MARK MORTON Clarifies His Comment That It's 'Weird' No Newer Bands Have 'Flat-Out Ripped' LAMB OF GOD Off: 'I Find That Curious'

In a new interview with Australia's Heavy, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton was asked to elaborate on his recent comment that he finds it "weird" that no newer bands have just "flat-out ripped" LAMB OF GOD off in terms of the his group's overall sound and songwriting approach. Mark said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, I don't know. It'd be interesting to know. I wish I had a clever answer for you. I don't really know. I stand by that. I feel like it's surprising. You see bands like KILLSWITCH [ENGAGE], who had such success, and then you saw 20 bands come out that sounded like KILLSWITCH. And I don't see that with us. Even GOJIRA, who are so great, and you hear GOJIRA references in all kinds of new bands. And that's not a dig; it's not a criticism. If anything, I find it curious that I don't hear at least a successful rendition of the LAMB OF GOD kind of character in newer bands. But I know that we have influenced a lot of younger bands, 'cause they tell me that. I hear bits and pieces."

Morton continued: "I think in that [BangerTV] interview [where I made the original comment] that people like to talk about so much now, which is fine — I'm happy to talk about it — I think what I was trying to say is no bands that came out that were just, like, straight-up LAMB OF GOD rip-off. And I find that curious. It's just an observation. I'm not certainly not let down by that or hoping that someone will. It's just kind of an observation I've made."

Morton was also asked to address his previous comment that he his LAMB OF GOD bandmates didn't feel like they had "to keep up with any trend or expectation" while making their latest album, "Into Oblivion". He said: "I don't know. I think it's more natural than it is something that we sort of have to make an effort to avoid… As much as I think these bands are great, and it's exciting to see young bands, moving the genre forward, I don't feel compelled to try and emulate what KNOCKED LOOSE is doing or what SPIRITBOX is doing. [Those are] phenomenal bands, but I think there have, at times, and from different corners of the industry, been suggestions that to keep up with, to stay symmetrical with what's streaming or what's performing well or whatever, this is the sound, or this is the format, or this is the that or the other thing, and it's just, like, 'No.' Bro, I'm 53 years old. We've been doing this for almost 30 years. So it's not a matter of thumbing my nose at it. I'm a fan of what those bands are doing. I think it's phenomenal. I enjoy watching a new generation of bands take this thing that we kind of helped carry the stick for for a little while, and take it somewhere else and make it their own. And that's really exciting to observe, as a fan of music and as a member of this heavy metal community. But to try and emulate that or to try and incorporate that into what we do wouldn't feel natural to me or to our band."

"Into Oblivion" arrived in March 2026 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 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 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.