Mark Morton - Anesthetic (Album Review)

Lamb Of God guitarist Mark Morton has slowly but surely been cooking up his debut solo record for a few years now, making sure it was as massive as fans would want. The day has come, and his solo album is defying all boundaries. Mark Morton’s debut solo album Anesthetic brings together some of rock and metal’s finest to deliver a powerful, diverse, and jamming listen.

Morton only settles for the best in Anesthetic, and that’s evident right from the start. The massive ‘Cross Off‘ introduces the record, with the late Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington manning the vocals. Endless riffs and blistering rhythm help carry Bennington’s powerful performance as he casually switches between styles throughout the track, from more alternative rock verses to fully screamed rap vocals during the bridge. Papa Roach‘s Jacoby continues to deliver some strong vocals in the following track ‘Sworn Apart,’ with big choruses contrasting subtler verses. Other tracks throughout the record continue to push things forward with their momentous drive, including ‘Save Defiance‘ with Myles Kennedy and ‘Imaginary Days.’

Anesthetic is more than a straightforward metal record. There’s lots of things going in the record on to provide variety as it goes. The first track that really shakes up the album’s sound is ‘Axis,’ where Mark Lanegan sounds wonderful over the folkier, cooler instrumental. Also on the softer side of things is ‘Reveal,’ a weirdly cheesy track where Naeemah Z. Maddox sings upliftingly. On the opposite side of things, Morton gets truly heavy at some points throughout the record. Closing track ‘The Truth Is Dead‘ sees Randy Blythe and Alissa White-Gluz close the album on a huge note, with deathly roars and massive riffs driving the album out. Massive riffs embody ‘The Never‘ with Chuck Billy and Jake Oni as well, while the aggressive and threatening drives of ‘Blur‘ with Mike Moralez and ‘Back From The Dead‘ with Josh Todd keep the album alive and powerful.

Mark Morton teams up with some of rock and metal’s best musicians in his genre-encapsuling debut record Anesthetic, bringing power, energy, and variety all at once. Few metal records see such an impressive amount of talent coming together, and it’s awesome to see what can happen when they do.

Favorite Track: Cross Off

Least Favorite Track: Reveal

Rating: 75 / 100

Stream or buy Anesthetic on Apple Music, and follow our 2019 Playlist on Spotify: