Lamb Of God is what is happening with metal and they are not going anywhere. On the heels of their massive breakthrough CD, Ashes Of The Wake, they have toured massively. On one of those stops I had the privilege to sit down with Randy and get his thoughts on the war, LOG itself and most anything that came to mind. Randy is an interesting individual and if you spend five minutes with him you will see why.
Here is another flashback interview from 2005 celebrating the history of Metal Exiles. This album is celebrating its 15h anniversary and to this day this was one of my fav interviews. LOG were playing a side date during their Slipknot tour and this was an inperson with Randy at the Glasshouse in Pomona, CA and while you read this please note most of this was drenched in sarcasm.
Jeffrey Easton interviewing Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God.
Jeff: You are playing a small club tonight as opposed to the arena you are supposed to be playing. Is that a let down?
Randy: No not really because arenas are boring.
Jeff: Why are they boring?
Randy: Because there is nothing to do in an arena. Arenas are usually in the middle of nowhere so you can’t go anywhere.
Jeff: How did OZZFest go for you?
Randy: It went very well for us and that could have been construed as boring since we were in a parking lots in the middle of nowhere but since there were so many bands there was something to do always.
Jeff: A lot of people getting turned on to LOG?
Randy: Yeah but we brought a lot of heads to the table.
Jeff: You guys did the Fear Factory run to.
Randy: That was incredible. I would say 80 or 85 percent of the shows were sold out. We were out with Bodom on that tour to and I hope we never tour with them again because I will probably die if I do because they can party like nobody I know.
Jeff: Last time I saw Alexi he had a broken arm and he described the accident. I do not know if he was drunk but.
Randy: What you are saying is that you do not know if he was sober. Drunk is a normal existence for those guys.
Jeff: What is your opinion on censorship, like what you experienced with being kicked out of the Forum.
Randy: I am stoked because I had more press and I had a sold out show in Pomona at the Glasshouse.
Jeff: I am sure you are making more money as well.
Randy: Yeah, there was a bigger guarantee and we were interviewed on CNN as well.
Jeff: Ashes Of The Wake has been out almost a year now, how well has it done?
Randy: It has done about 180,000 so far which is bullshit for a major label, we are not Spears but for music of our nature it is phenomenal.
Jeff: It just shows your fans want to own the album and not download it.
Randy: Yeah, we are in arenas. I should be in a garage, I am a redneck idiot from Virginia but instead I am in front of 10,000 kids a night.
Jeff: For those who have not discovered the CD, tell them about it. I know you guys are very political.
Randy: I would not call us a “political” band but there are political issues on it. We write about what pisses us off basically and the current administration does that. The war that is going on in the Mid East over oil is fucked up. I think that the people who fucked up the world trade center should not get away with it, they should be annihilated. Going to Iraq and saying we are there for freedom is bullshit, we are there for oil and whoever does not believe that is a fucking idiot in my mind and I have nothing else to say to them. We are not there “Building democracy in the desert”, that is not the way it rolls, we are there for oil.
Jeff: There is a lot of it.
Randy: Yes, there is a lot of it. There are other countries in the world that suffer under horrid dictatorships but they do not have anything we want.
Jeff: There is one just south of us.
Randy: Yeah, there is one south of here and we do not give a fuck.
Jeff: Cuba is just off of Florida’s shore and they suffer under a wretched dictatorship.
Randy: They do not have oil, just a little Island without oil so what do we care. It is just big money, big war big bullshit, war makes money.
Jeff: But the war is over.
Randy: Oh, I forgot, thanks for clueing me in. There are not people dying in the desert still. I totally forgot all about that. It is to the point that politics make me sick.
Jeff: I know when I talk to relatives in other states they tell me how cheap the gas is and I see how it is here in Cali.
Randy: It is incredible here and that is just for regular, it is insane. We are kicking the shit out of the Middle East and taking our own oil, should we not be getting it cheaper?
Jeff: Back to the CD, The title track is an instrumental, why did you guys do that?
Randy: Well, we did not plan on doing an instrumental but I am glad we did. That song is so complex I tried to arrange vocals to it and I even asked my guys to help but is so epic it just stayed an instrumental.
Jeff: Where did the voiceovers come from?
Randy: I believe our drummer got that off of a news source and he is talking about the stuff that we are discussing now.
Jeff: Ashes has been released as a dual disc now, can you tell us about it?
Randy: I have no idea as I have not seen it yet. I barely understand what a dual disc is, I can barely work a VCR. I am a techno boob. I have an ipod and a laptop and I do not know why because I can barely turn the things on.
Jeff: You have one DVD out already with Terror And Hubris but now a second one entitled Killadelphia, enlighten us with this one.
Randy: It is two shows that we did at the Trocadero in Philly. We love Philly, it is where we started our fan base growing, where we got attention. We put the two shows together to make one full strong set from those two nights. The extras are real fistfights, some skydiving, and a lot of backstage stuff. Just showing us being silly because we are. It will be a good time, it will give you a good idea about how it is being in a band. People think it is always a good time and it really is not. Ok, it beats working as a roofer or at a restaurant, which I have done both but it is not always Motley Crue times. We are just trying to show the true realities of being on the road. It will be well worth the price.
Jeff: At least you like each other.
Randy: No we don’t, we hate each other pretty much but it is ok.
Jeff: The Burn The Priest CD was finally reissued. What did it take to get the rights back to this and put it out?
Randy: We bought the rights several years ago from my old friend Mikey Brosan. He started a record label just to put out my record because he believed in it. We paid him cost for the record and he is probably ruing that day about right now. We had no idea that a major label would ever put it out. We did not pay that much for this record, I think we did it for 2,000. We did have it remixed and remastered by Collin Richardson, who is well known in the metal community and it has new liner notes by Steve Austin. It is the same record it just sounds bigger and better.
Jeff: Why did you change the cover?
Randy: We did not but they did put a black cover on it and if you open it up the original artwork is in there. We have no idea why they did that but it may be because it is on Sony. It is surprising enough that Sony is putting out a CD by a band called Burn The Priest.
Jeff: What’s next for Lamb Of God:
Randy: We are spending the summer headlining the Sounds Of The Underground tour, which will be a lot of fun, and then we will be going to Australia and Japan.
Jeff: Thanks for your time, I will see you guys again when you come back this summer.
Randy: No problem.
Official Lamb Of God Site
BUY Ashes Of The Wake
Here is another flashback interview from 2005 celebrating the history of Metal Exiles. This album is celebrating its 15h anniversary and to this day this was one of my fav interviews. LOG were playing a side date during their Slipknot tour and this was an inperson with Randy at the Glasshouse in Pomona, CA and while you read this please note most of this was drenched in sarcasm.
Jeffrey Easton interviewing Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God.
Jeff: You are playing a small club tonight as opposed to the arena you are supposed to be playing. Is that a let down?
Randy: No not really because arenas are boring.
Jeff: Why are they boring?
Randy: Because there is nothing to do in an arena. Arenas are usually in the middle of nowhere so you can’t go anywhere.
Jeff: How did OZZFest go for you?
Randy: It went very well for us and that could have been construed as boring since we were in a parking lots in the middle of nowhere but since there were so many bands there was something to do always.
Jeff: A lot of people getting turned on to LOG?
Randy: Yeah but we brought a lot of heads to the table.
Jeff: You guys did the Fear Factory run to.
Randy: That was incredible. I would say 80 or 85 percent of the shows were sold out. We were out with Bodom on that tour to and I hope we never tour with them again because I will probably die if I do because they can party like nobody I know.
Jeff: Last time I saw Alexi he had a broken arm and he described the accident. I do not know if he was drunk but.
Randy: What you are saying is that you do not know if he was sober. Drunk is a normal existence for those guys.
Jeff: What is your opinion on censorship, like what you experienced with being kicked out of the Forum.
Randy: I am stoked because I had more press and I had a sold out show in Pomona at the Glasshouse.
Jeff: I am sure you are making more money as well.
Randy: Yeah, there was a bigger guarantee and we were interviewed on CNN as well.
Jeff: Ashes Of The Wake has been out almost a year now, how well has it done?
Randy: It has done about 180,000 so far which is bullshit for a major label, we are not Spears but for music of our nature it is phenomenal.
Jeff: It just shows your fans want to own the album and not download it.
Randy: Yeah, we are in arenas. I should be in a garage, I am a redneck idiot from Virginia but instead I am in front of 10,000 kids a night.
Jeff: For those who have not discovered the CD, tell them about it. I know you guys are very political.
Randy: I would not call us a “political” band but there are political issues on it. We write about what pisses us off basically and the current administration does that. The war that is going on in the Mid East over oil is fucked up. I think that the people who fucked up the world trade center should not get away with it, they should be annihilated. Going to Iraq and saying we are there for freedom is bullshit, we are there for oil and whoever does not believe that is a fucking idiot in my mind and I have nothing else to say to them. We are not there “Building democracy in the desert”, that is not the way it rolls, we are there for oil.
Jeff: There is a lot of it.
Randy: Yes, there is a lot of it. There are other countries in the world that suffer under horrid dictatorships but they do not have anything we want.
Jeff: There is one just south of us.
Randy: Yeah, there is one south of here and we do not give a fuck.
Jeff: Cuba is just off of Florida’s shore and they suffer under a wretched dictatorship.
Randy: They do not have oil, just a little Island without oil so what do we care. It is just big money, big war big bullshit, war makes money.
Jeff: But the war is over.
Randy: Oh, I forgot, thanks for clueing me in. There are not people dying in the desert still. I totally forgot all about that. It is to the point that politics make me sick.
Jeff: I know when I talk to relatives in other states they tell me how cheap the gas is and I see how it is here in Cali.
Randy: It is incredible here and that is just for regular, it is insane. We are kicking the shit out of the Middle East and taking our own oil, should we not be getting it cheaper?
Jeff: Back to the CD, The title track is an instrumental, why did you guys do that?
Randy: Well, we did not plan on doing an instrumental but I am glad we did. That song is so complex I tried to arrange vocals to it and I even asked my guys to help but is so epic it just stayed an instrumental.
Jeff: Where did the voiceovers come from?
Randy: I believe our drummer got that off of a news source and he is talking about the stuff that we are discussing now.
Jeff: Ashes has been released as a dual disc now, can you tell us about it?
Randy: I have no idea as I have not seen it yet. I barely understand what a dual disc is, I can barely work a VCR. I am a techno boob. I have an ipod and a laptop and I do not know why because I can barely turn the things on.
Jeff: You have one DVD out already with Terror And Hubris but now a second one entitled Killadelphia, enlighten us with this one.
Randy: It is two shows that we did at the Trocadero in Philly. We love Philly, it is where we started our fan base growing, where we got attention. We put the two shows together to make one full strong set from those two nights. The extras are real fistfights, some skydiving, and a lot of backstage stuff. Just showing us being silly because we are. It will be a good time, it will give you a good idea about how it is being in a band. People think it is always a good time and it really is not. Ok, it beats working as a roofer or at a restaurant, which I have done both but it is not always Motley Crue times. We are just trying to show the true realities of being on the road. It will be well worth the price.
Jeff: At least you like each other.
Randy: No we don’t, we hate each other pretty much but it is ok.
Jeff: The Burn The Priest CD was finally reissued. What did it take to get the rights back to this and put it out?
Randy: We bought the rights several years ago from my old friend Mikey Brosan. He started a record label just to put out my record because he believed in it. We paid him cost for the record and he is probably ruing that day about right now. We had no idea that a major label would ever put it out. We did not pay that much for this record, I think we did it for 2,000. We did have it remixed and remastered by Collin Richardson, who is well known in the metal community and it has new liner notes by Steve Austin. It is the same record it just sounds bigger and better.
Jeff: Why did you change the cover?
Randy: We did not but they did put a black cover on it and if you open it up the original artwork is in there. We have no idea why they did that but it may be because it is on Sony. It is surprising enough that Sony is putting out a CD by a band called Burn The Priest.
Jeff: What’s next for Lamb Of God:
Randy: We are spending the summer headlining the Sounds Of The Underground tour, which will be a lot of fun, and then we will be going to Australia and Japan.
Jeff: Thanks for your time, I will see you guys again when you come back this summer.
Randy: No problem.
Official Lamb Of God Site
BUY Ashes Of The Wake