Anesthetic Mark Morton

• 1 Cross Off 04:13
• 2 Sworn Apart 03:57
• 3 Axis 04:13
• 4 The Never 04:05
• 5 Save Defiance 04:36
• 6 Blur 05:20
• 7 Back From The Dead 04:03
• 8 Reveal 04:12
• 9 Imaginary Days 03:45
• 10 The Truth Is Dead 04:13
• Total Runtime 42:37

Info for Anesthetic

Starting as idea between Jake (leader of heavy rock band Oni and founder of WPP Records), producer Josh Wilbur (Lamb of God, Trivium, Oni, Gojira) and Morton, the project quickly gathered steam – with Mark at the creative center, Josh Wilbur co-writing, recording, mixing, and producing, and Jake Oni also co-writing and performing.

Morton had been writing some of this debut for years. "This album wasn't a concerted effort to start something outside Lamb of God," he explains. "Music is always in my head, and until I write and record it, it's stuck there. But once I record it, it's out. It's a catharsis, more for my own sanity."

Singers on the album include Chester Bennington, Randy Blythe, Jacoby Shaddix, Myles Kennedy, Alissa White-Gluz, Mark Lanegan, Chuck Billy, Jake Oni, Josh Todd, Mark Morales and Naeemah Maddox. Musically, Morton performs all guitars, with Roy Mayorga, David Ellefson, Ray Luzier, Paulo Gregoletto and Alex Bent, Mike Inez, Jean-Paul Gaster, Steve Gorman and Marc Paul rounding out the band.

"Mark Morton’s solo debut is promising for the most part. On the one hand he has nabbed some great artists to assist him get this album a release, however I think he has missed the mark on half the tracks by playing along with the Lamb of God playbook too often. When he does let loose and craft something unique to what his fans normally crave he has succeeded, bar the Naeemah Maddox track, which in my opinion was a mess. The bluesy numbers, ‘Blur’ and ‘Axis’ are highlights and the slightly less heavy metal, more melodic hard rock tracks were edgy and well received. One thing I hope Morton does if there is to be a sequel is be more selfish or indulgent with his skills and by that I mean, lengthier solos. It’s a Mark Morton album he should indulge his craft more, but saying that it’s well worth the listen." (Jim ‘Plugga’ Birkin, wallofsoundau.com)

Mark Morton, guitars (all tracks), bass (track 2), vocals (on "Imaginary Days")
Chester Bennington, vocals (track 1)
Jacoby Shaddix, vocals (track 2)
Mark Lanegan, vocals (track 3)
Chuck Billy, vocals (track 4)
Jake Oni, vocals (track 4)
Myles Kennedy, vocals (track 5), backing vocals (track 2)
Mark Morales, vocals (track 6), backing vocals (track 9)
Josh Todd, vocals (track 7)
Naeemah Maddox, vocals (track 8)
Randy Blythe, vocals (track 10)
Alissa White-Gluz, vocals (track 10)
Paolo Gregoletto, bass (track 1)
Alex Bent, drums (tracks 1, 2)
Marc Ford, guitars (track 3)
Mike Inez, bass (tracks 3, 5-7, 9)
Steve Gorman, drums (tracks 3, 6)
David Ellefson, bass (tracks 4, 10)
Roy Mayorga, drums (tracks 4, 7, 10)
Ray Luzier, drums (tracks 5, 9)
Yanni Papadopoulos, bass (track 8)
Jean-Paul Gaster, drums (track 8)
Chris Brooks, keyboards (track 8)

Mark Morton
For all its depth, diversity and cross-pollinated ambition, modern metal needs its figureheads, its heroes and its leaders. Lamb of God have been blazing mercilessly away at the forefront of heavy music for the last 15 years, upholding metal’s intrinsic values of honesty, intensity and creativity while also daring to push boundaries and think outside the heavy box. Exploding into view with 2000’s seminal debut New American Gospel, the Virginian quintet inadvertently kick-started the so-called New Wave Of American Metal at the dawn of the 21st century; and have notched up a succession of huge commercial hit albums and remorselessly toured the globe ever since. The combination of vocalist Randy Blythe’s excoriating growls and roars, guitarists Willie Adler and Mark Morton’s precision attack and the bowel-shattering rumble of rhythm section John Campbell (bass) and Chris Adler (drums) has both refined and redefined the notion of aggressive metal in the modern era.

This album contains no booklet.