Album Review: Lamb Of God - The Duke

American metal stalwarts Lamb Of God must have had some downtime to kill in-between album releases. After last year's VII: Sturm Und Drang - the first after singer Randy Blythe's manslaughter case, whose dark but cohesive subject matter made it almost a concept album - the five-piece have dished out two new songs and a handful of live tracks. While there's much that's likeable in their new offerings, one can't help but feel a little teased with a very scant promise of more to come.

First fresh track The Duke comes bursting out of the gate with some furious, tight grooves and solid kit-work. Blythe's vocals are showing no signs of fatigue; if anything they're sounding better than ever as he dips and weaves between his straight, screech and forceful deliveries. Culling bumps the thrash up a notch with a rampant snare and a hardcore growl pretty much throughout. What impresses here is the shredding in-between motifs; it's not only a respite from the tense energy, it's also just some incredible guitar work from Mark Morton.

The tail end is three live recordings of some of their much-loved anthems. While that includes Still Echoes from Rock Am Ring and 512 and Engage The Fear Machine, both captured live from Bonnaroo, it just doesn't seem like enough to warrant this humble package release. Having said that, the newbies prove the lads still know how to thrash out some grooves after all these years. But this release as a whole is more recommended for Lamb Of God diehards.