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Lamb of God
Screaming-metal math class.
This is a teen male’s dream room. Even more so because it contains Lamb of God, one of the biggest metal bands around. Epic Records signed the group last summer and it’s now time to write a new album. These days, the band is practically living at its headquarters in the heart of Scott’s Addition, a potholed jigsaw puzzle of squat brick buildings and 18 wheelers in the northwest end of Richmond. Recording begins in May.
“It’s like a math class,” jokes lead singer Randy Blythe behind dark John Lennon sunglasses and a baseball cap, referring to the hours it takes for the band’s musicians to explain the complicated metal song structures so he can write lyrics. Blythe and rest of Lamb of God sit around a small entrance to their practice space, watched over by the mannequin. The mood is light. With most of the material written, the band members even have had enough time to do some spring cleaning, though you can hardly tell through the thick billows of grayish white filling the room. Lamb of God smokes. A lot.
Lucky for them, there are cheap cigarettes to be found in Richmond. Blythe will tell you it’s one of the reasons he lives here, along with the cheap beer, cheap apartments and cheap practice spaces. It’s also home, he says. “This is what we’re used to. It’s a great place to be a band. Here we walk around without being noticed.”
That luxury doesn’t follow them outside the city. The band’s next tour is with Ozzfest 2004 in July. They expect to release their Epic debut in the fall. It’s a strange opportunity they’ve found, sharing a home with J. Lo and Michael Jackson, admits bassist John Campbell: “I think there’s a good chance we’ll get dropped after this record.” — Wayne Melton
Lamb of God’s last release, “As the Palaces Burn,” is available at music stores and www.lamb-of-god.com. Revolver Magazine named the CD album of the year in 2003.
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“It’s like a math class,” jokes lead singer Randy Blythe behind dark John Lennon sunglasses and a baseball cap, referring to the hours it takes for the band’s musicians to explain the complicated metal song structures so he can write lyrics. Blythe and rest of Lamb of God sit around a small entrance to their practice space, watched over by the mannequin. The mood is light. With most of the material written, the band members even have had enough time to do some spring cleaning, though you can hardly tell through the thick billows of grayish white filling the room. Lamb of God smokes. A lot.
Lucky for them, there are cheap cigarettes to be found in Richmond. Blythe will tell you it’s one of the reasons he lives here, along with the cheap beer, cheap apartments and cheap practice spaces. It’s also home, he says. “This is what we’re used to. It’s a great place to be a band. Here we walk around without being noticed.”
That luxury doesn’t follow them outside the city. The band’s next tour is with Ozzfest 2004 in July. They expect to release their Epic debut in the fall. It’s a strange opportunity they’ve found, sharing a home with J. Lo and Michael Jackson, admits bassist John Campbell: “I think there’s a good chance we’ll get dropped after this record.” — Wayne Melton
Lamb of God’s last release, “As the Palaces Burn,” is available at music stores and www.lamb-of-god.com. Revolver Magazine named the CD album of the year in 2003.
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