Lamb of God (band)

Lamb of Godis an Americanheavy metalband fromRichmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994 asBurn the Priest, the group consists of bassist John Campbell, vocalistRandy Blythe, guitaristsMark Mortonand Willie Adler, and drummerArt Cruz. The band is considered a significant member of thenew wave of American heavy metalmovement.
Since their formation, Lamb of God has released eleven studio albums, including two under the name Burn the Priest; their most recent album,Omens, was released in October 2022. The band has also released one live album, one compilation album, three DVDs, two EPs, and twenty-eight singles.
The band's cumulative sales equal almost two million in the United States, including two albums certified Gold by theRIAA. In 2010 and 2011 the band receivedGrammy nominationsfor songs from their 2009 albumWrath. They also received a nomination in 2016 for their song "512". Lamb of God has toured with theOzzfesttwice. Other appearances includeDownload FestivalandSonisphere Festivalin the UK,Soundwave Festival,Mayhem Festival 2010andGigantour. From 2008 to 2010 they toured as part ofMetallica'sWorld Magnetic Tour, and supportedSlayeron theirfinal world tourin 2018 and 2019.
In 1994, bassist John Campbell, drummerChris Adler, and guitarists Mark Morton and Matt Conner started a band named Burn the Priest.The band members knew each other from the college they were all attending,Virginia Commonwealth University, inRichmond, Virginia.Morton and Conner left the band soon after its inception to pursue amaster's degreeand work on other bands respectively.Adler and Campbell replaced Morton with Abe Spear.For the next five years, the band practiced in Richmond and around Virginia.In 1995, the band released its self-titled firstdemo.After the demo, Burn the Priest recorded twosplit EPswith Agents of Satan and ZED respectively.After the band's first three demos, Burn the Priest added vocalistRandy Blytheto its line up.
In 1997, Morton returned to the band.Two years later, the band released its first full-length self-titled album,Burn the Priest, throughLegion Records.Mikey Brosnan of Legion Records saved up $2,500 for the recording and then broke them inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, throughDIYshows.The album was produced byToday Is the Dayguitarist and vocalistSteve Austin.Spear left the band, leaving an open position for a guitarist.Adler's younger brother Willie became the band's second guitarist a year later, and a deal withProsthetic Recordswas signed.Contrary to rumour, the band did not change their name to Lamb of God after being banned from venues; these bans occurred afterwards.They changed their name because of the altered line-up and to avoid being mistaken for asatanic metalband.
With a new name and label, the band released its second album,New American Gospel, in September 2000.Patrick Kennedy ofAllmusiccompared the band toPanterastating, "The essential signatures of post-Pantera metal are in abundance on Lamb of God's inaugural album.New American Gospelprovides a mighty oak upon which gritty American metal's faith is maintained, effectively bridging the '90s' insistence upon drill-sergeant technicality and the old school's determined focus on riff construction."Chris Adler commented: "This is a classic record. We had all the elements come together to make one of the heaviest, yet contagious records of our career. It was difficult to contain us—we didn't even understand at the time what we had created."
Lamb of God toured for two years before releasing their third studio album,As the Palaces Burn, on May 6, 2003.Kirk Miller ofRolling Stonegave the album three out of five stars, writing that "unlike many of their overreaching,Slipknot-influenced contemporaries, Lamb of God deliver a meticulously crafted metal assault."The album was voted the number one album of 2003 by bothRevolver MagazineandMetal Hammer.The band was part of the firstHeadbangers Balltour, where they recorded a DVD including live performances and a documentary, titledTerror and Hubris.The DVD was a success, debuting at number 31 on theBillboardTop Music Videos chart.
Lamb of God releasedAshes of the Wakein August 2004.The album debuted at number 27 on theBillboard200, and sold over 35,000 copies in its first week.The album was distributed through the band's new record label,Epic Records.Johnny Loftus ofAllmusicpraised the album, saying "With the genre getting clogged by PVC goofs andAlice in Chainsimpersonators, Lamb of God balances the equation of power, rage, tradition, and craft. It kills the filler."The title track of the album featuredTestamentguitaristAlex Skolnickand ex–MegadethguitaristChris Poland.Ashes of the Wakeeventually became their firstRecording Industry Association of Americacertified studio album, being awarded gold status in February 2016.
The band supportedAshes of the Wakewith extensive touring, including a second stage slot onOzzfestin 2004,and the 2005 Sounds of the Underground tour.The band was awarded 2nd Best Album of the Year byRevolvermagazine behindMastodon'sLeviathan, and was awarded Best Music Video for "Laid to Rest" (2005).While on tour, the band recorded a performance and released it with the name ofKilladelphia.The release was made available as a DVD and a CD.The DVD was certified platinum by theRecording Industry Association of Americain 2007.
In 2006, a cover version of the first single from the album, "Laid to Rest", was featured as a playable track inGuitar Hero II.The original version was released forGuitar Hero Smash Hitsin 2009.The original version is also available as downloadable content forRock Band.
In August 2006, Lamb of God released its fifth studio albumSacrament.The album debuted at number eight on theBillboard200 and sold nearly 65,000 copies in its first week of sales, nearly doubling the first week sales ofAshes of the Wake.The album received generally positive reviews, with Cosmo Lee ofStylus Magazinestating, "Sacramenthas the band's most memorable songs to date. Musically, there's no fat. The band plays with laser precision and songs move smoothly through riffs and transitions."Ed Thompson ofIGNreferred toSacrament"one of the best metal albums of 2006",and Jon Pareles ofBlendercalled it a "speed rush all the way through".Sacramentwould become the band's second gold record issued by the RIAA in September 2019.
The band appeared on major tours to support the album, includingThe Unholy AlliancewithSlayer,Mastodon,Children of Bodom, andThine Eyes Bleed,Gigantour, supportingMegadeth;main stage at Ozzfest;an appearance at theDownload Festival, and an exclusive co-headlining tour withKillswitch Engage,Soilwork, andDevilDriver, where Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God shared headlining spots alternately each show.Lamb of God was nominated forBest Metal Performanceat the 2007Grammy Awardsfor "Redneck", but lost out toSlayer's "Eyes of the Insane".
In December 2007, the band rereleased the album asSacrament: Deluxe Producer Edition.The release contained all of the original songs fromSacramenton the first disc, and the second disc was aCD-ROMfeaturing all of the vocal, bass, guitar, and drumtracksin 192 kbit/s MP3 format, enabling the buyer to produce their own interpretation of the songs.Blythe stated, "you sometimes have to do something special to get kids to even buy an album these days rather than download it."The band took a break to write new material throughout 2008 and prepare a new record for release, slated for 2009.The band negotiated for a new record label to distribute records outside the United States.Chris Adler stated Epic Records in the United States "couldn't be more perfect", but wants a different label for international releases.
In spite of the success of the tour, the band was not without at least one serious altercation which has since been widely publicized.After playing a sell-out show in Glasgow, Scotland, members of the band and crew were involved in heavy drinking.After a brief amount of time, vocalist Randy Blythe, whilst wearing a kilt and attempting to speak with a Scottish accent, became verbally violent towards both drummer Chris Adler and guitarist Mark Morton, the latter of whom then struck Blythe from behind on the bus in response.The incident developed into grabbing, pushing and separating until Blythe and Morton then encountered each other outside on the footpath.The fight between the two was especially lackluster due to intoxication, but it resulted in Morton bringing Blythe down hard on the pavement beneath him, briefly incapacitating Blythe.Two days and at least one show later, the duo reconciled over drinks.
On May 2, Lamb of God announced viaMySpacetheir new DVD,Walk with Me in Hell, would be released on July 1, 2008.The DVD is a double-disc and has nearly five hours of footage, containing the feature documentaryWalk with Me in Helland multiple live performance extras from theSacrament World Tour.In August 2008, it was announced, by studio producer Cole Higley, that the band had commenced work on the follow-up to Sacrament, and that its release was scheduled for February 2009.Josh Wilbur was also named as the producer for the record.They also toured withMetallicaas a direct support act starting in December 2008.The recording process of the new record was made available to view online live through the band's website, with twowebcamsinstalled in the studio (specifically in the drum room and mixing room).
On February 23, 2009, the band released their sixth studio album internationally viaRoadrunner Records, titledWrathand one day later in America viaEpic Records.The album is dedicated to Mikey Bronsnan, who helped them get started in Philadelphia.In November 2008, Bronsnan was killed by a drunk driver. According to drummer Chris Adler, "Without Mikey, we'd very well might not be a band today."Drummer Chris Adler was quoted saying "This album is going to surprise a lot of people. Typically bands that get to where we are in our career begin to slack off, smell the roses and regurgitate. We chose a different path. No one wants to hear another band member hyping a new record. ‘Wrath’ needs no hype. We have topped ourselves and on February 24 you will feel it.""Wrath" debuted on theBillboard200at number two, selling over 68,000 copies in its first week.
In support of Wrath, the band in spring of 2009 embarked on the first leg of theirworld tour,No Fear Energy Tourheadlined by themselves with main support fromChildren of BodomandAs I Lay Dying, and rotating opening slots withGod ForbidandMunicipal Waste.The band played in Europe in the summer to perform withMetallicaon theWorld Magnetic Touralong withMastodon, while also playing headlining shows of their own and performing at major European festivals.For the final six dates of the tour,Unearth'sBuz McGrathfilled in for Mark Morton, as he left early to be with his wife and his first child.
Lamb of God was announced to also serve asMetallica's direct support for the North American leg of their 2009world tour, as well as finishing the year off by headlining shows in Australia and New Zealand withShadows FallandDevilDriver.
Lamb of God performed for the first time in the Philippines for the annual PULP Summer Slam on April 17, 2010 with thrash metal bandTestamentand performed there again on February 18, 2012. The band also played in India for the first time on May 15, 2010, headlining the Summer Storm festival in Bangalore.They played for their Turkish fans at Kucukciftlik Park, Istanbul, on May 17.Lamb of God was featured on the 2010Mayhem Festival, playing on the main stage alongsideKorn,Rob Zombie, andFive Finger Death Punch.Paul Waggoner, guitarist forBetween the Buried and Me, filled in for Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton during the Mayhem Festival. In June 2010, the band played on the main stage at theDownload Festival. It was their third appearance at Download Festival.
On April 19, 2010,IGNreleased a 'making of' video that features Lamb of God working on their next single, "Hit the Wall". The single is featured in theIron Man 2video game.On February 15, 2011, Lamb of God announced that "Hit the Wall" would be available to buy via digital download.The band was also featured on the soundtrack forNamco Bandai Games' 2010 remake ofSplatterhouse. Lamb of God was announced as one of the bands (the other beingBaroness) to supportMetallicaon their Australian tour in late 2010.In a September 2010 interview, drummerChris Adlermentioned that Lamb of God will enter the studio in February 2011 to begin work on a seventh album. In November, Chris also mentioned that the band will work with producer Josh Wilbur again.
Lamb of God was nominated for aGrammyin 2010 forBest Metal Performance, but lost out toJudas Priest's"Dissident Aggressor".The band was once again nominated in 2011, at the53rd Grammy Awards, but lost, this time toIron Maiden's"El Dorado".
On October 31, 2011, it was announced that the band is set to release their seventh studio album,Resolution, on January 24, 2012. The band also revealed the album's track list and cover art.On January 19, 2012, Lamb of God released a second music video for the single 'Ghost Walking', the first video being the lyric video. The video, which is completely animated, depicts a man fleeing from assassins in order to enter the abort codes for a large unidentified weapon. All the animation was completed by Moreframes Animation, and it was premiered on the music channelVevoandYouTube.
In February 2012 Lamb of God played the Soundwave Festival in Australiaand theDownload Festivalon the main stage in June.
On June 27, 2012, theCzech policearrested Randy Blythe for his actions during a 2010 concert inPrague.Blythe was charged, in thePrague 8district court, with committing intentional bodily harm after an incident in which 19-year-old fan Daniel Nosek climbed up onto the stage with him. Blythe pushed the teen who then hit his head on the floor when he fell and later died of the injury.Lamb of God canceled their upcoming tourbut resumed touring 38 days later when Blythe was releasedon bail. Blythe was indicted on the charges in December 2012.According to a verdict delivered by the Municipal Court in Prague on March 5, 2013, Blythe had thrown Nosek off the stage and had moral responsibility for the fan's death but he was not criminally liable.The decision was appealed,and upheld by the Prague High Court in June 2013.
Despite statements from band members that Lamb of God planned to enter the studio in 2014 to begin recording their eighth studio album, hoping to complete it by the end of the same year,Chris Adler said in an interview withThe Virginian-Pilotthat besides the large amount legal fees the band encountered from Randy Blythe's trial, the band's inactivity during the trial had eventually depleted the band's funds and thus were unable to fulfill those plans.
On January 26, 2014, Randy Blythe posted a picture and a statement on his Instagram saying he would be taking a long break from Lamb of God. The band, after the then-current album cycle would be on hiatus, except for some summer festival appearances.By September, however, Blythe revealed that he was planning to release a new Lamb of God record, which uses lyrics he had written while he was incarcerated along with his book,Dark Days: A Memoirin early 2015.
The band began teasing a new album, with the placeholder titleLamb of God VIIvia Instagram and Twitter in late April 2015. A website, lambofgodvii.com, initially comprising an empty black screen, went online in early May. The "VII" (the roman numeral for the number seven) refers to the album being the band's seventh, and does not take into account the first of their albums, released with a slightly different line-up asBurn the Priest.On May 15, 2015, it was announced that the title of the new albumVII: Sturm und Drang, and would be released in July via Epic and Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The first song, "Still Echoes" was made available for streaming on LambofGodVII.com, and available for digital download on May 18.In June of the same year, the band released a video for the song "512".
On November 14, 2016, Lamb of God released a new EP titled "The Duke", which featured two new songs from theVII: Sturm und Drangrecordings and three live tracks. The title track is dedicated to a fan and friend of vocalist Randy Blythe, Wayne Ford, who died after a five-year battle withleukaemia. In addition to the new release, several members of the band auctioned off their instruments, signed CDs, lyric books and gold records to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
On April 4, 2017, Blythe said it was time for the band to "really go on hiatus" after their summer North American tour; this was in reference to the first hiatus being on the back of his release from prison and acquittal.On August 10, guitarist Mark Morton confirmed that the band would be going on hiatus but stated that they would still be making music but did not hint at whether this was either for an upcoming release or indeed for Lamb of God at all.
On January 22, 2018, Lamb of God was announced as one of the bands supporting theSlayer Farewell Tour.On March 22, Lamb of God announced that on May 18, 2018, they would release a cover album,Legion: XXunder their original name Burn the Priest. It is the band's first album as Burn the Priest since their1999 album.
On October 23, 2018, Lamb of God drummerChris Adlerwas interviewed on the 486th Metal Injection Livecast and in the interview with Metal Injection he revealed that the band is aiming for a December 2019 release date for Lamb of God's tenth studio album. He also revealed in the interview that he had a conversation with fellow heavy metal drummerLars Ulrichof the bandMetallicaabout what it was like to work with ex-Metallica guitarist and currentMegadethlead vocalist and guitaristDave Mustaineprior to working with him on Megadeth's 15th album,Dystopia, which was released in 2016.
In 2017, Chris Adler was involved in a motorcycle accident that shattered his collarbone and right shoulder. While Adler had largely recovered to rejoin Lamb of God in time for its summer 2018 tour with Slayer, further complications from the injuries forced him to take a leave of absence from the band in July.Winds of Plagueand formerProngdrummerArt Cruzwas brought in to replace Adler for the remainder of the tour. For several months, Adler's future with the band was uncertain, with Blythe stating in a June 2019 interview that "it's hard to see what's going to happen with [him]."On July 19, 2019, the band released a statement declaring that they parted ways with Adler, with Cruz becoming his permanent replacement. They additionally stated that they had begun pre-production on their forthcoming 10th album.On October 23, 2019, Adler released his own statement about his departure from Lamb of God revealing that he "did not make the decision to leave my life’s work" and he "is unwilling to paint by numbers".
On February 5, 2020, the band released "Checkmate" as the debut single from their self-titled album,Lamb of God, which marks the first song to feature Cruz. The album was initially planned to be released on May 8, but was postponed to June 19, 2020 due to thecoronavirus pandemic.Lamb of God toured in support of the album, including a co-headlining US trek withMegadethin the summer and fall of 2021.
In a September 2020 interview with Australia's Subculture Entertainment, Lamb of God guitaristMark Mortonwas asked how he was spending his coronavirus downtime. He responded, "Writing and recording and creating new music is my favorite part out of all the things we get to do. There's a lot of elements, a lot of components about being in a band like Lamb of God. Performing and touring is one of them. Writing and recording is another one of them. The writing and recording part is far and away my favorite part of what we get to do. And so I have been doing some writing. I've been writing some stuff for Lamb of God, some stuff for other people, some stuff for my own solo project, so there's a lot of new music jumping out of me right now."
On February 4, 2021, the band released a song called "Ghost Shaped People" off the upcoming deluxe version of their 2020 self-titled album.The reissue of the album was released on March 26, 2021.On April 1, 2022, the band released a cover ofMegadeth's "Wake Up Dead" (1986). The cover also features Megadeth.For select dates throughout 2022,Phil Demmelfilled in for both Willie Adler on guitar and John Campbell on bass.
Lamb of God's ninth studio album,Omens, was released on October 7, 2022, nearly four months after the release of its lead single "Nevermore".The band supported the album by touring North America withKillswitch Engageand Europe withKreator,Thy Art Is MurderandGatecreeperthroughout the fall and winter of 2022.They also opened forPanteraon the North American leg of their reunion tour during the summer of 2023.
When asked in a February 2024 interview with theRRBGpodcast about the next Lamb of God album, bassist John Campbell said: "We're gonna put out some records on the same rough schedule that we always do. We put out a record, tour the shit out of it, take a little time back, start working on another one, record it, tour the shit out of it. So, yeah, there's definitely — we are still alive and kicking, and there will be more records. In the next five years, there will definitely be a new Lamb of God record. I don't think I'm giving away any secrets with that."
In February 2014, a documentary film featuring Lamb of God entitledAs the Palaces Burnwas released worldwide. The documentary, directed byDon Argott, began filming in 2012 and was set to focus on fans of the band but drastically altered its scope following the arrest of lead singer Randy Blythe on charges of committing intentional bodily harm stemming from the death of a fan following a concert in Prague two years earlier.The film has been met with positive reviews by critics.
Lamb of God is considered a significant member of theNew Wave of American Heavy Metalmovement,having been referred to as one of "big four" bands of the movement, along withKillswitch Engage,Shadows FallandUnearth.The band is mainly considered agroove metalband.Their music has also been described asmetalcore,thrash metal,anddeath metal.Lamb of God's 2000 albumNew American Gospelhas been described as "grindcoreand death metal for thehardcorekids".The band's 2004 albumAshes of the Wakehas been described "to showcase their thrash andmelodic death metalinfluences and break out of the metalcore category critics tried to push the band into."The band incorporated more thrash metal elements in later albums, which was shown as a direction onWrath(2009) andResolution(2012).Burn the Priesthas been called a fusion of thrash metal, death metal andhardcore punk.The Burn the Priest cover album,Legion: XXhas been described ascrossover thrash,hardcore punk,punk rockandsludge metal.
Lamb of God's influences includePantera,the Accüsed,Septic Death,Drunk Injuns,the Faction,Black Sabbath,Obituary,Bolt Thrower,Corrosion of Conformity,Napalm Death,D.R.I.,Machine Head,Shellac,At the Gates,Metallica,Testament,Slayer,Meshuggah,Megadeth,Aerosmith, andthe Jesus Lizard.Although Lamb of God is a heavy metal band, the band's vocalist Randy Blythe is a more avid fan of punk rock than heavy metal, and refuses to consider himself a "metalhead".