Review Summary: B-Sides in disguise.
Lamb of God's newest effort is a crafty release due to the fact it seems to offer a lot more than it possesses. Upon first listen, many of the songs seem to have a new depth and they put forward new ideas. However the problem lies in a simple fact: the new ideas succumb to old habits. The album simply sounds like a collection of B-sides with some frilly adages to make them seem fresh, and a few 'token' songs here and there added to the mix. After several listens it becomes apparent that Resolution is another slow and painful step to the 'death' that is Lamb Of God.
Resolution suffers a huge unendurable problem, being that almost all the songs are complete rehashes of old material. Most notably Ghost Walking, Desolation and Guilty, which form a three song block of boredom. This block of songs is perhaps the weakest on the album. It almost seems as if they took riffs from Sacrament and Ashes Of The Wake, scrambled up the notes, then forced them into the same Pantara based song structures they have been using for years. This goes for many other songs on the album as well. The real question is how can LoG be so unaware of this? If you have ever seen any interviews with the band the answer becomes apparent. The band themselves write everything based on riffs alone, and almost all the songs are written by the same person. The riffs on Resolution use the same basic scale and notes as on the other albums, only changed slightly. Of course this is a reoccurring problem in LoG's career, but by now we would have hoped for a little self awareness.
Resolution is slightly more melodic than the other albums, including more chords, which is perhaps it's greatest attribute. The Undertow contains several catchy and memorable chord passages. The Number Six does too, as while as having melodic vocals and some nifty bass work. Despite the boring riffs, Insurrection contains actual clean singing which is a first for LoG. The albums highest point is King Me which uses choral vocals and a radically different song structure. There are several successful songs on this album, but they are dwarfed by the complete lack of self awareness or regard for creativity. What Resolution offers is the same bass drops, the same breakdowns, and the same pseudo artsy interludes that you would hear on any other Lamb Of God album. Even the more interesting songs LoG wrote for Resolution use the same chugging riffs we've heard too many times.
Needless to say, for it's length, Resolution has very little redeeming value. The album is quite easily not worth the listen unless you are a diehard fan. In fact, that's likely the problem. This album is perfect for people who want to relive the old Lamb Of God in a new light, but for anybody looking for something memorable or noteworthy, there is no reason to even consider listening to it. It is by far their least interesting release to date.
+Pros: King Me is a great song. Undertow and The Number Six are interesting. The production is grittier and sludgier than previous albums.
-Cons: Most of the other songs run together, and each one is a carbon copy of previous material. The first 5 songs are down right horrible and start off the album on a bad foot.
