LAMB OF GOD HEADLINED THE HEAVIEST METAL TOUR OF THE YEAR AT THE YOUTUBE THEATER IN LOS ANGELES
The metal titans in Lamb of God tore through Los Angeles this past weekend, ripping the YouTube Theater in Inglewood to shreds on the night before Easter. Supporting their punishing new album, Into Oblivion, Lamb of God brought a rogues’ gallery of the gnarliest extreme metal bands in the underground scene out on the road with them for what many are calling the heaviest tour of the year.
Sanguisugabogg, the new kings of American death metal, kicked things off with their pummeling single “Rotted Entanglement” from last year’s Hideous Aftermath album. This was a huge record for the Bogg boys, expanding their already bludgeoning sound with even more technical ferocity. Most of their short, five-song opening set focused on new material, but they still managed to slip fan favorites like “Face Ripped Off” and “Dead As Shit” into the mix. There’s no denying the early birds inside the YouTube theater were properly warmed up after Sanuisugabogg got through with them.
There was little chance for fans to rest in between sets as Fit For An Autopsy hit the stage almost immediately afterward and came out with all their deathcore guns blazing. Screamer/frontman Joe Badolato whipped the growing crowd into a frenzy, all while they endured barrage after barrage of some of the sickest riff attacks in modern metal. Fit For An Autopsy hit the perfect blend between inhuman performances and killer songwriting, prompting a massive response from the audience inside. Lamb of God has toured with Fit For An Autopsy in the past, with Badolato even famously filling in for Randy Blythe on vocals before. The crossover between their fan bases is substantial and probably explains why the Autopsy gang were hailed as heroes inside the YouTube Theater this night.
Kublai Khan has blown up in recent years. These Texan metalcore masters have gone from playing smaller clubs to bigger venues and essentially taken the underground world by storm. The YouTube Theater is a cavernous venue, holding approximately 6,000 people all funneled into a state-of-the-art facility dug under the sprawling SoFi football stadium next door. Kublai Khan had the arduous task of performing right before everyone’s favorite band on Earth, as the now-packed theater bustled with people scurrying to find their seats or grab drinks before the headliner. Of course, this wasn’t Kublai Khan’s first rodeo, and the band knew exactly how to win over the audience’s attention. With gargantuan breakdowns, vocalist Matt Honeycutt hollering like a madman, frenzied mosh pits galore, Kublai Khan simply did what they always do: they ripped the stage to pieces.
The mighty Lamb of God finally hit the stage, and their rabid army of Los Angeles disciples went wild. A band such as theirs, playing a city named “The Angels” on the eve of Easter Sunday, couldn’t have been scripted any better. Opening with fan favorites “Ruin” and “Laid To Rest” back-to-back, it’s almost like the band was trying to make the crowd lose their minds on purpose. With a decades-long career and several milestone albums under their belts, Lamb of God have reached the point where formulating a setlist to please all their fans is nigh impossible.
As fate would have it, the band decided to spread the love throughout their vast discography, playing tracks from eight of their ten studio albums. New songs from Into Oblivion, such as the title track, “Parasocial Christ,” and the mind-bending “Sepsis,” all hit like a ton of bricks. Randy Blythe’s vocals sounded as ravenous as ever, while guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler almost brought the roof down, ripping through classics like “Desolation” and “Omerta.”
While most of the band hails from Richmond, Virginia, drummer Art Cruz is A Southern California native, so every Los Angeles show is basically a homecoming gig. Cruz’s joyful passion behind the kit was on full display during songs like “Memento Mori,” living the dream onstage amidst friends and family. The band ended the night with a scorching version of “Redneck,” prompting an enormous circle pit down on the floor and waves of whiplashed necks in seats across the venue. Somehow, after a full night of insane metal madness, the crowd inside stayed chanting for even more Lamb of God. It seems that the dedication from their LA fan base remains unmatched.
