Fresh from their tour with Dimmu Borgir on the Defenders of the Faith stint in the UK, Lamb of God brought along Redneck and Unearth for on more show on these fair lands, and fittingly in a town very much renowned for producing metal. But actual metal. Like, steel and stuff.
Arriving just in time for Unearth to come on (damn traffic and sat nav failure) and split the house wide open. The Massachusetts band roll on with heavy riffage and guitar shredding, causing circle pit after circle pit, by the end of their short set the walls are literally dripping wet.
Lamb Of God don’t really walk on stage, they just materialise. Opening with “Hourglass”, the crowd goes batshit crazy for every opportunity for a circle pit or mosh pit. Frontman D. Randall Blythe is a terrifying presence on stage, towering over the crowd with the demonic growl that often makes you wonder if he is literally possessed. The band is on top form, note perfect all night, and classics like “Laid To Rest”, “Ruin” and “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For” are spliced inbetween new tracks “Dead Seeds”, “Contractor” and “Set To Fail.”
The set list is very heavy on Sacrament and Ashes Of The wake songs, and Randy has a fantastic command over the audience with his banter.
The crowd is a dripping wet mess, and as for me, well with my throat ripped dry and my body ruined, before you know it Black Label is introduced. Now, you may know this, but Lamb Of God have a bit of a specialist patent over something called “The Wall Of Death.” It always happens at the very end of a gig, when the song Black Label is played. Basically Randy splits the room into two sides, and the aim is to get to the other side. But nobody ever does…

Lamb of God WALL OF DEATH – A funny movie is a click away
Now, dear reader, I fulfilled a dream by being able to be a part of this. My first ever Lamb Of God gig in such a small intimate venue, Dethklok t-shirt dripping with sweat, such a perfect set list and a car parking space right next to the tour bus made this one of the finest gigs of my life, and the best metal gig I have EVER been to.
Whatever Lamb Of God are doing right now in music is very special, I HIGHLY recommend you see them live.
(What’s left of) [OxKing]