On November 20 at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, Sylosis, HELLYEAH, In Flames, and Lamb of God played a fabulous show. The first Lamb of God tour was cancelled due to frontman Randy Blythe being held in Prague on murder charges. Luckily, Randy was released and he went right back to touring. I had the honor of photographing this performance, and they delivered a face melting show.
First up was the UK thrash metal band, Sylosis. Unfortunately, I missed Sylosis’s performance due to a time conflict. Apparently, doors were at six, not 7. Nonetheless, Lamb of God’s frontman Randy Blythe confirmed that they played an amazing set and he enjoyed hearing them. I’m sorry I missed them, but if their performance are anything like their new album “Monolith,” you should definitely check them out.
Second to perform was “supergroup” HELLYEAH. If you don’t know already, HELLYEAH features band members of Mudvayne, Pantera, Damageplan, Danzig, and Nothingface. Together they put on a pretty brutal show full of energy and headbanging. I was expecting HELLYEAH to be Mudvayne clone, but all the members seemed to mix their different styles well. One minute you hear Pantera, and the next you hear Mudvayne. Sometimes their songs tend to run together, but the highlights of their set were War in Me, Drink, Drank, Drunk, and Band of Brothers.
The third band to play were the fabulous Swedes, In Flames. It was so great to see In Flames again in Atlanta. Last year when they came through with Trivium, I was left a bit disappointed. This year they put on a much better show. In Flames had more energy, great stage lighting and they played a lot of their fan faves. Songs like Sounds of a Playground Fading, Reroute to Remain, and Take This Life, really got the crowd going. I looked behind me from the photo pit, and people were moshing, crowd surfing, a signing along with In Flames. It’s always to see In Flames perform, but this performance was at the top of my list of awesome!
Next to perform was headliners, Lamb of God from Richmond, Virginia. The place went nuts as soon as Lamb of God started playing. Honestly, I wish I had a eye on the back of head to help me dodge crowd surfers, a raincoat to avoid being dowsed in beer, and three hands to change my apertures faster! Performance-wise, Lamb of God has upped their game with better lighting and a ramp to jump off of during songs. Their energy on stage was great as Lamb of God blasted some new and old songs. Lamb of God’s set list included songs like Desolation, Set to Fail, Contractor, and Laid to Rest. Randy Blythe sang with a vengeance and the audience responded. It was great to see Lamb of God back in action. This is one of the best shows I have seen the band perform.
I’m really glad to see Lamb of God on the road again. In the end, I hope the charges against Randy Blythe are dropped, and he can move forward with his music.
