Mark Morton - Anesthetic (2019)

Lead guitarist of American heavy metal institution Lamb of God and solo artist who released his star-studded debut album in 2019, Mark Morton's bluesy, blistering leads and heavy groove rhythms helped make him one of the more formidable shredders of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal movement.

Ashes of the Wake The Virginia native honed his chops with the band Axis (alongside future Alabama Thunderpussy six-stringer Ryan Lake) in the late 1980s. In the early '90s, he met bassist John Campbell and drummer Chris Adler while attending Virginia Commonwealth University; the trio would later form the group Burn the Priest, alongside guitarist Abe Spear and vocalist Randy Blythe. Employing a lethal blend of metalcore, thrash, punk, sludge, and groove-laden death metal, the band issued an eponymous full-length outing under the moniker before changing their name to Lamb of God in 1999. Lamb of God would go on to release a string of high-profile studio albums and enjoy tremendous commercial success via gold-selling outings like Ashes of the Wake and Sacrament. Between 2000 and 2018, the group carved out a notable swath of sonic real estate, selling millions of records and landing multiple Grammy nominations without ever compromising their sound. In 2019 Morton issued his solo debut, Anesthetic, via Spinefarm Records. The LP featured a slew of high-profile guests, including Lamb of God bandmate Blythe, Mark Lanegan, Papa Roach's Jacoby Shaddix, Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy, Arch Enemy frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz, and late Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. -- James Christopher Monger