LAMB OF GOD's MARK MORTON: 'There Is Absolutely An Honesty About What We Do Creatively'

In a brand new interview with Australia's Blunt magazine, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton said there is a fine line between drawing from the bands that have inspired you and being musical clones. "As an artist, a writer and a creative person, you have to be aware of your influences," he said. "I think the goal is to have your interests, on a personal level, diverse enough that when you combine them, they make their own sound. I think anyone would be foolish to believe anything other than the fact that there's only twelve notes in Western music, so pretty much everything has been done. I think diversity comes from a depth in the kind of musical influences that you have, and the reference points that you choose. For my part, I'm very vocal about the fact that I'm a big fan of British blues — LED ZEPPELIN, CREAM and BLIND FAITH, bands like that — and so while my band sounds nothing like those things, if you listen closely, there is a kind of bluesy element to what I bring to the table. I think that's something that sets us apart from our peers. I certainly don't have a trademark on the things I derive from that, but it's something that makes us unique, and I think all bands should strive to have a diverse set of influences. I think that's where our identity, musically, comes from."

Morton also talked about LAMB OF GOD's continued commercial success, with the band scoring its third No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart via last year's "VII: Strum Und Drang". The set, translated to "storm and stress" in German, also bowed at No. 3 on The Billboard 200, matching the rank of the group's previous release, "Resolution", in 2012. LAMB OF GOD reached its best peak on The Billboard 200, No. 2, with "Wrath" in 2009.

"I think it's a couple of things," he said. "I happen to think that we are a really good band, and we are good at what we do. I think I'm allowed to say that, because our body of work supports that statement. I also think that there is absolutely an honesty about what we do creatively, and sometimes to a fault. We are open about who we are and what we are as a band, and we really let our fans into that. The fanbase really identifies you when you are being yourself. That combination of being good at what we do, and the magic that happens when the five of us plug in to play music together — combined with the honesty that we are willing to let go of when we're writing — that connects with our audience. Those things combine into the phenomenon that is LAMB OF GOD."