Into Oblivion (LP)

• Lamb of God (上帝羔羊樂團) 第十張最新作品《Into Oblivion》

Lamb of God (上帝羔羊樂團) 第十張專輯《Into Oblivion》，展現他們作為金屬樂壇老將的自覺與姿態——不必向任何人交代，也無需再證明什麼。因此，《Into Oblivion》既回望 LOG 的音樂根源，又強化他們標誌性的律動，同時開拓全新的聲響疆域。

問主唱 Randy Blythe 為什麼把第十張專輯命名為 Into Oblivion，他毫不拐彎抹角：「因為我們正朝那裡前進。」他說：「整體而言，這張專輯談的是社會契約正在持續且快速地崩解，尤其是在美國。如今被視為可接受的事，在二十年前會讓人震驚。」

Blythe 也深入探討了個人責任感的潛在問題。「人們越來越無法接受生活中的不確定性，於是開始尋找某個能對他們說：『只要相信我，一切都會沒事。我有所有答案，只有我能解決問題。』的人。」Blythe 說。「這是一種心甘情願放棄自主與責任的現象。」

《Into Oblivion》由樂團長期合作夥伴 Josh Wilbur 擔任製作，並在全美三間錄音室完成。鼓在里奇蒙的 The Bakery 錄製；吉他與貝斯則在吉他手 Mark Morton 位於維吉尼亞的家庭錄音室完成；人聲部分則錄於加州雷東多海灘的傳奇錄音室 Total Access 就像是 Black Flag《My War》以及 Hüsker Dü、Descendants、Saint Vitus 等經典作品皆誕生於此。

「我一走進去就立刻有種回到家的感覺，因為我能感受到那股龐克搖滾的歷史——那正是我來自的世界。」Blythe 熱情地說。最終，所有元素——音樂、錄音、歌詞主題，以及樂團自身的創作目標——全都匯聚成你在《Into Oblivion》中所聽見的樣貌。

★★★★★ ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★

• Lamb of God's 10th album, "Into Oblivion"

Lamb of God's tenth album, "Into Oblivion", sees them embracing their position as music veterans: Beholden to no one, with nothing to prove. As such, "Into Oblivion" is an album that simultaneously references LOG's roots, doubles down on their signature groove, and explores new sonic territory.

Ask vocalist Randy Blythe why the band decided to call their tenth album "Into Oblivion", and he doesn't mince words: "Because that's where we're heading," he says. "In general, the album is about the ongoing and rapid breakdown of the social contract, particularly here in America. Things are acceptable now that would've horrified people just 20 years ago."

Blythe also explores underlying factors of personal accountability. "People's increasing inability to accept uncertainty within their own lives has led them to look for someone to tell them, ‘Everything's going to be okay as long as you believe in me. I have all the answers. I alone can fix it,'" Blythe says. "There's this willing relinquishing of agency and of responsibility."

Produced by the band's longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur, "Into Oblivion" was recorded at three different studios across the country. The drums were tracked at The Bakery in Richmond. The guitars and bass were tracked at Mark Morton's (guitar) home studio in Virginia. The vocals were recorded at Total Access, the legendary studio in Redondo Beach, California, that birthed Black Flag's "My War" and seminal records from Hüsker Dü, Descendants and Saint Vitus.

"When I walked in there, I immediately felt at home because I felt that punk rock history, which is the world I come from," Blythe enthuses. In the end, all these factors—the music, the recording, the lyrical themes, and the band's own creative goals—coalesced into what you hear on "Into Oblivion".

[Track Listings]
- LP, SIDE A -
1. nto Oblivion (3:34)
2. Parasocial Christ (3:20)
3. Sepsis (3:38)
4. The Killing Floor (4:16)
5. El Vacío (4:17)

- LP, SIDE B -
1. St. Catherine's Wheel (4:05)
2. Blunt Force Blues (4:11)
3. Bully (4:13)
4. A Thousand Years (3:53)
5. Devise / Destroy (3:49)