Ethereal Metal

Ryan Murray | Co-Owner | Chief Editor | Contributor | Photographer

r.m.music84@gmail.com

For a band built on weighty riffs and unapologetic force, turning inward feels almost radical. But that’s exactly where Lamb of God stand in 2026.

With Blunt Force Blues, the Richmond heavyweights deliver the final preview of Into Oblivion, arriving March 13 via Epic Records. And instead of chasing spectacle or doubling down on pure aggression, they reach back to the foundation — the local scene, the early grind, the community that shaped them long before arenas and billion-stream milestones.

Blunt Force Blues isn’t just nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, it’s an origin story told without romanticizing it.

On Blunt Force Blues, Randy Blythe pulls the lens back to the beginning — before the accolades, before the arena lights — when Lamb of God were just kids in Richmond trying to measure up.

“We learned how to play by watching and hanging out with other local dudes,” Blythe explains. “That’s what we aspired to do – keep up with good local bands. They were just as much of an influence on us as any of the bigger bands from different cities.”

It’s a reminder that the band’s DNA wasn’t shaped in isolation. It was forged in small rooms, local bills, and a competitive camaraderie that demanded growth or collapse.

Guitarist Mark Morton sees Into Oblivion as the byproduct of everything that followed — 25-plus years of touring, recording, surviving, and evolving.

“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,” Morton says. “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.”

After decades of proving themselves, Lamb of God no longer sound like a band chasing relevance. They sound like a band reclaiming instinct.

The lead-up to this release has been anything but quiet.

Sepsis, their first new track since 2022, paid homage to early ’90s Richmond grit with bruising, slower-burning riffs and a vocal performance that felt unhinged in all the right ways. Parasocial Christ followed with a tight, three-minute onslaught — sharp, direct, and unmistakably Lamb of God. Then came the title track, Into Oblivion, a ferocious gut-punch that reaffirmed the band’s ability to sound urgent three decades into their career.

If those songs showed range, Blunt Force Blues shows roots.

Produced and mixed by longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur, Into Oblivion was recorded across spaces deeply connected to the band’s identity.

Drums were tracked in Richmond, grounding the record at home. Guitars and bass were laid down at Morton’s home studio — reinforcing the album’s untethered spirit. Blythe recorded vocals at the legendary Total Access Recording in California, a space responsible for foundational releases by Black Flag, Husker Du, and Descendents.

That lineage isn’t accidental. You can feel it in the urgency — stripped down, unpolished where it counts, focused on impact over ornament.

In a move that mirrors their early days, Lamb of God are celebrating release weekend (March 13–15) with listening parties at more than 140 independent record stores nationwide. Exclusive merch, giveaways, and an indie-exclusive Poltergeist vinyl variant will be available, along with a collectible CD edition featuring a companion zine packed with handwritten lyrics, art sketches, and never-before-seen studio photos.

For a band that came up in local scenes, that grassroots emphasis doesn’t feel like marketing. It feels like memory.

Lamb of God’s Into Oblivion North American trek stands poised to be one of the heaviest tours of 2026 — not by accident, but by design. Kicking off March 17 in National Harbor, MD, the band will be joined by Kublai Khan TX, Fit For An Autopsy, and Sanguisugabogg for a run that guts through North America before exploding overseas.

Tickets and VIP packages for all Into Oblivion shows are on sale now via Lamb-of-God.com/tour, including tiered VIP experiences with exclusive merch, meet & greets, and other add-ons.

Into Oblivion – North American Tour Dates

March 17 — National Harbor, MD — The Theater MGM National Harbor March 19 — Montreal, QC — Bell Centre March 20 — Toronto, ON — GCT Theatre March 22 — Detroit, MI — Fox Theatre March 24 — Minneapolis, MN — Armory March 25 — Chicago, IL — Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom March 27 — Denver, CO — Fillmore Auditorium March 28 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union Event Center March 30 — Portland, OR — Theater of the Clouds March 31 — Seattle, WA — WAMU Theater April 1 — Vancouver, BC — PNE Forum April 3 — San Francisco, CA — The Masonic April 4 — Inglewood, CA — YouTube Theater April 5 — Phoenix, AZ — Arizona Financial Theatre April 7 — Albuquerque, NM — Revel Entertainment Center April 10 — Austin, TX — Moody Amphitheater April 11 — Irving, TX — The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory April 12 — Houston, TX — 713 Music Hall April 14 — Nashville, TN — War Memorial Auditorium April 15 — Atlanta, GA — Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre April 16 — Raleigh, NC — Red Hat Amphitheater April 18 — Reading, PA — Santander Arena April 19 — Virginia Beach, VA — The Dome April 21 — Buffalo, NY — Buffalo RiverWorks April 23 — Brooklyn, NY — Brooklyn Paramount April 25 — Uncasville, CT — Mohegan Sun Arena April 26 — Boston, MA — MGM Music Hall at Fenway

Additional 2026 Appearances

May 9 — Daytona Beach, FL — Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival May 17 — Dayton, OH — Welcome to Rockville May 20 — San Juan, PR — Coliseo de Puerto Rico July 24 — Istanbul, TR — Bonus Parkorman July 25–27 — Plovdiv, BG — Hills of Rock July 27–31 — Râşnov, RO — Rockstadt Extreme Fest August 1 — Wacken, DE — Wacken Open Air August 3 — Leipzig, DE — Haus Auensee August 5 — Lisbon, PT — Vagos Open Air August 6–9 — Kortrijk, BE — Alcatraz Open Air August 7 — Walton-on-Trent, UK — Bloodstock Open Air August 11 — Copenhagen, DK — K.B. Hallen August 12–16 — Dinkelsbühl, DE — Summer Breeze August 13–15 — Sulingen, DE — Reload Festival August 14–16 — Eindhoven, NL — Dynamo Metalfest Oct 30–Nov 3 — Miami, FL — Headbangers Boat

Formed in 1994, Lamb of God — Randy Blythe, John Campbell, Mark Morton, Willie Adler, and Art Cruz — have built a legacy few modern metal bands can rival. Nine studio albums. Five GRAMMY nominations. Over three million albums sold. More than a billion streams.

Into Oblivion doesn’t feel like a band leaning on résumé bullet points, but rather like a band remembering why they started — and realizing they don’t owe anyone anything.

Blunt Force Blues isn’t softer Lamb of God. It’s focused Lamb of God. Grounded. Unburdened. Still heavy — just breathing on their own terms.

And sometimes, that kind of freedom hits harder than any breakdown.