Lamb of God waste no time in demonstrating their intentions on their 12th studio album, Into Oblivion. The opening title track kicks into an onslaught of brutal riffs and heavy breakdowns that are unrelenting until the album’s close. But it’s the third track, “Sepsis,” that delivers perhaps some of the most gritty and commanding tone we’ve heard in a long time administered by John Campbell. With a signal chain that he’d prefer to keep undisclosed and a forcibly heavy picking hand, the Richmond, Virginia bassist imposes his will not only on that song, but the entirety of the album.

Now 32 years into his playing in the outfit, Campbell admits that he’s figured out a few things as a bassist, shedding his DIY punk roots approach for better technique to aid his dexterous and lightning-fast playing. Having switched from fingerstyle to pick early on in the band and creating his line of LTD Signature basses, his tone has become his calling card. It’s a sound that provides enough low end punch to propel the walls of riffs provided by guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler.

Currently on tour in support of the new album, Campbell and company are reveling in playing the new material for their arena audiences. Having started as Campbell’s first band, which he claims initially “sucked,” they’ve come a long way from a college house basement to the stages they occupy now. We sat down with Campbell to discuss the album process and his evolution that has led to the heaviest installment of his songwriting yet.  

What’s it like playing these new songs from the album live on this tour?

It takes a while to adapt them to stage and to get used to performing the parts. It’s two different matters between playing the parts and performing the parts. You have to work out the performance a bit. There’s not a handbook for these things. You go out there and it’s like, wow, I can nail this part, it’s easier than I thought. Maybe I’ll go behind my back right here. And some songs are way harder to get used to and you have to put in the work.

The album is a blistering and heavy and poignant. What was the writing process like?

It was similar to what we’ve done in the past where Mark and Willie, who are our main writers, work on stuff and then they get together with Josh [Wilbur], our producer, to do writing sessions and put together ideas. Then they bring a bunch of songs into the rehearsal space and we work on them and punch them into shape, until we’re left with the songs that we’re going to take into the studio.

How do you typically write your bass lines in the course of the song process? 

By the time I get into them they’re pretty well formed, so I have to figure out what I’m going to play and how I’m going to play it. The ideas they have are pretty fleshed out so I can get right down to them and lay down the parts as I hear them. My first approach is how I’m going to fill them out with low end and put the body behind those riffs.

This album was recorded in a few different locations, with you recording at Mark’s house. What was the tracking process like there?

That’s been our rehearsal studio for a long time now. We have a nice set up where we track things and we did some re-amping there. We were able to get a lot done there in solidifying the songs and getting them laid down. I don’t think Randy [Blythe] did any vocals there this time, but he has in the past.

How long did it take you to track your bass?

Now you’re asking the crazy questions. I actually don’t know how long it took. It becomes an office job in the sense where you show up and you put in a full day’s work of tracking and going over stuff and making sure it’s right. It took about 8 or 9 days for me to totally finish my bass. We’re always focused and go in there to knock things out. When you go into the studio you should be totally ready to lay everything down.

You tracked Omens (2022) all in a room together. Do you have a preference between the two approaches?

There’s great aspects about both ways of doing it. There was a real camaraderie in all being in the same room working on Omens together. We worked every day and then spent time together in the nights. You’re around each other so much in that process, and it’s not on the road, which is our normal routine. Because of that we got a very good record out of it. This time we went back to the more traditional style for efficiency’s sake. We were able to each go in when we could and knock stuff out and then get back to our family lives, which is important. We have to give up so much of that when we tour.

Did you use your LTD signature basses with the Fishman pickups for the entirety of the album?

I absolutely did. I was playing around with a SoloDallas Bass-X pedal, which is very cool. It’s kind of a preamp-ish distortion. And also Goliath FX made a preamp pedal and a Black Ice circuit pedal for me. Otherwise, it’s pretty much right through my rig.

What would you say the secret is behind your tone?

It’s really not magic. I play my LTD bass with some gain and EQ added to it and then you get into the puzzle stuff. It’s all about crafting fine little angles and corners of tone. But it’s not a secret. I set my EQ flat and then build from there and see where it takes me.

“Sepsis” has just a brutal tone on it. How did you achieve that? 

I have to give all credit to our producer Josh for dialing in that tone. He’s a genius at creating sounds. I don’t know if I want to say what the secret is that he used. It’s a piece of equipment that you might not think to use. That’s something I’ll tell you off record. But when Josh mixed it and I listened back, I was just like, holy shit.

How would you describe the role of bass in LOG?

I tell people that I don’t really play bass and I play electric guitar on bass. I’m one -note riffing. It’s because I don’t know what I’m doing. I came up in the punk rock world of hey, let’s fucking play music. I started off playing drums and I had the drive to do something and it turned out to be bass. How that fits into Lamb of God is that I just love riffing. I love the complexity of these puzzle pieces that we put together. But over the years, I’ve kind of learned a little bit here and there. Of course, I figured out the correct technique for playing because it would be impossible to play some of this stuff without it. I’d say I’ve figured out how to play bass a little bit.

Your playing on LOG requires a lot of speed and dexterity. How do you make the notes consistent and balanced as you do?

I’m just I’m doing what I know to do. It’s difficult, but once you get it and you keep your chops up, it’s there. You start slow. I would recommend using a metronome just to keep your timing right. Keep yourself consistent and do it very slowly. Make sure what you’re doing is mindful practice.

You have a hard attack with a pick. Tell us about your playing technique.

I do play very hard and my thumb does not like it. But my picks are scored, so I don’t have to grip them super tight. That way if I’m sweaty they won’t slip out of my hand. But I do dig in hard, which makes my attack a part of my tone. And having good left hand technique is important. I figured out over time that having my thumb centered on the neck makes things easier.

How do you warm up before shows?

I like to pick up a bass and just get my fingers moving, maybe play a couple riffs or songs. I used to warm up a lot more, but I want to pick up a bass and run through a couple things. Just to remind my fingers that you stretch out like this. But I don’t have any sort of regimen or anything. Sometimes I’ll do, like one push up. That’s all you need.

What’s it like playing alongside Art (Cruz) as a rhythm section?

Art’s got feel and he’s got soul. He’s not just a cold metronome up there doing whatever the X on the grid told him to do at that moment. It’s more of a natural feel that we’re all tuned into. The drums are kind of important in this band. It’s phenomenal playing with Art and especially on these tracks and on this record where he’s really coming into his own with this music. I honestly feel like before he was trying to do what he thought he was supposed to be doing as the drummer.

Early on in your playing, you actually fashioned a 3-string bass. What inspired that?

It’s funny that we talk about this now. It was a blue Guild Pilot. It was before our first real tour and the tuning peg broke for what I was using as the fourth string. I didn’t really use that string very much and I didn’t have money for a tuning peg. So three strings was pretty much all I needed. I still have that bass down in my basement, still without a tuning peg.

How and when did you first start playing bass? 

When I was in high school my dad gave me a baritone ukulele he had that he played in college because I wanted to play something. Then I went off to college and I could play some chords on an acoustic guitar. A friend of mine played drums and he had a roommate who played guitar and another roommate who played bass. They were fucking terrible. I was terrible. I didn’t know what to do. I was like, hey, man, let me play your drums with your roommate so we can fool around. Then the bass player left for the summer, and my friend wanted to play drums. So that’s how I ended up playing bass. And it turned into a band that turned into something. It just went from there.

And that first band skyrocketed and is now one of the biggest metal outfits.

It definitely wasn’t a sudden thing, that’s for sure. We’ve been doing this for a very long time. I like to joke that my beard and my job give me authority that I don’t actually deserve. But I stay humble and I’m grateful for all of this. I mean, I’m still a jerk sometimes and take things for granted, but I try to keep it balanced.

Having been a band for 32 years, what keeps Lamb of God relevant?

I think what we do on our end is stay true to ourselves. We’re not writing a song specifically to get radio play. We’re not writing a song specifically for this or that or the other. We’re writing a song because we’re lucky enough that it’s now our job. But we want to write songs to go play a set and go perform. We want to write songs that we can’t wait to go play out live. We’ve never been a band to clamor for fame and money.

Who are you main bass influences?

Coming up in Richmond, Virginia, there was a guy named Mike Bishop who played in GWAR and was in a band called Kepone for a while. Now he is the singer for GWAR again. Living in the same town and seeing him play shows and parties with his fingers and performing and singing, that dude’s incredible. And for a long time, I was playing with my fingers on all the Burn the Priest stuff but hearing a pick cut through so much more had me make the switch.

Why bass?

Well, the frontman is an egotistical maniac who wants the spotlight. Who the fuck thinks that they’re important enough to get their voice amplified? But you need that. You need the head. Then you got the guitar players who are fighting for the front of the stage and the spotlight with those muscles. Then you got the drummer in the back who’s just, you know, the clock just drooling on himself. The bass player is the group builder. Let’s go to the tape of the load-ins for the last 32 years and see who’s moving gear and who’s not. The bass player is there because they are the ultimate group builder. They’re there as the cliche of being the glue. We don’t want the spotlight, we just want to be there, having a good time and playing some music.

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