Week

Heavy Song of the Week is a feature on Heavy Consequence breaking down the top metal, punk, and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week, we highlight Lamb of God’s new single “Sepsis.”

This is sludgy for Lamb of God and an effective change of pace — quite literally — for the Richmond, Virginia vets. Mark Morton’s riffs are bruising at this slower pace, the bass tone is filthy, and Randy Blythe reaches to a deep register that has him bellowing like a heavy metal Nick Cave. Aside from a brief blasty bit, they maintain this crushing mid-to-slow tempo — like something Crowbar would play — and wear this style well. The track also serves as Lamb of God’s tribute to the underground scene from whence they came, referencing numerous Richmond bands in the lyrics.

“’Sepsis’ is a celebration of the very underground local bands here in Richmond that we really admired when we were just forming Burn the Priest,” stated Morton. “Bands like Breadwinner, Sliang Laos, and Ladyfinger—though they never got widespread attention outside of Richmond, those were the bands we listened to all the time. The song references that stuff in a way that’s a direct line to where we were coming from when we were in the basement writing our earliest material together.”

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Honorable Mentions:

Morbikon – “Heavens That Burn and Eons Divided”

Morbikon, led by Municipal Waste’s Phil “Landphil” Hall, are set to drop their sophomore album Lost Within the Astral Crypts on November 21st. “Heavens That Burn and Eons Divided” is the LP opener and a fiery four-plus minutes of blackened thrash with a rock n’ roll tilt, courtesy of Landphil on the guitar. There’s a casual looseness to his shredding that often gets eschewed for over-technicality in this type of metal.

Show Me the Body – “Sabotage”

In some ways, the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” laid the groundwork for Show Me the Body’s style of rock-influenced hip-hop. The latter definitely applies more of a modern hardcore edge to their music, but when Julian Cashwan Pratt swings his banjo behind his back and steps up to the mic, rapping over heavy bass riffs, there’s definitely some sonic parallels at play. Hearing them actually cover “Sabotage” drives the comparison home. The band is obviously privy to how well their treatment works, as the cover was already a setlist staple before being recorded in the studio.

SPEED – “AIN’T MY GAME”

Aussie hardcore outfit SPEED are darting up the ranks, garnering a valued support slot on Turnstile’s tour with Amyl and the Sniffers and Jane Remover. Honestly, they might be the heaviest band on that bill, as heard on their new single “AIN’T MY GAME.” Massive metal-riffy hardcore with breakdowns galore and anger-fueled vocals of the NYHC vein, this is sure to get the crowd in a frenzy for Turnstile and company.