LAMB OF GOD Bassist: When We First Started Playing, 'Heavy Metal' Was A Bad Word

Jed Ahern of Autralia's [V] Music recently conducted an interview with bassist John Campbell of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

[V] Music: You've said each album is a learning experience. What lessons did you take from your last album "Wrath" into the making of "Resolution"?

John: We just tightened up the process of how we produced the record. With "Wrath", we continued a process we started with [former producer] Machine. Going through a similar process, this time with Josh Wilbur, the actual mechanics of making the album were a breeze. What we had to worry about was makin' the most whoop-ass, heavy and brutal heavy metal songs we possibly could.

[V] Music: "Resolution" is the second LAMB OF GOD album in a row produced by Josh Wilbur. How much does he affect your sound?

John: When we got together to start rehearsing, to write the record, he was there from day one, giving his input. This track "King Me", this bit of different-ness was something he actually dreamed up and put together. So he's a huge part of how the record sounds. He's also the guy who mixed it, so his finger's on it the whole way. We're pushing the music and he's the filter, the middle man, who makes it sounds great for everybody listening to the recording.

[V] Music: You were one of 10 bands that Revolver magazine named as "The Future of American Metal" back in 2004. What's it been like living up to that kind of hype?

John: The wording of that kind of implies we were put to some sort of test, but really we just do what we do. We were labelled by magazines as part of the "new wave" of American heavy metal. Really, all these labels and put-ups like "the biggest thing," or "the newest thing that's gonna be IT" — it's media coming up with something to say. In the meantime, while it's something we pay attention to, it really doesn't drive what we're doing. We're just a heavy metal band, man.

[V] Music: How have you seen music change since you started out 10 years before that?

John: When we first started playing, "heavy metal" was a bad word. We would book our own tours, playing people's basements, driving a van with a trailer. When we were calling people up, when it came to the point where they'd say, "Hey, what kid of band are you?" we'd say, "We're a metal band," and they would quickly be like, "Ah... yeah... we don't... we're not really... that, that's cool, man." But then we started saying we're a "punk" metal band and we had no problems booking shows! So in that one small way we've definitely seen a pretty big swing in music.

Read the entire interview from [V] Music.