Review: Lamb of God

Randy Blythe led headlining band Lamb of God in an ebullient, raucous performance Saturday night at the Uptown Theater. Photos by Megan True, Special to The Star

A somber tribute to slain guitarist Dimebag Darrell provided a poignant moment in an otherwise incendiary concert Saturday at the Uptown Theater.

The musician was shot onstage by a disgruntled fan on Dec. 8, 2004, in Columbus, Ohio. Drummer Vinnie Paul, who performed with Dimebag in Pantera and Damageplan, interrupted the performance by his current band, Hellyeah, to acknowledge the anniversary of his colleague’s slaying.

“Eight years ago on this day I lost my brother and my best friend,” Paul said. “He’s alive tonight in Kansas City.”

As the members of all four bands featured at Saturday’s concert joined Paul to toast the memory of Dimebag, many in the audience of about 1,000 chanted the name of the influential guitarist. The touching show of solidarity was followed by a rendition of the eponymous song “Hellyeah.” Randy Blythe, the frontman for headliners Lamb of God, assisted with the selection.

Blythe is all too familiar with onstage violence. He was indicted by authorities in the Czech Republic on manslaughter charges earlier in the week. He is accused of pushing a fan off the stage during a 2010 concert in Prague. The fan died 14 days later from injuries suffered during the fall.

Blythe spent five weeks in prison on related charges in the Czech Republic earlier this year and has indicated that he intends to return to the Czech Republic should a trial ensue.

Blythe didn’t seem burdened by the possibility of an extended prison term during Lamb of God’s 80-minute performance. He playfully interacted with the audience, cheerfully sang a bit of “Kansas City” and gave R&B artist Wilbert Harrison an arbitrary shout-out during a fearsome rendition of “The Undertow.”

In spite of his ebullience, Blythe’s singing remained willfully ugly. Alternately shrieking and growling, he gave voice to 14 selections from Lamb of God’s 12-year recording career. The jarring discography has positioned the Virginia-based band at the forefront of a hostile new form of heavy metal that integrates punk with the form’s established structure.

The gargantuan riffing of guitarists Willie Adler and Mark Morton was particularly effective on “Ghost Walking,” which has been nominated for a Grammy. The sinister groove of “11th Hour,” the grim thrash of “Omerta” and an anarchic version of “Laid to Rest” were similarly menacing.

Lamb of God’s performance was accentuated by two video screens, lasers, searchlights and nominal pyrotechnics. The Swedish band In Flames opted for dramatic backlighting that corresponded with its futuristic din. The act’s tasteful incorporation of electronic elements provided a welcome contrast in an evening dominated by screaming guitars.

Sylosis didn’t require many special effects to dazzle the audience during its opening set. The British quartet struck an ideal balance between nimble velocity and colossal strength.

Perhaps inspired by the vitality of its tour mates and by the memory of Dimebag on the anniversary of his untimely death, Hellyeah gave the most compelling performance of its several appearances in the Kansas City area in the past few years. The Texas-based band tore through material like the aptly titled “Rage/Burn” and the party-minded “Drink Drank Drunk” with ruthless urgency.

As he invoked Dimebag a final time near the conclusion of the concert, Blythe suggested that “true legends never die.” Based on the extraordinary power of his band on Saturday, Lamb of God is also well on its way to attaining that rarified status.

| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star

Comments

[mankvill]

Not really a fan, but I'm glad they're getting bigger.

[Kurt]

Since, it looks like there will be no review of TSOs show here, I'll post a comment on this one.

TSO on Sunday was simply amazing and it's their best tour yet. I've seen TSO in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 now.

I went to the 3:00 show and it was packed except for some empty seats in the upper level. TSO did The Lost Christmas Eve album from 2004 but, they didn't do Queen of the Winter Night from that album though. They didn't do First Snow which, is a fan favorite also. Other than, those two songs left out, it was an awesome show. They did three songs from their new 5 song EP Dreams of Fireflies(On a Christmas Night).

It was TSOs best stage show and had two LED video arches rimmed with mobile vari lights on it. They had lots of lights on stage and behind the stage also. They did the intro to Moonlight & Madness and went into Toccata Carpimus Noctem and they had red lights behind the LED video screens so, they must be transparent. They had two cherry pickers that went over the crowd and lighting squares that would rise from the stage also. They had four lighting trusses that would lower and raise during the show also. The light, laser and pyro show was immense and the sound system was amazing. It was loud but, my ears never rang after the show. The show was about 2.5 hours and was pleased overall with what they played. I would rather have them do best of songs from their albums instead of performing an entire album on their next tour.

[David]

TSO has no business being in the same page as Lamb of God. If you notice, the page is called rockville. Not "mid life crisis soft rock" page. Lamb of God was amazing..nothing less. Hands down, they are one of the best metal bands...PERIOD. Their performance was tight and on point. Some bands dont sound very well live..Lamb of God is not one of those bands. If you were not there..your loss!

[Oscar]

SCREW YOU David!

I enjoyed Kurts review of the TSO show, and if they are not going to review it, then this is a fine place for the review....

Thank you Kurt.

[slashnburn]

I'm with David. Go hijack a different thread.

[Oscar]

Lamb of crap doesnt even deserve a thread.

[Green]

Any review for the murder ballad ball ...

[Bubba Brown]

Well, Monday night - I went to the Riot Room and saw [for the first time] HIGH ON FIRE with GOATWHORE - you just gotta love that name!

[Tony Cheray]

I will have to say this site has been pretty lame this year. No review on two TSO shows no review on Uproar and Mayhem fest no Halestorm or Seether reviews or mentions. we get maybe one metal review every six months. used to be everything within 45 mile radius got some attn.

[Bubba Brown]

Tony Cheray - what really puzzles me about this site - is that we (can still) go back a few months / years and read the reviews - but the 'Comments' sections are now closed. Anyone know why they decided on that? I've come across concert reviews / musician obits, etc. on this site that I failed to see until at least six months after it got posted.

[Nick]

Bubba, I might guess because it was usually those older posts were the ones that were always getting the spam posts. I hadnt realized it, but it seems the spam post have gone away.