Written by Tim Clark
Running, jumping, screaming and spitting atop the massive stage at New Jersey’s PNC Bank Arts Center like a possessed, dreadlocked preacher from another dimension, you’d think Randy Blythe is performing the last show of his career. But he isn’t. And neither is the band he fronts, metal titans Lamb of God. This is just how these five, self-proclaimed rednecks from “Richmond, mother-fucking Virgina” roll.
Even though Lamb of God’s brand of metal sounds as if it was created deep in the bowels of a furious hell, they have a lot to be happy about as they kick off the Summer’s Last Stand Tour with Slipknot, Bullet for My Valentine and Motionless in White.
Their latest studio album, VII: Sturm Un Drang, debuted at #3 on Billboard this week, and it’s admirable to hear them push their sound into (slightly) new terrain by deploying a bit of clean singing and adding a few guest vocalists.
But make no mistake, this is Lamb of God, and no matter how devastatingly heavy their studio efforts sound, it doesn’t hold a candle to experiencing them live. I am quickly reminded of this as they tear into “Walk With Me In Hell” off their 2007 effort, Sacrament. The crowd of thousands roar in approval, throw horns and bang heads. Following up with the classic, “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For” does little to quiet the masses.
And if you have your doubts about how the new stuff sounds live, rest easy.
“My hands are painted red/My future’s painted black/I can’t recognize myself/I’ve become someone else” growls Blythe as he does mad justice to “512” off of their latest album, inspired by his (unfortunate and unnecessary) time spent in a Czech prison.
The highlight of the show for this writer occurred when the opening, acoustic notes of “Vigil” wafted through the amphitheater before Blythe screamed at the top of his lungs just as a down-tuned, Sabbath-y riff kicked in:
“Our father thy will be done!”
On this night, Lamb of God is far from done. This is a band at the top of their game. And even though I consider As the Palaces Burn the group’s master work, their new album might be their strongest yet. Pick it up immediately and for, ahem, God’s sake, catch them live if you can.
Leave a Reply