LAMB OF GOD drummer Art Cruz has described the band's latest album, "Into Oblivion" — released March 13 via Epic in the U.S. and Century Media in Europe — as the most personal record he has made with the Richmond, Virginia groove metal titans.
Speaking on the "Behind The Kit" podcast, Cruz explained the philosophy behind his drumming on the record: "It was the most organic thing that we could have done as a band. And I think as a drummer, it was kind of like 'less is more' for me. I wanted to play what I thought 16-year-old Art would've wanted to hear."
The approach represented a deliberate shift from the technical complexity associated with earlier LAMB OF GOD albums. "This doesn't have any sort of extremely technical things," Cruz acknowledged, "but it's technical for a player like me. And I kind of just was able to do what I was able to do on my own. I went in very organically, very purely, very motivated."
Cruz, who joined LAMB OF GOD in 2019 replacing founding drummer Chris Adler, credited producer Josh Wilbur for bringing out the best in him. "I shocked myself, honestly, with some of the things that I was doing," he said. "And Josh Wilbur, our producer, just really helped bring that out."
This marks Cruz's third studio album with LAMB OF GOD, following the self-titled 2020 record and 2022's "Omens." The drummer said what sets "Into Oblivion" apart is a sense of authentic self-expression that he had been building toward throughout his tenure with the band.