first time playing on national TV. It’s kind of an interesting feeling. It’s definitely different than shooting a video. Shooting a video, you’re not necessarily playing. So you can be as sloppy as you want! On TV, it’s kind of like you’ve got one shot to nail it. But it’s cool to actually do something where you kind of get nervous. It’s kind of rare than I’m that nervous before a gig, but before this one I was definitely a little tense. But it was in a good way. It was kind of neat.

Being that this was such a highly publicized gig, what kind of feedback did you get after the show?

I’ve seen people that were like, “Oh, they looked kind of stiff” or “They’re just standing there.” But for the most part, everyone thought it was great. Those that don’t, they don’t get it. You’re only like on a 10 x 10 stage! It’s not like our normal stage, where we can go crazy. It’s pretty compact up there. But yeah, it seemed to go over pretty well. The fans dug it and a lot of people tuned in especially for us, so it was definitely a neat moment.

"Honestly, Grammy doesn't really change anything."

You recently received a Grammy nomination for “Redneck” for Best Metal Performance. What did the nomination mean to you?

Well, honestly, it doesn’t really change anything. You raised the question of what does that mean to you guys, and my gut response was, “Nothing.” Not to disrespect the Grammys. It’s an institution. We’re very flattered to even be nominated, and we were excited about the nomination. We had a great time. In terms of the big picture as a band, because we’re not a radio band and we’re not a pop band, that kind of accolade is a little bit foreign to us. As cool as it is and as neat as it is, it’s a bit of an anomaly for us. But I’m really glad it happened and flattered to be nominated.

Talk a bit about writing the song that was nominated, “Redneck.”

It’s funny. The song “Redneck,” I pretty much arranged all the riffs for that myself. About 3 or 4 days before, I had come in with a different song, a song that’s on the album called “Descending.” “Descending” is a bit of an abstract track. It’s real linear and it’s more of a kind of landscape-ish track rather than just riff after riff after riff, so the band, they weren’t that excited about it. They were like, “Well, we’ll keep working with it. We’ll try it, but I’m not sure about it.” That was there response to “Descending.” So I was like, “Huh, I’ll show them!”

Three days later, I brought “Redneck” in. It was almost as a response, like from my part as a guitar player to the fact that they were still lukewarm on this kind of artsy-fartsy tune I brought in. I was just like, “Well, I’m going to bring in a sledgehammer then!” So that was really where that song was born. When I brought it in, everyone immediately was drawn to it. We called it “Redneck” before there were ever any lyrics or any lyrical content or subject matter to it. It did have that kind of southern swagger to it and the pentatonic movements and it sounded like breaking a beer bottle in a parking lot. It had that identity and character before there were ever lyrics. It was one of the few times in our career where the working title became the real title. That song’s just “Redneck.”

When you’re writing the music to a song, do you generally start coming up with possible lyrical ideas also?

Not specifically within the context of writing music, no. I’m always writing music and I’m always writing lyrics. I don’t really do them at the same time. I’ll have a book where I’ll just go write lyrics all the time, particularly on the road. I do all the writing of lyrics on the road. Then usually, we write all the songs pretty much instrumentally first. We’ll literally put them on a cassette tape. I’ll just bring in a boom box and record it. Then I’ll sit with my lyric book and just kind of start reading over lyrics, just seeing what lays best on the track. It’s never really like I know what the lyrics are going to be for that song. They usually get paired together later.

"There are always the basics for our sound, but there are little effects and stuff."

Do you and Randy (vocalist) ever sit down and write lyrics together?

We usually start out separately. He’ll have his book and I have my book. Since we write everything pretty much instrumentally first music-wise, we’ll just start working to put the lyrics and the vocals together. He’ll be like, “You know, I’ve got an idea for this one.” And I’ll be like, “Okay, well I’ve got an idea for this one.” Sometimes we’re like, if we’re both working on the same tune we’ll just say, “Okay, cool. You do your thing, I’ll do my thing, and then we’ll get together and see which is better or see if we can make it happen as a collaboration.” It’s what happens as well. There’s no real formula to it. We work really well together, Randy and I. It’s not really competitive. We like each other’s writing. Usually by then I’m so relieved that the music part has come along that writing lyrics is kind of fun. Six-pack of beer with your demos and just scribbling.

The first track “Walk With Me In Hell” has got an incredible intro with 2 guitar sections. Did you and Willie Adler come up with those parts together?

That song pretty much started with me. It’s funny, that song I think has probably the longest incubation period of any song we’ve written. I remember very specifically playing the second riff. I remember plugging in to get my sound for “Ashes Of The Wake,” when we were recording the album previous. I was plugging in the studio and setting my amp and dialing it in, and I played that riff for the first time ever. It was something that just came out. I played it and I loved it. As soon as it came out I was like, “Wow. That’s going to be a song someday.” It took a long time. I wasn’t working on it every day or driving myself crazy with it, but it just took a long time to come together.

The lead melody that starts off the song, that was just kind of swimming around in my head. That came first and then I put the chorus underneath it to accompany that melody. Just over time it sort of stuck together and pretty much laid the whole song out. I don’t remember exactly what I was doing in the middle, but there’s a breakdown that basically cuts to a real meaty, heavy breakdown. That was something that Willie had been working on. We were trying to figure out what to do with the middle part and kind of hit a wall. Willie just had this idea for a real heavy breakdown. That was his idea. There it was – it was done.

Were there any songs that you had to go over and over again to get the perfect riff?

There’s this tune I’m working on now that I find myself questioning whether it should be a half-step up or a half-step down on that one note. I just kind of really pick it apart. Some songs require that, and then there are songs like “Redneck,” where there’s just no other way it could have been. It just wrote itself. It just depends on the nature of the tune. Everyone always uses the analogy that they’re like you’re children, but they really are. They all have their own little personalities and different tantrums about them. That’s the joy. Sometimes you can write a song in an hour. Then sometimes, like “Walk With Me In Hell,” it can take you 2 years.

"Randy and I are good friends. We were good friends then and we'll still good friends."

What equipment are you using right now?

I play a lot of different kinds of music on my own, personally. So I have different types of gear that I use for playing country or blues or rock or whatever. But with Lamb of God, the guitar sound really revolves around the Mesa Boogie Mark IV. It has a real natural saturation to it, but it’s not over the top. You can compare us to a lot of contemporary players, but we’re a little bit cleaner. Our guitar sound is a little more natural, I think. The Mark IV is really the basis of our guitar sound.

There are always the basics for our sound, but there are little effects and stuff. You wind up doing things on the record in the studio, like you might put an effect on this or that, then you realize, “Well, I can play it without it live, but it will sound worse than the record.” I was always an anti-pedal guy for the last few albums, but I’ve kind of started breaking out new pedals and effects. I used to do that a lot when I was younger and coming up, but by the time we got Lamb of God on the road, I really stripped everything down. My whole thing was, “Yeah, man, you’ve got to be able to just plug straight into your amp and play.” I can still do that, but at the same time I’ve got a little phaser.

You mentioned playing blues and country on the side. Do you have bands on the side that you play with?

Yeah. I’ve got this group of buddies at home. There’s a band called Alabama Thunderpussy, and those guys are some of my best friends. Some of those guys get together and we kind of do – it’s not even metal all. It sounds like Free or something. We do that kind of stuff. Then I’ve got another band, which is like an all-country kind of thing. We do bars and stuff like that. We don’t really tour. I’m so busy with Lamb of God that there’s really no time to end up doing anything. But when we do get a break, those are my buddies. I’m always playing guitar, so I just kind of shift gears and do something different for a while to kind of clean the palette.

How is the new tour going?

It’s opening night of the tour and we’re in Dallas. It’s like 30 degrees in Dallas! I can’t believe it’s so cold here! It’s us, Trivium, Machine Head, and a great band from France called Gojira.

What do you think of the current metal scene right now?

I think there are a lot of great bands out there. I think this tour is cool because it’s kind of cross-section of everything that’s going on. We’re excited to be a part of it and excited about blowing it up and making it even bigger.

"I don't see any reason for us to stop."

In the bonus DVD on Sacrament, it seems like Randy is not necessarily always there during the songwriting process. Has that ever been a problem?

Not really. We’re kind of so set in our ways and the way we write. Randy is not a musician per se. He’s not a guitar player, so there’s really no point in him being there. I mean, other than to hear what’s going on, which he does. He’ll drop by to see what’s happening and get a feel for things. But to actually be there at a stage when we’re drilling hard and trying to work chord out by chord out, that’s not the time to be there. So usually by the time we get 4 or 5 songs together, he’s coming in and trying to figure out the verse, the chorus, and that type of thing. I think he knows when to be there and when not to be.

On YouTube there is still the infamous fight between you and Randy floating around. Can you look back at that and laugh now?

A million bands have had that happen. It’s just kind of a boys will be boys thing. It’s too much whiskey and maybe a few too many weeks on the road and living too close to each other! You kind of reach a boiling point, you know? You really lose it. It doesn’t really change anything. There was no revelation involved. It was just a bad night. Randy and I are good friends. We were good friends then and we’ll still good friends. It’s the wares of the road.

When you look back at everything the band has gone through in the past decade, particularly after this incredible year, what goes through you mind?

It’s pretty amazing. It’s not lost on us really, how far we’ve come. It’s interesting. I was watching one of my favorite bands in the whole world ever, Nirvana. I was watching this documentary on Nirvana and they were interviewing Dave Grohl. He said something like, “It was inconceivable that we would be the biggest band in the world. We just wanted to play. There’s no way that we could have even been that big.” Obviously, we’re not Nirvana, but that’s kind of how we feel. We never imagined we’d be playing arenas, riding around on tour buses, nominated for Grammys and that kind of shit. It was inconceivable. There was no way. It wasn’t part of the agenda – it couldn’t have been. It was a non-reality. And now, with like all the things that have happened, it blows our minds still. It’s amazing. Every step of the way is always a surprise. Every step we moved got bigger and bigger, and we’re just shocked by it.

You’ve been together over 10 years. Do you think conceivably the band will be making music in 10 years from now?

Where will be in 10 years? I’ll be 45. We’ll probably not be at the same page we’re at now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m still making music and we’re playing shows together. It’s just really natural for us. There’s something about the chemistry of the 5 of us together that’s really special. It’s not always easy and it’s not even always fun. It usually is! But there’s something really special about the chemistry of us together and the music we make and the live show we put on. I don’t see any reason for us to stop.

Ultimate-Guitar.Com © 2007

Comments

[Gein]

Cool interview. Lamb of God are brutal.

Because "brutal" is THE metal word.

[SaulHudson]

Glad theres another LoG article...amazing band.

[Millenium]

cool band, nice guy, good interview.

[Millenium]

although; "If you told Lamb Of God guitarist Mark Morton one year ago that he’d have a busy February in 2006"
Isn't that supposed to be 2007?

[Rize]

Coo interview. Mark Morton is a great guitarist!

[-megadeth-]

Wow walk with me in hell really took 2 years to write!!???

[MetalBassist93]

Amazing band with an amazing guitarist!

Millenium wrote:
Isn't that supposed to be 2007?

fixed!

[theduke92]

Cool band, I love his solos.

[MuDvAyNe23]

I enjoyed reading that interview. It shows that the band work really well together on the sacrament dvd. Lamb of god are one of the best metal bands out there, i cant f***ing wait to see them in march!

[metOLIca]

Cool interview. Lamb of God are brutal.

Because "brutal" is THE metal word.

haha true.. i bet that becomes a genre one day.. metalcore, hardcore, brutal!! \m/

[darth awsome]

Gein :
Cool interview. Lamb of God are brutal.

Because "brutal" is THE metal word.

Its br00tal. psht. n00b.

LoG are Awsome.

[Gakusey]

Definitely my favourite metal band ever! Amazing stuff! Awesome musicians! I ordered all of their albums to be shipped to Russia. Just my 50 cents for the cause

[JimmyPage2247]

cool interview.
going to see them march 18th

[Stolenidentity1]

First off, LoG arnt brutal, br00tal, or metal, if you knew what real metal was you wouldnt say this

Now im not bashing on them, i like them....a little, there not my favorite band, but i do own sacrament and its a decent CD

But people LoG are simply not metal, they are metalcore, which i dont like that word...I say "New wave of american metal...that is not metal"

They arent metal simple as that
Heres some metal bands:
Darkthrone
Napalm Death
Death
Nile
Carcass
as much as i hate to say it Cradle of Filth
Necrophagist
Opeth
Dream theater
lacuna coil
My dying bride
Borknager
and the list goes on...and on of bands that are real metal that LoG just doesnt stand up to

Once again im not bashing them i just dont like the fact people think they are Br00tal metal...listen to some nile or something

[Pr0az]

who gives a crap what they are theres good music and bad music they fall into the good music.....

[primusucks]

brutal is the lamest term for a type of metal and you should be ashamed to call yourself a music fan. BRUTAL YEAAA sounds so lame, kind of like the u2 guitarists name "EDGE" wow so extreme.

[f***music]

^^ always someone like u around but at least ur not bashing them

This interview was pretty cool. I am surprised that his favorite band is Nirvana. Pretty interesting to me.

[f***music]

im referrin to the list guy

[westernfilet]

"My dying bride" isn't metal....it's garbage!
While I wasn't a fan of LOG before, I am becoming one and can certainly appreciate the work and writing they do.
This was a good interview....nice to see someone who seems down-to-earth.

[cptazad]

you do realize that opeth and dream theater are prog metal so technically you're wrong, hey i dont hate em im just saying that they're not real metal either.

on a side note, im a huge nevermore/dream theater/opeth fan so sue me (yea i like them more than lamb of god but lamb of god still kick ass, going to go 600km to see their show in calgary next week)

[Dwnelson226]

Haha, I noticed that he said "neat" a lot. That made me laugh. He seems like a pretty cool guy. Lamb of God is pretty sweet. They're not my favorite band, but, but I do really enjoy Chris Adler's drumming, and the guitar work is really "neat". haha.

[The Blacksmith]

Stolenidentity1 wrote:

First off, LoG arnt brutal, br00tal, or metal, if you knew what real metal was you wouldnt say this

Now im not bashing on them, i like them....a little, there not my favorite band, but i do own sacrament and its a decent CD

But people LoG are simply not metal, they are metalcore, which i dont like that word...I say "New wave of american metal...that is not metal"

They arent metal simple as that
Heres some metal bands:
Darkthrone
Napalm Death
Death
Nile
Carcass
as much as i hate to say it Cradle of Filth
Necrophagist
Opeth
Dream theater
lacuna coil
My dying bride
Borknager
and the list goes on...and on of bands that are real metal that LoG just doesnt stand up to

Once again im not bashing them i just dont like the fact people think they are Br00tal metal...listen to some nile or something

Darkthrone - aright
Napalm Death - aright
Death - a little more grindcore i'd say
Nile - technical metal/grindcore
Carcass - tech metal
as much as i hate to say it Cradle of Filth - black metal
Necrophagist - tech/math metal
Opeth - prog/black metal
Dream theater - progressive all the way... dubbed by countless as the kings of progressive in fact
lacuna coil - .....you've got to be kiddin me
My dying bride - ^
Borknager - haven't heard

LoG is metal, you look at the thrash riffs they have, the solos, the straight up rawness of the music... dude, i can understand if you're not convinced having only heard sacrament, that album was a big change, but all their previous albums were definitely metal. maybe not by 80s standards, but music changes, and today, LoG defines metal.

as far as what bands i believe are grindcore/tech/math metal, that kind of takes metal to the next level of heaviness, not my cup o tea, i feel like it's a bit over the top, but it's obviously somethin other then just metal.

black metal tends to be a bit more depressing or melodic.

progressive, in my opinion, can also be described as metal with a psychadelic sort of quality. it includes other instruments then just drums bass and guitar... ...it's not exactly as metal as LoG i'd say.

i'd have to say, in my opinion, LoG are more pure metal then any of the bands you mentioned, not to say that they're necessarily better, but every other band you mentioned is either corrupted or empowered by a hint of somethin else that makes for black, tech, grind, prog, or math metal. LoG (except for sacrament) never really expressed anythin but just metal riffs, beats, and vocals.

IMO, LoG is the standard of today's metal.... that's just my opinion though, i don't even dare state it as fact... \m/

[lambofgod4750]

Lamb of God is the shit and they have been since day 1. I cant wait to see them Live again. ROCK ON!!

[Covin]

saw them live and wasn't very exciting.

[The Blacksmith]

anyway, i just realized how big LoG has gotten... they could do whatever they want and they still won't lose fans.

for instance:

conan o'brien... ...if metallica had done that back when they were big and straight up for the music, everybody'd call them sellouts.

sacrament... ...if pantera started to use other sounds, then guitar bass and drums, as LoG did in sacrament, so many fans would be like "what the f*ck!?" and countless fans would be lost.

if 'tallica was to tour with motley crue, just as LoG is tourin with trivium, people would lose all respect for 'tallica... yet LoG is still respected.

just thought i'd comment on how great the band is, they're so great with such a strong fan base, they could do anythin they want and still be respected.

i love LoG...

i'm gonna make that a T-Shirt.

[The Blacksmith]

I Love LoG

[TriviumCrusade]

Millenium wrote:

although; "If you told Lamb Of God guitarist Mark Morton one year ago that he’d have a busy February in 2006"
Isn't that supposed to be 2007?

read it again, it says 2007

[The Blacksmith]

TriviumCrusade wrote:

Millenium wrote:

although; "If you told Lamb Of God guitarist Mark Morton one year ago that he’d have a busy February in 2006"
Isn't that supposed to be 2007?



read it again, it says 2007

it's been changed since he first read it.

[Artcell]

biggest fan of lamb of god!

[Scourge441]

Lamb of God=metalcore.

Metalcore=a legitimate metal subgenre.

[Shreddin 4 Life]

I think it's cool that LoG doesn't have a conceited view about themselves--even after all the accoldes they've been getting in the past few years. It's an attitude I wish most bands had instead of letting all the success/fame/fortune stuff get to their heads and (usually) letting down their fans...

[Night_Lights]

Scourge441 wrote:

Lamb of God=metalcore.

Metalcore=a legitimate metal subgenre.

indeed.

[The Blacksmith]

well, whatever they are, they're ****in heavy. can't say i agree with "metalcore..." that's more what trivium is... but either way, long live LoG.

keep the metal molten \m/

[TooFast]

Lamb Of God is killer, I have a lot of respect for Morton too, he seem's like a very cool guy

[v2kv]

LOG isn't metalcore at all, I'd say they're post-thrash or something of the sort...

[Rockon914]

Stolenidentity1 wrote:

First off, LoG arnt brutal, br00tal, or metal, if you knew what real metal was you wouldnt say this

Now im not bashing on them, i like them....a little, there not my favorite band, but i do own sacrament and its a decent CD

But people LoG are simply not metal, they are metalcore, which i dont like that word...I say "New wave of american metal...that is not metal"

They arent metal simple as that
Heres some metal bands:
Darkthrone
Napalm Death
Death
Nile
Carcass
as much as i hate to say it Cradle of Filth
Necrophagist
Opeth
Dream theater
lacuna coil
My dying bride
Borknager
and the list goes on...and on of bands that are real metal that LoG just doesnt stand up to

Once again im not bashing them i just dont like the fact people think they are Br00tal metal...listen to some nile or something

dream theater?
lacuna coil?
look i dont really care about genres but if youre going to say log isnt metal dont even mention the bands above as metal

[k90728]

Heh. My favorite bands are LOG and Nirvana. Nirvana FTW.. LOG FTsuperW!!!!

[i_am_metalhead]

Stolenidentity1 wrote:

First off, LoG arnt brutal, br00tal, or metal, if you knew what real metal was you wouldnt say this

Now im not bashing on them, i like them....a little, there not my favorite band, but i do own sacrament and its a decent CD

But people LoG are simply not metal, they are metalcore, which i dont like that word...I say "New wave of american metal...that is not metal"

They arent metal simple as that
Heres some metal bands:
Darkthrone
Napalm Death
Death
Nile
Carcass
as much as i hate to say it Cradle of Filth
Necrophagist
Opeth
Dream theater
lacuna coil
My dying bride
Borknager
and the list goes on...and on of bands that are real metal that LoG just doesnt stand up to

Once again im not bashing them i just dont like the fact people think they are Br00tal metal...listen to some nile or something

Fuck you. Unearth, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying - those are metalcore.

Lamb of God are pure ****ing metal. They sound nothing like "metalcore" or "hardcore" or "grindcore" or any of those stupid "core" genres.

They are metal, pure and simple

[HavokStrife]

No, you're all wrong.

Lamb of God is Post metal screamo black grindcore.

stfu already.




It's kind of weird though... how he said everyone shit on Descending and everyone loved Redneck. Redneck is easily my least favorite song on the CD and Descending is easily my favorite song on the CD.

And I always thought just by listening to it and comparing their sound and whatnot that Walk With Me in Hell had to have been an Ashes b-side or something..

[dann_blood]

LoG arent brutal. Brutal is LoG. Awesome band, awesome interview.

[JeffReigns]

Stolenidentity1 wrote:

First off, LoG arnt brutal, br00tal, or metal, if you knew what real metal was you wouldnt say this

Now im not bashing on them, i like them....a little, there not my favorite band, but i do own sacrament and its a decent CD

But people LoG are simply not metal, they are metalcore, which i dont like that word...I say "New wave of american metal...that is not metal"

They arent metal simple as that
Heres some metal bands:
Darkthrone
Napalm Death
Death
Nile
Carcass
as much as i hate to say it Cradle of Filth
Necrophagist
Opeth
Dream theater
lacuna coil
My dying bride
Borknager
and the list goes on...and on of bands that are real metal that LoG just doesnt stand up to

Once again im not bashing them i just dont like the fact people think they are Br00tal metal...listen to some nile or something

Yet again, brutal-br00tal, however you want to put it, is a matter of opinion... and LoG are very metal. Who cares if its called metalcore, death metal, black metal.... why can't we just leave it at metal? Lets make it simple.

[-Casualty-]

Fuck metal or metalcore or death metal or whatever. Lamb of God is just some pure ****ing American metal =)

[DonnyM]

Stolenidentity1 wrote:

First off, LoG arnt brutal, br00tal, or metal, if you knew what real metal was you wouldnt say this

Now im not bashing on them, i like them....a little, there not my favorite band, but i do own sacrament and its a decent CD

But people LoG are simply not metal, they are metalcore, which i dont like that word...I say "New wave of american metal...that is not metal"

They arent metal simple as that
Heres some metal bands:
Darkthrone
Napalm Death
Death
Nile
Carcass
as much as i hate to say it Cradle of Filth
Necrophagist
Opeth
Dream theater
lacuna coil
My dying bride
Borknager
and the list goes on...and on of bands that are real metal that LoG just doesnt stand up to

Once again im not bashing them i just dont like the fact people think they are Br00tal metal...listen to some nile or something

LoG are metal. Lacuna Coil aren't. They are pop-metal. OK so I suppose that means they are metal, but calling them more metal than LoG is ludicrous. Napalm Death are grindcore.
I do respect all the bands on your list (except LC), and I respect that you are not some loser band-basher who reads articles about bands they hate just so they can talk crap about them, but LoG are metal, and one of the finest examples of it too.
Something you may want to remember is that thrash metal combined elements of hardcore into metal, and no-one says Slayer or Kreator aren't metal do they? Metalcore works on the same premise. Metalcore is metal whether you like it or otherwise, but personally, I don't even consider LoG to be metalcore. To my ears they seem to have a strong element of death metal. This whole genre thing is a bit wanky anyway, but you really can't escape it.

Checked.

Hold the genre stuff please.

[axe_man]

lamb of god deserve all the praise their guitar is awesome spesh hourglass, good song. hey simon.

[Punk2Guitar]

Stolenidentity1 wrote:

First off, LoG arnt brutal, br00tal, or metal, if you knew what real metal was you wouldnt say this

Now im not bashing on them, i like them....a little, there not my favorite band, but i do own sacrament and its a decent CD

But people LoG are simply not metal, they are metalcore, which i dont like that word...I say "New wave of american metal...that is not metal"

They arent metal simple as that
Heres some metal bands:
Darkthrone
Napalm Death
Death
Nile
Carcass
as much as i hate to say it Cradle of Filth
Necrophagist
Opeth
Dream theater
lacuna coil
My dying bride
Borknager
and the list goes on...and on of bands that are real metal that LoG just doesnt stand up to

Once again im not bashing them i just dont like the fact people think they are Br00tal metal...listen to some nile or something

Just SHUSH... trying to be smart and coming up with this craplist.

Metal = a wide term.

Wether it's Black Sabbath or Machinehead or LoG , or Trivium.


Stupid kids out there....try to make a new genre for every goddamn band.


Anyways , crap i just read " Hold the genre stuff" :P

uhm , I saw them last year together with Devildriver , I enjoyed the show , think they're doing pretty well

[BR00TAL]

Way too many faggots here who are still arguing on this stagnant genre debate. This whole Metal/Not Metal debate is really getting stupid. Genres vary alot these days as music progresses so it's inevitable that there are going to be arguments, but seriously, shut up.

"But people LoG are simply not metal, they are metalcore."

See how stupid this sounds? Say it out loud to yourselves. Stupid, right? Metalcore's a subgenre of Metal. We created this argument anyway. As bands become more creative and open to other genres, oh look, another genre is born. It's not a bad thing.

Anyway, nice article.

[kurtmb]

Stolenidentity1 wrote:

First off, LoG arnt brutal, br00tal, or metal, if you knew what real metal was you wouldnt say this

Now im not bashing on them, i like them....a little, there not my favorite band, but i do own sacrament and its a decent CD

But people LoG are simply not metal, they are metalcore, which i dont like that word...I say "New wave of american metal...that is not metal"

They arent metal simple as that
Heres some metal bands:
Darkthrone
Napalm Death
Death
Nile
Carcass
as much as i hate to say it Cradle of Filth
Necrophagist
Opeth
Dream theater
lacuna coil
My dying bride
Borknager
and the list goes on...and on of bands that are real metal that LoG just doesnt stand up to

Once again im not bashing them i just dont like the fact people think they are Br00tal metal...listen to some nile or something

There's always some ******* like you who has to say a certain band is not a certan genre and whatever. Lamb of God are metal. Lets see some of the bands you listed :
Dream Theatre : Progressive METAL
Nile : Technical death METAL
Opeth : Melodic death METAL
etc...
...and Lacuna Coil, come on you piece of shit.
What word is common to those bands, which all have different sounding music----->METAL!!!!

Lamb of God is Pure ****ing metal, and even if you don't consider them that they are metalcore,and what word composes half of metalcore....its METAL you *******, therefore they are metal. So go **** yourself you stupid *******, do you people have nothing better to complain about than what subgenre a certain band should be considered as. Get a life you dumb ****.

[ibanez666]

lamb of god kick ass, and the new cd is no exception, keep it up boys.

[Stolenidentity1]

yeah, i dont like lacuna coil they just popped into my head, buut they are gothic metal, and prog metal is ummm metal

And metalcore isnt a sub genre of metal, go to the metal forum and try to say this...

Oh and my favorite bands...havent been changed in ages
and im not bashing Log i like them, but to me and most real metal fans, maybe not all, we realise that there not REAL metal, metalcore yes which isnt a subgenre of metal, i mean, retarded example but if you look up metal subgenres on wiki metalcore doesnt come up, its considered and fusion genre which has very few influences from metal, there guitar riffs arnt metal, they have some thrashy riffs but very few, there vocilist isnt metal, and there drummer isnt metal...there for they arent metal
and rofl to you punkguitar, "Wether it's Black Sabbath or Machinehead or LoG , or Trivium."

Only metal band you mentioned was sabbath and thats really obvious

but this is a losing argument by me, becuase most people are ignorant to the music genres or they just dont care...i had that problem but i am proud to say i have reformed and changed my ways i respect the genres for what they are, and yes i like when REAL genres are made, but Log didnt make a new genre there alot like hatebreed with better vocals so there metalcore, and no i hate hatebreed

and donnyM i respect your post and argument, i dont like them either lol but for some reason i just wanted to type it, but my dying bride is so much more metal than Log, doom metal is awsome even though its the emo of real metal so depressing.....

I didnt say it in my last post, nice article i did read it all, i didnt just skip down here to write these, i do think hes a good guitarist i enjoy learning his stuff on bass, because the bassist just plays the same thing as he does, so yeah, not bashing

[BR00TAL]

Man, it's a subgenre of Metal. You use Wiki, a site that anyone can edit, to back up your opinion?

I keep an open mind, Im a real Metal fan, whatever that means anymore. The fact that your going out of your way to prove that these guys aren't 'real metal' is stupid in itself. If you were a real Metal fan yourself you wouldnt give a ****.

[lamb-of-god-666]

Lamb of god ****ing kicks ass. Mark Morton you are god.

[LambofMike]

The guy who wrote theres good music and bad music and LOG falls under good music is a genius. Im seein them March 4 and i hope i come out black n blue. Lamb of God FUckin rules all \m/

[kurtmb]

Stolenidentity1, please never ever post your stupid genre nonsense again and everything will be fine. You have no idea what you're talking about, keep your dam opinions to yourself, ok, what proof do you have what band is what genre....NONE AT ALL. Most people seem to agree that Lamb of God is metal and you saying they are not is not going to change anyone's opinion, so please keep your useless somments to yourself.

[No Seatbelt]

"They're not metal, they're metalcore...gosh." Dudes, just shut up right now before you look even more foolish. It's okay, heavy music is heavy music. I'll stick to my guns with this : You people who try to classify music into tons of sub-genres are like metrosexuals. I bet you say your white curtains are "eggshell", your toilet seat covers are "muave" or whatever. Metal is metal.

[The Blacksmith]

Stolenidentity1 wrote:

yeah, i dont like lacuna coil they just popped into my head, buut they are gothic metal, and prog metal is ummm metal

And metalcore isnt a sub genre of metal, go to the metal forum and try to say this...

Oh and my favorite bands...havent been changed in ages
and im not bashing Log i like them, but to me and most real metal fans, maybe not all, we realise that there not REAL metal, metalcore yes which isnt a subgenre of metal, i mean, retarded example but if you look up metal subgenres on wiki metalcore doesnt come up, its considered and fusion genre which has very few influences from metal, there guitar riffs arnt metal, they have some thrashy riffs but very few, there vocilist isnt metal, and there drummer isnt metal...there for they arent metal
and rofl to you punkguitar, "Wether it's Black Sabbath or Machinehead or LoG , or Trivium."

Only metal band you mentioned was sabbath and thats really obvious

but this is a losing argument by me, becuase most people are ignorant to the music genres or they just dont care...i had that problem but i am proud to say i have reformed and changed my ways i respect the genres for what they are, and yes i like when REAL genres are made, but Log didnt make a new genre there alot like hatebreed with better vocals so there metalcore, and no i hate hatebreed

and donnyM i respect your post and argument, i dont like them either lol but for some reason i just wanted to type it, but my dying bride is so much more metal than Log, doom metal is awsome even though its the emo of real metal so depressing.....

I didnt say it in my last post, nice article i did read it all, i didnt just skip down here to write these, i do think hes a good guitarist i enjoy learning his stuff on bass, because the bassist just plays the same thing as he does, so yeah, not bashing

do not dare to call some of us out and say we're not "real" metal, you have no right to say. i highly doubt you know sh*t about metal if you're completely denying the metal elements in LoG's music. you're opinion on the matter has been corrupted by your concieted views on thinkin you know everythin there is to know about metal.

evidently you think that because you post on the metal forum constantly or because you google all these genre definitions that you know sh*t. well, dude, just so you know, you don't.

first of all, hatebreed do not compare to LoG, in anyway at all, completely different guitar, drums n vocals. -invalid argument. i like 'em, but as an experienced musician, i realize they do not compare.

sacrament i can understand is a bit iffy to ears that have only heard that album, i understand, but comin from a kid who grew up on metal: googling genre definitions on the internet does not give you the right to think you know sh*t about them.

the only people who go and define every genre and subgenre and post them on websites are the losers who decide to express their own opinion on the matter as if it was fact... which is a complete fallacy. then other losers go and actually buy into their opinions as if they are fact. this is because people are ignorant and believe anything they read as long as it sounds smart. just because the site that they post their definitions on are viewed a lot and are found on google easily doesn't mean that they're right, they're just ass holes whose opinion is heard, and that said opinion is mistaken as fact by losers like you, who go and look up the definitions that other losers made up, so you can talk about said definitions with other losers who do the same.

you can be a nerd and do all this junk, then think you have a valid opinion... ...or you can grow up on the stuff, play the music, recognize the metal that's present in it, and you'll truly achieve the right to argue your point.

i don't know: look up the definitions like a nerd vs learning it and growing up on it.

what kinda dweeb goes out and researches genres so extensively anyway? man, you think you're metal cuz you're into studyin genres or falsely analyzing metal... ...you're far from bein as metal as the people who played it and grew up on it and recognize it without the need to research.

so yea, thanks for callin us ignorants-to-metal. when you're views have been corrupted by the internet's slander, as have many others peoples' views. i can tell you right now, my views are definitely purer then yours, as is most other metalheads' views, being that we grew up on metal, and are metal through and through with no outside influences other then the bands themselves.

people like you are the reason i stay away from that damned metal forum; i don't need definitions to corrupt my gut.

[mesaboogieman]

umm Metalcore? Randy Blythe doesnt even sing, last time i checked you have to scream AND sing to be "Metalcore". anyway, f-ck all that - i think its amazing how they're evolving the whole overused "double kick drum with palm muted guitar" thing, theres a certain point where things are just totally overused. this is real metal like it or not.

[metalman05]

Lamb of God is one of the very few good newer mainstream metal bands(I only like about 2 other more mainstream bands) but they arent the best band ever or anything like that and they are not metalcore but they are not really heavy or brutal like death metal or grindcore which are the styles of music I like the most. Here are some bands that I listen to that really are brutal and heavy:

Napalm Death
Morbid Angel
Malevolent Creation
Dying Fetus
Suffocation
Nile
Behemoth
Cannibal Corpse
Bloodbath
Hate Eternal
Zyklon
Cattle Decapitation
Deicide
Obituary
Aborted
plus many more...

And why is it on this site that there are usually only articles about the softer and more mainstream bands and when there is one about a better and heavier and more extreme death metal band almost no one talks about it?

[shiznac]

Stolenidentity1 wrote:

First off, LoG arnt brutal, br00tal, or metal, if you knew what real metal was you wouldnt say this

Now im not bashing on them, i like them....a little, there not my favorite band, but i do own sacrament and its a decent CD

But people LoG are simply not metal, they are metalcore, which i dont like that word...I say "New wave of american metal...that is not metal"

They arent metal simple as that
Heres some metal bands:
Darkthrone
Napalm Death
Death
Nile
Carcass
as much as i hate to say it Cradle of Filth
Necrophagist
Opeth
Dream theater
lacuna coil
My dying bride
Borknager
and the list goes on...and on of bands that are real metal that LoG just doesnt stand up to

Once again im not bashing them i just dont like the fact people think they are Br00tal metal...listen to some nile or something

dude, get a life no one cares what genre anything is people just try to catagorize everything they hear, they are throwing out too many subgenres like crazy, just stick to rock, metal, hard rock, and punk, and no more of this true(insert genre here) and nu(insert genre here) junk, its different, who cares, just take some Netsil or something

[DOOdooroCK]

COOL

[xion665]

JeffReigns wrote:

Stolenidentity1 wrote:

First off, LoG arnt brutal, br00tal, or metal, if you knew what real metal was you wouldnt say this

Now im not bashing on them, i like them....a little, there not my favorite band, but i do own sacrament and its a decent CD

But people LoG are simply not metal, they are metalcore, which i dont like that word...I say "New wave of american metal...that is not metal"

They arent metal simple as that
Heres some metal bands:
Darkthrone
Napalm Death
Death
Nile
Carcass
as much as i hate to say it Cradle of Filth
Necrophagist
Opeth
Dream theater
lacuna coil
My dying bride
Borknager
and the list goes on...and on of bands that are real metal that LoG just doesnt stand up to

Once again im not bashing them i just dont like the fact people think they are Br00tal metal...listen to some nile or something






Yet again, brutal-br00tal, however you want to put it, is a matter of opinion... and LoG are very metal. Who cares if its called metalcore, death metal, black metal.... why can't we just leave it at metal? Lets make it simple.

Amen to that

[IlikeMetal]

To the above post, here's aquote from Ozzy that I think is appropriate.

“All that stuff about heavy metal and hard rock, I don't subscribe to any of that. It's all just music. I mean, the heavy metal from the Seventies sounds nothing like the stuff from the Eighties, and that sounds nothing like the stuff from the Nineties. Who's to say what is and isn't a certain type of music?”

[kingasherock]

anything that is not razor-utal dead baby jesus ground up balls jose canseco black norwiegian repparations checks prog dance tech puritan metal ain't worth the plastic it's burned on can i get a what what

[The Blacksmith]

wait, have one more thing to say to Stolenidentity1, (unless he responds to me)

listen to Beating On Death's Door and tell me that's not metal... and listen to it the whole way through, especially the guitar riffs, regardless of the fact that they're incredible riffs, they're also metal, they're what no metalcore band does, or can do for that matter.

[RedNovember]

I really wish he would have touched on "Forgotten". I want to know how that song came about.

[lambofmetallica]

hey, lamb of god is metal, stolenidentity1, i agree with The Blacksmith.

[SinisterX]

who cares if their metalcore or whatever I like their music and I listen to Necrophagist and Decapitated, it's just music man listen to it and learn.

Checked.

Again, stop with the genre comments, OK?

[xXDrifterXx]

i saw them friday night and i must say it was the best damn show ever.i also broke my leg in the pits during there last song which made it an awsome show

[The Blacksmith]

xXDrifterXx wrote:

i saw them friday night and i must say it was the best damn show ever.i also broke my leg in the pits during there last song which made it an awsome show

haaaaahaha, hell yea, if that's not metal, i dont' know what is, cheers to that

[DTFatesWarningX]

ooh look at me I can be petty and argue endlessly about genres and subgenres which has little to no impact on anyone's lives

[Stolenidentity1]

The Blacksmith wrote:

xXDrifterXx wrote:

i saw them friday night and i must say it was the best damn show ever.i also broke my leg in the pits during there last song which made it an awsome show


haaaaahaha, hell yea, if that's not metal, i dont' know what is, cheers to that

much more things lol

Anywho, does mark have a sig guitar series, for some reason i remember seeing a mark morton guitar at a guitar center in greenville SC?

Whats wrong with genres and classifying bands, some people are organized and some arnt

[Bobbito315]

Stolenidentity1 wrote:

First off, LoG arnt brutal, br00tal, or metal, if you knew what real metal was you wouldnt say this

Now im not bashing on them, i like them....a little, there not my favorite band, but i do own sacrament and its a decent CD

But people LoG are simply not metal, they are metalcore, which i dont like that word...I say "New wave of american metal...that is not metal"

They arent metal simple as that
Heres some metal bands:
Darkthrone
Napalm Death
Death
Nile
Carcass
as much as i hate to say it Cradle of Filth
Necrophagist
Opeth
Dream theater
lacuna coil
My dying bride
Borknager
and the list goes on...and on of bands that are real metal that LoG just doesnt stand up to

Once again im not bashing them i just dont like the fact people think they are Br00tal metal...listen to some nile or something

Dude please don't bring up the old metal genre argument. There's no such thing as a plain metal band anymore. Like napalm death is chatagorized as grindcore and cradle of filth is more towards a friendly kind of black metal.

[karmasabitch2]

dude. all of these comments have pissed me off so bad. WHAT THE FUCK DOES IT MATTER WHAT GENRE IN METAL THEY ARE. Some guy put like nine genre's together and called in one big genre. THEY'RE METAL. that's it. I don't give a shit what they are because they ****ing rock and that's all the **** that matters.

[Alibi:Destroyed]

Pretty cool interview. Mark seems like a pretty cool guy plus he's *uckin amazing at guitar.

[Alibi:Destroyed]

Oh and I totally agree with face_haver.

[DonnyM]

Stolenidentity1, you seem to be repeating yourself a lot and not telling us anything substantial so it\'s no wonder you\'re fighting \"a losing argument\" (your own words). Sentences that make sense are also helpful.
LoG\'s drumming is not metal!? WTF!? Do you not know what blastbeats are? They are a commonly used death metal and black metal drumming technique. LoG use them.
Why do people need to pigeonhole bands? No two bands sound the same. So does this mean there needs to be a genre for every band ever? I fu

[The Blacksmith]

Stolenidentity1 wrote:

The Blacksmith wrote:

xXDrifterXx wrote:

i saw them friday night and i must say it was the best damn show ever.i also broke my leg in the pits during there last song which made it an awsome show


haaaaahaha, hell yea, if that's not metal, i dont' know what is, cheers to that


much more things lol

Anywho, does mark have a sig guitar series, for some reason i remember seeing a mark morton guitar at a guitar center in greenville SC?

Whats wrong with genres and classifying bands, some people are organized and some arnt

a sig guitar? yea, and many more things.

anyway, not to say someone's an idiot for categorizing music, but what's wrong with it is that people like this stolenidenty1 dude decide that they're right by definition (which is not necessary in music) and that we're wrong by gut (which is pretty much a requirement).

i just think it's lame that this guy thinks he knows more shit based on textbook definitions then what actual musicians do by accurate musical interpretation. just my opinion though...

...i hate the classification of bands into subgenres and junk, it's just somethin people decide to analyze so they can sound smart about somethin. nobody does it as a hobby anymore, they just do it to come onto article reviews like this one and act like they're higher then everyone else who classifies LoG as 'metal' even though it doesn't fit the definition found on a website through google.

[The Blacksmith]

whoops, didn't realize i was speakin to you directly Stolenidenty1... so disregard the fact that i seemed to be talkin about you to someone else... read it as if i was talkin straight to you, as i would have done had i noticed it was you i was talkin to.

[The Blacksmith]

DTFatesWarningX wrote:

ooh look at me I can be petty and argue endlessly about genres and subgenres which has little to no impact on anyone's lives

oh look at me, i can be pettier and make a petty joke about bein endlessly petty just because some guys are talkin about junk i don't wanna have anythin to do with...unless it's some petty attempt of mine to piss them off... which would have less an effect on someone's life then "endlessly" arguin about genres...

[thadedan(CFH)]

man im so sick of people turning these forums into childish arguments about genres. seriously guys, havent you got anything constructive or interesting to say??

[G-Sage]

oh and lamb of god deserves all the recognition they get and deserve way more if you ask me

[furioussktr]

DonnyM wrote:
Do you not know what blastbeats are? They are a commonly used death metal and black metal drumming technique. LoG use them.

blast beats are the worst form of drumming ive ever heard.. and the metal community will be much better without them lol. (not bashing you just saying...)

[fenderstratboy2]

great article. the deserve everything they work for because they actually work their asses off for what they get

[The Blacksmith]

damn, what the hell, maybe you should understand what's goin on before you decide to tell me off for defendin LoG.

[Sintastic]

Great article. Mark Morton is one of my favorite guitarist's, due to his personality. He isn't a shred machine or anything of that nature, but he is damn good at what he does.

Also, I have been reading through all of these comments about genres.. First off, I never could understand why the UG forums have specific sub-genres, and that you can't post about certain bands on certain forums. It's all metal, people. Who cares if one person thinks that it is "metalcore"? Metal in itself can not be classified into genres, because metal simply doesn't give a damn. True metal is just simply metal.. Whether it be LoG, Behemoth, Hypocrisy, Cradle of Filth, or whatever band. Put the CD in, bang your head, slap someone around, and stop wasting energy by arguing about what band is what genre.

The Genre thing is abused and retarded.

Wow... Chill out with the genre wars, guys. It's just giving people reasons to flame and swear, which leads to me banning said people. Just try to take it easy.

Checked...

[Rocker3829]

their not my fav band but they have some interesting music. Pretty much the only band I can listen to with that kind of vocals all the time.

[RememberMyName]

I don't mind them. I like how Morton isn't all in your face and aggressive. He's a good interviewee.

[soulburn101]

Great interview, great band. Lamb of God deserve all the attention they're getting.

One thing that sets them apart their guitar tone. It's so tempting to go for the most over the top distortion when playing aggressive music, yet they stick to the crisp, coherent tone of the Mark IV's.

I listen to a lot of metal, but so far, I haven't heard anything so G'damned electric since Pantera.

[Josué]

darth awsome wrote:

Gein :
Cool interview. Lamb of God are brutal.

Because "brutal" is THE metal word.



Its br00tal. psht. n00b.

LoG are Awsome.

Hahahahaha.

[Mr. Jack \mm/]

LoG is the shit. they kick so much ass. \mm/

[sbass12]

I've just gotten into LoG. THey ****ing rock. we need more bands like them nowdays. all sorts of better bands nowadays. theres way to much rap.

[Abyssal]

^^
If hes gonna call Cradle metal, then id just as well say LoG is metal.

Dont go labelling bands or get stuck on classifying them into genres.

Metal is Metal. End it there.

[nAILZ]

cradle of filth with mr.Filth=pure shit.
Cradle of Filth without him=awesome!
LoG=AMAZING saw them in concert lastnight. Brilliant show. Damn good mosh!

[ReeseKillsHIV]

Someone mentioned Trivium above...
Trivium >LoG anyday. LoG, to me anyways, sounds so bland and generic.

[The Blacksmith]

ReeseKillsHIV wrote:

Someone mentioned Trivium above...
Trivium >LoG anyday. LoG, to me anyways, sounds so bland and generic.

well, thanks for comin' on to a LoG article just to mention that... a bit pointless if you ask me, you only made yourself look like an idiot on here to all the die-hard metalheads/LoG fans that come on here to read or post comments.

[Antzzang]

mark morton is a really good guitarist. he can play many styles. good for mark morton. Live by the morton, die by the morton.

[mcb_69]

LoG is standard for todays metal, only thing i slighty dislike is the vocals.
i still think Iron Maiden and the likes are true metal

[WoW guitarist]

darth awsome wrote:

Gein :
Cool interview. Lamb of God are brutal.

Because "brutal" is THE metal word.



Its br00tal. psht. n00b.

LoG are Awsome.

yeah duh, omg ur such a n00b, you no longer deserve to listen to metal you t00l

lol jk
\m/

[dhav211]

yay . . . seeing them this sunday in sioux fall, sd . . . with trivum and machine!

[gibson4ver]

lamb of god keep reppin VA

[Sol9989]

Here on UG I tend to read stuff about metal bands, because I like metal and all and on EVERY news article, interview, or whatever, there is an argument about the sub-genres of metal, be it a LoG thing, Megadeth or whoever, there are ALWAYS people ranting about it. Point is, who cares if its "grindcore", "tech-metal", "prog-metal" or "regicidal-blues-metal" [joke] ITS ALL METAL and if you don't like it or want to rant about it some more then make a forum thread or something, I'm just sick of reading the same arguement...

Personally, Lamb of God are pretty good: heavy, gritty and some great riffs and Mark seems like a nice guy, very down to Earth about the argument thing and I'd like to say congrats on his [and LoG's] success, and hope they stick around to make some albums.

[Oxendoobie]

That was a "neat" Article. Mark Morton is a pretty rad guy it seems, I love his riffs, and solos. Can't wait for the show only 6 days left!

P.S. His beard is BA!

[SOUPerman432321]

Don't like the band but I love Mark Mortons beard

[TSMEdan]

great interview...he is an inspiration of mine for sure.

[break_it down]

even thorpey admits that lamb of god are fully sick any1 who thinks otherwise is stupid \m/

Checked and cleared of genre war crap.

Ok, quite simple, you were given plenty of friendly warnings. Next step is to start giving you formal warnings.

[kradamek]

metOLIca wrote:

Cool interview. Lamb of God are brutal.

Because "brutal" is THE metal word.


haha true.. i bet that becomes a genre one day.. metalcore, hardcore, brutal!! \m/

hah im sure some where in poland of germany there is a band and all they do is play 3 notes and growl the word "drown"!! haha

[AlTheKiller23]

kradamek wrote:

metOLIca wrote:

Cool interview. Lamb of God are brutal.

Because "brutal" is THE metal word.

haha true.. i bet that becomes a genre one day.. metalcore, hardcore, brutal!! \m/
hah im sure some where in poland of germany there is a band and all they do is play 3 notes and growl the word "drown"!! haha

ROFLMFAO