LAMB OF GOD's ART CRUZ On 'Into Oblivion': 'I Think This Is The Most 'Me' Album'

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Behind The Kit" podcast, hosted by Kyle Smith of Arizona Drummer, LAMB OF GOD drummer Art Cruz discussed the making of the band's latest album, "Into Oblivion", which came out on March 13 via Epic in the U.S. and Century Media in Europe. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've said this a couple of times, especially going into this now as we've talked to a lot of people about the record. But it was the most organic thing that we could have done as a band. And then I think as a drummer, it was kind of like 'less is more' for me, and I wanted to play what I thought 16-year-old Art would've wanted to hear. And to be honest with you, that's kind of weird because some of the old LAMB stuff that was being played before in the past was really technical, and this doesn't have any sort of extremely technical things. But it's technical for a player like me. And I kind of just was able to do what I was able to do on my own. I went in very organically. I went in very purely. I went in very motivated. Not that I wasn't for the last two albums that I've done. But in this particular time, in the career with not only the band and how much time I've already had under my belt with them, I feel like I just got all the shit out of the way that needed to get done. And it was just a lot of learning, evolving. And my creative flow — I think this is the most 'me' album. There's enough technical shit — I'm doing some cool shit — but I shocked myself, honestly, with some of the things that I was doing, and Josh Wilbur, our producer, just really helped bring that out."

After Smith noted that "Into Oblivion" feels more like an Art album than the previous LAMB LPs the drummer appeared on, 2020's "Lamb Of God" and 2022's "Omens", Cruz said: "I'm happy that you're saying that, because something, too, that I've been kind of… I mean, you record an album, you work so hard on it, you're in the fucking zone. But then it finally comes out. And then you're kind of like seeing what [the fans are] thinking and what other people are thinking, maybe what your friends are saying. But this was one of those ones where I was getting a lot of like messages, like, 'Hey, man, something's different. Whatever it is, yes. Like, yes.' And it's crazy because I had never… The first album ['Lamb Of God'] had that, but that was more of, like, 'Congratulations. You're in it.' And then the 'Omens' one was, like, 'Wow, that was a cool experience to see happen,' 'cause we had put out a documentary with it. Different things, different praises, if you will. But this one — everybody's saying the same thing, they're, like, 'Man, this one hits different.' Don't know what it was, but I think it was just… Again, we were all just doing what we were supposed to do. It wasn't complicated at all. And I think Mark has said this in a couple interviews, we had kind of really had nothing to prove. With that we were, I would imagine, inspired by ourselves, and thankfully my inspirations are part of LAMB OF GOD — LAMB OF GOD are part of those. So it's kind of, like, I just went back to, like, 'Oh, let me just kind of lay it back a little bit.' You know what I'm saying?!"

Last month, Art told Loyal To The Craft about "Into Oblivion": "It's been a long time coming. It's the band's tenth studio album. What a monument to be a part of, for not only the legacy of LAMB OF GOD, but my third album [with the band]. And I think I got — no, I don't think; I know that I got all the cobwebs off. I know that this album, to me, is me. It's Art. It's my identity. And honestly, it took a lot of time, and that's part of jumping into a band like this and part of jumping into something. So I'm very excited to see what the fans think and what the music industry thinks of this new music because it's very special to us and me."

Art continued: "I'm gonna cherish this one a little bit more. Nothing about the other ones is uncherishable — they're special to me — but this one is… We turned it up, and by turning it up, I actually turned it down, which, we can get into that. That's just crazy. So I'm proud of it."

Speaking specifically about his contributions to "Into Oblivion", Art said:  "My entire approach on this record was so different because not only is this my first record sober — that's a big deal — the type of alcoholic I was, I was constantly just burying myself in it, and I was never really fully present. My priorities were all messed up. I think to explain it in a short term of that, the emotions are very loud and I'm feeling everything extra. Everything I touch is very — the smells are stronger, the studio is stronger, the lights are brighter. I love that. I'm happy that I'm present for this one because it changed my entire approach to my approach creatively, to what I did performance-wise, the condition that I put my body in and how I got my body into condition, and eating good, and like all those things that came into play to prepare myself. I actually was really hard on myself, and I had to learn how to get out of that too, 'cause I was being super paranoid about, like, 'Oh, this part's not good.' And if there's anything that I took from this whole experience is less is more; real recognizes real; air drumming — literally all three of those things, man."

Cruz continued: "So, from the start, my creative process started… I had this whole different view. Not only that, I wasn't thrown into it. My first LAMB OF GOD album, the self-titled, I was just getting off the last SLAYER tour and it's, like, we're gonna go home. 'You wanna be in the band, right?' 'Yes.' 'Okay, cool. We're gonna write a record. We got songs already.' I'm, like, 'What is happening?' Right into it. And I've talked about this before, but that record, we'd like to consider it a safe album. I didn't go too far away from what was already there. I was learning the method of how these dudes worked. That's part of evolving. And I didn't know what I really was doing. I didn't know how they worked. So I had to learn a lot on that one. And then my sophomore album, 'Omens', the 'Omens' album that we did was a very high production, the band's peak production — big-ass studio [in] Hollywood, month at a time, where you're gonna stay out there for a month and pre-production and writing sessions. And that was that one. And that was a great experience to be a part of that, 'cause they never experienced that. So to come into this one, it happened so naturally, man. And early on in the creative process, I wasn't sure what to expect, because it wasn't the same. It was not like the ones we did before. So I'm, like, 'This doesn't feel right. Something feels off.' So me, the way that I am as a person, like, 'Oh, what do I do?' I'm trying to figure out how to be involved in this and this. And sometimes you just have to settle down and pause and let it be what it's gonna be. It's totally out of my control."

Art added: "I don't play guitar. I gotta wait for the riff or wait for the song to be where it's at. And these guys are LAMB OF GOD for a reason. Shut up, drop the ego, listen. Learn to listen, listen to learn. That's what I've learned a lot over the years. And these guys have taught me that. They've taught me that. And with this mindset, going into the new album, I'm, like, 'I'm gonna try to go in as pure as they possibly can. I'm gonna get off YouTube. I'm gonna get off social media. I'm gonna stop looking at other drummers, perfect drummers, and listening to albums that are coming out right now. At the time when we were recording, [I was], like, 'What's so-and-so doing?' 'I'm gonna cut all that out. I'm gonna get my body and my mind right.' I worked out for six months on a huge regimen to get my body back in shape, get my mind right. Obviously staying sober helps that all the time. And I went in so pure, the songs weren't gonna change. It was like, 'Here, kid. Here are the songs.' I didn't know that then, but I know that now, that that was them putting faith in me and knowing what I can do. I don't know if I earned my stripes yet, but it's also like I felt it. They just said, 'Do what you do.' They weren't directing me. They're just, like, 'Just do what you're gonna do. The songs aren't changing.' And honestly, it's the best thing that ever happened to me. And the mindset was clear, pure, and whatever is on this album is what was supposed to be on this album. And it was uninfluenced. It was all what was already in me. And now I'm proud of it. It's my best record. For me, it's my favorite record of all time. Like, for real."

Cruz celebrated the third anniversary of his getting sober this past January.

Art filled in for original LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler on several of the band's tours before being named Adler's official replacement in July 2019.

"Into Oblivion" arrived to widespread acclaim. In the lead-up to the release, LAMB OF GOD appeared on the covers of Metal Hammer and Kerrang!, with critics praising the album's intensity and relevance. The Associated Press featured the album in their weekly highlights, calling it "10 tracks of ferocity," while Brooklyn Vegan noted that "the band spends these 10 songs reminding the world that their reign as New Wave Of American Heavy Metal giants is far from over," and SPIN said the band is "channeling America's unraveling into a ferocious new album."

The album is available now across multiple formats, including various vinyl variants, a collectible "Into Oblivion" CD with a limited-edition companion zine featuring album art sketches, handwritten lyrics and never-before-seen studio photos.

Produced and mixed by longtime studio collaborator Josh Wilbur, "Into Oblivion" was recorded across multiple locations tied closely to the band's identity. Drums were tracked in Richmond, Virginia, with guitars and bass recorded at guitarist Mark Morton's home studio. Singer Randy Blythe recorded his vocals at the legendary Total Access studio in Redondo Beach, California, the birthplace of seminal punk records by BLACK FLAG, HÜSKER DÜ and DESCENDENTS.