RANDY BLYTHE Explains LAMB OF GOD Logo Change: The Old Logo 'Looked Like A Falafel Restaurant Menu'

In a new interview with Hardlore, vocalist Randy Blythe of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD was asked how he and his bandmates approached the making of their tenth studio album, "Into Oblivion", which will be released on March 13 via Epic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Much in the same way we went about approaching album number nine, number eight, number seven."

Randy continued: "I think the biggest difference with us as a band, particularly over the last — I don't know — five or six years, is we have consciously tried to shelve the ego individual members have and try and keep in mind the greater whole. 'Cause when you're a younger band — and we're five very different people — when you're a younger band, it's, like, nobody hands you a handbook, 'This is how you be a band.' But you're so passionate and it's so important to you, and what you put into the music is so personal that when someone says, 'Eh, I don't know about that,' in the band, then you're, like, [hurt]. And we were very contentious for a long time — writing was very contentious. Somehow in our old age, as we wander off into Alzheimer's-riddled legacy territory, we've learned to get along better than we ever did. So we get along great now. And it's because, I think, when we're writing, we're all, like… There's a quote attributed to [American playwright and screenwriter] Tennessee Williams: 'You must be willing to murder your darlings.' Meaning your contribution, your art cannot be so precious that if someone else looks at it and is, like, 'That doesn't serve the greater whole,' you gotta cut it. And it's painful. So for us, we've kind of learned as a group to sort of shelve the individual egos and think more about the whole."

Blythe added: "We have a saying: better is better. It sounds stupid, but it's true. And me, just as much as any of the other dudes, have certainly been guilty of, like, 'I love this, but this is how exactly it works.' And then somebody [goes], 'But what about this?' And it's a hard thing, when you care about something so much and you've put in so much time, to have someone be, like, 'Eh. I don't know.' But better is better. So we try and say that to ourselves."

Asked why LAMB OF GOD decided to change the band logo on the "Into Oblivion" cover for the first time in 27 years, Randy said: "Well, our logo, to be perfectly honest, needed changing. It's the papyrus font [that we used for the old LAMB OF GOD logo]. And had we known 20-however many years ago that we would wind up looking like a falafel restaurant menu, we wouldn't have used that. But that was before papyrus font was ubiquitous."

News of "Into Oblivion"'s March arrival was accompanied by the debut of its title track, "Into Oblivion", alongside a video directed by Tom Flynn and Mike Watts.

"For me, the album is about having the space to breathe creatively and not feeling like we have to keep up with any trend or expectation," LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton said in a statement. "It feels nice to be untethered from any agenda beyond rallying around the notion of, 'Let's just make music that we think is cool,' which is really where it all started."

Regarding why LAMB OF GOD decided to name the album "Into Oblivion", Randy said: "Because that's where we're heading. In general, the album is about the ongoing and rapid breakdown of the social contract, particularly here in America. Things are acceptable now that would've horrified people just 20 years ago."

In the months leading up to last month's album announcement, the metal veterans released a pair of blistering singles that offered listeners a taste of the album's range. "Sepsis", the band's first new song since 2022, paid homage to the early '90s Richmond underground that shaped LAMB OF GOD's formative years. Consequence, in their "Heavy Song Of The Week" feature, noted the track's fresh approach, saying "Morton's riffs are bruising at this slower pace," and adding that Blythe bellows "like a heavy metal Nick Cave." "Parasocial Christ" followed, evoking classic LAMB OF GOD with a three-minute onslaught that Revolver dubbed an "anti-tech thrasher."

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. 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.

LAMB OF GOD previously announced a spring North American tour in what promises to be the heaviest trek of 2026. Joined by KUBLAI KHAN TX, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY and SANGUISUGABOGG, the tour kicks off on March 17. Tickets and VIP packages are on sale now via Lamb-of-god.com/tour.

"Sepsis" arrived during a milestone year for LAMB OF GOD. In 2025, the band celebrated the 25th anniversary of its discography, performed at the historic "Back To The Beginning" concert and subsequently released their thunderous take on BLACK SABBATH's "Children Of The Grave", along with appearances at several festivals, including Inkcarceration and Louder Than Life, and a headlining show at Richmond's new 7500-seat outdoor venue Allianz Amphitheater during its opening season.

Randy Blythe photo credit: Travis Shinn