Seeing Lamb of God is a lot like seeing Slayer. Their fans are among the most passionate in metal, they bring it live, and you pretty much know exactly what you’re going to get. In the case of the band’s first show in support of their new album Resolution, which came out yesterday, that was an energetic, enthusiastic 90 minute set from one of metal’s premier acts. From the moment opener The Acacia Strain finished their set, anticipation began to grow (Too Late the Hero also opened the show). Not only were the band playing the 1200-seat Irving Plaza for what, as far as I can remember, was the first time since 2003, it also was the first of five club shows they’re playing in support of the new album. Kicking things off with tw0 songs from the new album, the band barely fell in intensity. In fact, it picked up as they went into “Walk With Me in Hell,” the first familiar song to the crowd.
Musically, the band excels live, and if there was any hesitation over playing the new stuff, it wasn’t obvious to anyone in attendance, which included local luminaries including the Cro Mags’ John Joseph and God Forbid’s Doc Coyle and Byron Davis. Drummer Chris Adler is a beast of a drummer, and while the whole band sounds great, it’s him and the newly-dreadlocked vocalist Randy Blythe that commanded the most attention. As brutal a larynx-shredder as Blythe is, he was in a playful mood, talking about the Giants and shouting out now-defunct clubs that LoG played in New York City, like Wetlands and CBGBs.
Even though the show started shortly after the President’s State of the Union address, Blythe didn’t bring up his own Presidential run. He did do some campaigning, however. The band’s last album, Wrath, debuted at #2, narrowly missing being the heaviest album to debut at #1 in the SoundScan era. While he mentioned that he didn’t really care about the music industry or SoundScan or anything like that, he did mention that the album has the potential to debut at #1 next week. And while some of those in attendance had undoubtedly done their part by participating in record signings the band has been doing, many more were told that they could make the difference by buying the album. Whether the band winds up dethroning Adele next week and getting the first #1 album of their career or not, last night was still one for the ages. Set list after the jump.
Desolation
Ghost Walking
Walk With Me in Hell
Set to Fail
Now You’ve Got Something to Die For
Ruin
Hourglass
The Undertow
Descending
Contractor
The Number Six
Laid To Rest
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The Passing/ In Your Words
Redneck
Black Label
