
Mark Morton leans heavily into the southern rock lane.
For nearly a quarter century, Mark Morton has been the guitarist and songwriter for the five-time Grammy nominated, platinum-selling heavy metal band Lamb of God. There is more to Morton than metal, however, and it comes in the shape of his second solo release, “Without the Pain,” a follow-up in name if not style of music from “Anesthetic” (WPP Records/Spinefarm, 2019). The anticipation for Morton has been palpable.
“I’ve been waiting my whole life to make this record,” he said. “It’s such an incredible thrill for me to see these songs fully realized. I’m ecstatic to have Without The Pain be the destination for them. I’m so proud of this project.”
Lyrically this album has country themes (love, loss, family, conflict, etc). However, what stands out is the conviction. Morton plays guitar with enough power to make the songs and the thought behind them convincing. He is definitely unafraid to write about what’s on his mind and not sugarcoat the emotions.
Musically, this album is anything but Americana. The fast songs are bang your head rockin’ numbers, loud and heavy. The slow songs have a lot of technical skills in the playing and might remind the listener of Warren Haynes or Derek Trucks without Tedeschi. Instead of the lady blues-rocker, Morton has enlisted a list of singers whose names will be familiar, starting with outlaw country star Cody Jinks, who is featured on the single, ‘Brother,’ and ‘Dust’ with Grace Bowers sharing vocals. Blackberry Smoke front man Charlie Starr teams up with Jason Isbell on ‘Come December,’ while Jaren Johnston of Cadillac Three delivers an attitude-packed performance on the opening track, ‘Hell & Back.’ Troy Sanders of Mastodon steps up to sing ‘Nocturnal Sun,’ a thunderous doom dirge, while blues guitarist Tyler Bryant teams up with Morton for a fireworks-filled guitar duel on the throwback psychedelic blues romp, ‘Forever in the Light.’
Screeching guitars, pounding bass and satisfyingly whacked drums are all hallmarks of this ferociously played album. Morton had a clear mission releasing this rocker: “There’s always been that element of blues, classic rock and southern rock in anything I play on guitar,” he explains. “Even in my heavy metal work with Lamb of God, there’s a certain swagger and groove that’s rooted in that foundation. But the songs on “Without the Pain” provided the opportunity to fully lean into that aspect of my playing. It was all very natural, and honestly just felt like coming home.”
And, heck, he has done it. The album is 37 minutes of joyful, off-the-wall, noisy catharsis. The title track is a paean to unabashed sin, propelled forward by zinging, frenetic guitar and belted out by Matt James of Blacktop Mojo, who will be fronting the band on tour. ‘The Needle and the Spoon’ is an angular reimagining of a choice Skynyrd cut, purposely delivered by Neil Fallon of Clutch.
No, this is not Americana unless you consider Skynyrd and Georgia Satellites in that vein. What matters is it absolutely rips. It’s as grimy as it is ferocious, with pulverizing drumming from Gary Novak (Allan Holdsworth, Alanis Morrissette), pummeling basslines from Tim Lefebrve (David Bowie, Tedeschi Trucks Band), percolating keyboards by Adam MacDougall (The Black Crowes, Macy Gray) and searing guitar from hired gun Jared James Nichols.
There is no letup, no quarter given to the onslaught on your eardrums and inner psyche by Gatling gun rock guitars screaming wildly over waves upon waves of bellicose, southern rock. Mark Morton’s music may not be for everyone, but it’s hard to argue it’s not 100% him.