LAMB OF GOD Bassist JOHN CAMPBELL: Why I Play With A Pick

In a new interview with For Bass Players Only, LAMB OF GOD's John Campbell was asked if he ever played with his fingers before switching to playing with a pick/plectrum and if so, what prompted the change. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In Richmond [Virginia], when we first started, one of my early influences, just an amazing bass player that was here in town, was playing in a band called KEPONE and singing, a guy named Mike Bishop. He had been in GWAR; he actually now is back in GWAR as the lead singer. This guy's fingers were insane; his technique is incredible. I wanted to be able to do that. But at one point I broke my hand and there was somebody coming to check us out at our practice place while I had a broken hand. So I was, like, 'I guess I'm gonna tape a pick in my hand and see if I can make it work.' It didn't work [laughs], but I continued [playing] with a pick.

"At this point, I feel like I do better with a pick than I ever could have done with my fingers, just because of the exacting precision," John explained. "I play really hard, with a lot of attack, that I guess I could also do with my fingers. But the speed that I can get with the pick, it would be insanely difficult with your fingers… I can still play with my fingers. I just can't play as fast as punchy, and it would take me some while to make sure that I had the fingers to get through an entire set."

LAMB OF GOD and KREATOR's "State Of Unrest" European tour was originally scheduled to take place in 2020, but ended up getting postponed, first to 2021, then to 2022 and finally to 2023, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The trek officially launched on February 15 in Munich, Germany and will conclude on March 19 in Berlin, Germany.

LAMB OF GOD is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Omens", which was released last October via Epic Records. The band tracked the effort with longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH) live in the room together at Henson Recording Studios (formerly A&M Studios) in Los Angeles, California, a location that birthed classics from THE DOORS, PINK FLOYD, RAMONES and SOUNDGARDEN, among others.

"Omens" is the follow-up to LAMB OF GOD's self-titled album, which was released in June 2020 via Epic Records in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Records in Europe. That LP marked LAMB OF GOD's first recordings with Art Cruz, who joined the band in July 2019 as the replacement for the group's founding drummer, Chris Adler.