2018 was a tragic year for the music industry. We lost many legends like Vinnie Paul and Chris Cornell. But the one that shook many was the tragic death of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. The reason behind his death was declared to be suicide and Chester has been suffering from depression but no one, even his bandmates, thought he would take his own life. Many people link Chester’s death with Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, one of his idols. The day Chester took his life, July 20th, is the birthday of late Chris Cornell.
With fans still mourning over his loss, Mark Morton, Lamb of God guitarist, had a different way to celebrate the New Year by offering Chester Bennington followers something to remember him by. The much-awaited track, “Cross Off” features the late Chester Bennington on vocals and, straight out off the bat it is indeed a great song. Chester’s vocals match the beautifully yet heavily laid out guitar structure. The overall sound is very Lamb of God-esque but Chester’s presence made the track a bit different than what the band normally does. Instead of listening to Randy Blythe’s screams we have the soulful voice of Chester, which often transits into occasional screams at the heavier aspects of guitar riffage. The video received a great reception and people were thankful for releasing the track.
Mark’s been a busy man recording and putting together his first solo album, Anesthetic. The first track off the album was released last month which featured Arch Enemy fame Alissa White Gluz and Randy Blythe. If the guest vocalists of these two songs surprised you then no wonder what happens if you take a look at the complete list of guest features. Apart from these three vocalists, Mark worked closely with Jacoby Shaddix, Myles Kennedy, Chuck Billy, Josh Todd, Jake Oni, Mark Lanegan, Mark Morales and Naeemah Z. Maddox.
Anesthetic is out March 1 on Spinefarm Records.
*feature photo credit: Atom Splitter PR*