MARK MORTON On Key To LAMB OF GOD's Longevity: We Have 'Always Been Unapologetically Ourselves And Sometimes To A Fault'

In a new interview with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton was asked what is next for him and his bandmates. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Oh, I don’t know, man. We don’t really have anything to announce. We’re always tinkering here and there, me and Willie [Adler, LAMB OF GOD guitarist]. We’ve got some shows coming up towards the end of the year. Nothing super pressing, really. I think everyone’s kind of catching their breath. It’s been a pretty intense — not intense, I don’t wanna say intense, but it’s been a hectic few years. We’re old men now. So we have to catch our breaths and go home and meet our families and stuff.”

Asked what he thinks has been the key to LAMB OF GOD‘s longevity, Mark said: “Well, I wish I knew, because I would be able to sell it. I don’t know. I think LAMB OF GOD has always been unapologetically ourselves and sometimes to a fault. I think we’ve been, on back even to the early DVD days and all that kind of stuff, we’ve always really been happy to show you our ass and also celebrate alongside our fanbase with our victories. So, I think that authenticity has created a relationship between the band and fans where we really feel like we are all part of the same thing, because we are. So when I go to a LAMB OF GOD show, the people I see in the audience are as important as we are, because if they’re not there, it’s just our dumb asses on stage making a bunch of noise. So it’s very much a collective project and the fans are as or more important a part of that project as we are. And I think we have remained able to stay aware of that throughout our career. And if any of us forget that, we are a pretty intense group of dudes who are very happy to remind each other of that. So I think that’s the reason. I think we are really pretty genuine, creatively and otherwise. And, yeah, I think that’s the reason.”

Regarding his relationship with LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe, Mark said: “Well, it’s been 25 years, and I think Randy is easily one of the best frontmen in modern heavy metal. And he’s one of my best friends. I don’t know. We write songs together. We do other stuff together. I mean, he knows my kids. It’s family. That’s how it’s been. We’re super close. People use the term ‘like brothers.’ I’ll give him a kidney tomorrow if he needs one. You know what I mean? He is my brother. But we sometimes butt heads. We’ve been in fist fights. We’ve been there for each other through hard times. It’s all the stuff, man.”

LAMB OF GOD recently added several headlining dates to its 2025 schedule, including a special performance in their hometown of Richmond, as well as stops in Springfield, Massachusetts, Monterrey, Mexico, and more. LAMB OF GOD will also join BLACK SABBATH for their historic “Back To The Beginning” send-off, and headline several festivals, including Inkcarceration, Unhinged, Louder Than Life and Aftershock. In addition, the band returns to the high seas this fall with the return of their Headbangers Boat cruise (Oct. 31 to Nov. 4),a four-day floating festival departing from Miami with a stop in Cozumel, Mexico.

Last summer, LAMB OF GOD completed its “Ashes Of Leviathan” co-headlining tour with MASTODON. The trek, dubbed “Ashes Of Leviathan”, also featured openers KERRY KING and MALEVOLENCE.

“Ashes Of Leviathan” celebrated the 20th anniversary of LAMB OF GOD‘s “Ashes Of The Wake” and MASTODON‘s “Leviathan” albums, both of which were released on the same date in 2004 (August 31).

On August 30, 2024, Epic Records and Legacy Recordings marked the two-decade anniversary of “Ashes Of Leviathan” with “Ashes Of The Wake (20th Anniversary Edition)”, featuring new mixes by Justin K Broadrick (GODFLESH, JESU),HEALTH and KUBLAI KHAN TX and MALEVOLENCE, as well as demo and live versions of the album’s classic songs.

LAMB OF GOD is Randy Blythe (vocals),John Campbell (bass),Mark Morton (guitar),Willie Adler (guitar) and Art Cruz (drums). Formed in 1994, the Richmond, Virginia-based band have released nine critically acclaimed albums, received five Grammy Award nominations and are widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative forces in heavy music. The band’s most recent collection, “Omens”, arrived in late 2022, with Kerrang! noting that the album finds the band “as reliably heavy, violent, and pissed off as ever,” and Consequence saying the “album will break you down to nihilistic pieces.”