Tones Behind The Tracks

On his second solo album, Mark Morton steps away from metal and towards Southern rock with a host of guest stars joining him on the way

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Artist: Mark Morton

Album: Without The Pain (Snakefarm Music)

With Lamb Of God, Mark Morton has chugged and shredded away while running the thrash, groove and death-metal gamut. He dropped his first solo record, Anesthetic, in 2019, which was a little different in sound. But even then, influences outside of heavy metal weren't so apparent... until now. Morton tells Guitarist that the Southern rock and blues vibes inherent in his latest solo record, Without The Pain, have always "kind of been there" for him, adding: "I was probably tuned into this kind of music even before heavy metal. Lamb Of God is a big band. It's well known. I'm certainly most known for that work, and that's awesome. I'm grateful for that and I still love doing it, but this stuff has always been there for me."

Without The Pain features an all-star cast of Morton's friends, including Jason Isbell, Grace Bowers, Charlie Starr and Cody Jinks. But beyond the guest stars, Morton's bluesy chops and soulful solos make it stick. In fact, he enjoyed the process so much that when he's not doing his thing with Lamb Of God, he plans to lean into his roots even harder - but that doesn't mean he doesn't still love playing heavy metal. "For me, it's both," he says. "I have so much experience touring and writing and recording with Lamb Of God, and that stuff certainly comes naturally, but this stuff is really how I play on my own time. That's equally as valuable to me. I just love playing guitar, man."

Why dig into Southern rock with your new solo album, Without The Pain?

"It's a long time coming. This album reflects the kind of music that I play at home. So, in that sense, it's natural for me — but it is new in the sense that I'm recording and releasing this style of music. That part is fresh and new. But, stylistically, it feels like coming home."