LAMB OF GOD’s MARK MORTON Explains Why His Guitar Tone Isn’t “Perfect” On Albums

If you’ve ever recorded an album, you know how hard it is to get the tone you’re looking for and to get that tone sitting right in the mix. Lamb Of God guitarist Mark Morton has certainly encountered that issue as he explained in a recent interview with Guitar.

Morton said one instance of that happening was recording Lamb Of God‘s classic album Ashes Of The Wake with producer Machine. Morton said he doesn’t fault Machine for the final product, citing everything from Machine‘s unfamiliarity with the band to working within a tighter timeframe.

“The thing to consider is that any competent producer can come in and capture my tone just like I like it, but a producer [has] other agendas to consider. They have to carve out space for the other guitar player or the bass player. There is a science toward making space with frequencies in the mix… Sometimes that can stomp on what I might think is the perfect guitar sound.

“Machine [producer, Lamb Of God‘s Ashes Of The Wake] wasn’t super familiar with the band, so I think there’s an aspect of trying to get the best overall result in the most efficient timeframe. What inevitably happens is a lot of producers already know how they’re going to wrap the signal paths, because they have a tried-and-true system. That winds up changing the personality and the sound [of the band].”

He continued: “I’m not attacking Machine – we went on to work with him again [on 2006’s Sacrament] and rectified a lot of those issues – but I think a lot of times you’re on a strict schedule, and you’ve got to get this record done. Sometimes that winds up with guitar players like Bill [Kelliher of Mastodon, who was also part of the interview] and myself not being thrilled with the tone that wound up printing on the record.”

Lamb Of God and Mastodon will hit the road starting next week to play their 2004 albums Ashes Of The Wake and Leviathan in full! All dates will be opened by Kerry King and Malevolence, except for a few in the middle featuring Kerry King and Unearth. Get the full list of dates below and get your tickets here.

7/19 Grand Prairie, TX Texas Trust CU Theatre
7/20 Austin, TX Germania Insurance Amphitheater
7/21 Houston, TX 713 Music Hall
7/23 Jacksonville, FL Daily’s Place
7/24 Orlando, FL Orlando Amphitheater
7/25 Alpharetta, GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
7/27 Raleigh, NC Red Hat Amphitheater
7/28 Richmond, VA Virginia Credit Union LIVE!
7/30 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
7/31 London, ON Budweiser Gardens
8/1 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
8/3 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
8/4 Manchester, NH SNHU Arena
8/6 Bangor, ME Maine Savings Amphitheatre
8/8 Reading, PA Santander Arena (w/ Kerry King & Unearth)
8/9 Cleveland, OH Jacobs Pavilion (w/ Kerry King & Unearth)
8/10 Sterling Heights, MI Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre @ Freedom Hill (w/ Kerry King & Unearth)
8/13 Moorhead, MN Bluestem Center For The Arts Amphitheater
8/15 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
8/16 Penticton, BC South Okanagan Events Centre
8/17 Kent, WA accesso ShoWare Center
8/18 Portland, OR Theater of the Clouds
8/21 Los Angeles, CA The Kia Forum
8/23 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Financial Theatre
8/24 Rio Rancho, NM Rio Rancho Events Center
8/25 El Paso, TX El Paso County Coliseum
8/27 Magna, UT The Great Saltair
8/29 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
8/31 Omaha, NE The Astro Amphitheater