Lamb Of God – Ashes Of The Wake In Full – 26 September, 2020 (Stream Review)
Lamb Of God
Live Stream from Richmond, Virginia USA.
Saturday, 26 September, 2020
Support: Whitechapel
How awesome is it for deathcore band Whitechapel to share a stream of a gig they did in Knoxville a while back, as a ‘support slot’ for Lamb of God’s livestream - great concept. ‘Let’s go’ - vocalist Phil Bozeman yells to the crowd before the band unleash ‘Our Endless War’. The recording shows the crowd going while, and the sound quality captured for the gig is enormous. The band ripped through some big hits in their hometown like ‘Section 8’ and ‘Possession’. Fantastic warm-up show from Whitechapel.
Cast your mind back to 2004 when Lamb of God released Ashes of the Wake with legendary tracks like ‘Hourglass’ and ‘Now You’ve got Something to Die For’. First, Lamb of God are going to open their livestream with the anthem ‘Laid to Rest’, just to get you excited to ‘go to a gig’ if you’re not amped up enough yet.
This is a really cool concept for all involved - fans and bands - to experience this together. Personally, I’ve connected my PC to my TV via wireless display and watching this live gig in HD, where I can see every single bug in Randy Blythe’s isolation dreadies. Ever circle-pitted in your living room before? Now I can say that I have - however my girlfriend didn’t appreciate the couch-dive very much though, and threw me out the venue (our home).
Reigning from, and playing from Richmond, Virginia - Lamb of God have set up all the bells and whistles for this performance, and quite frankly, after seeing them live more times than I can count, this is one of the best live experiences I’ve witnessed from them. The mood was set with red tinged lighting and the band were ready to play like they had thousands of worshipping fans screaming and moshing in front of them (which they kind of did, just physically spread out globally).
Tracks like ‘Omerta’ were performed with absolute precision, spoken word quotes delivered by Blythe and all. The performance is great because the filming captures all members of the band, the emotions on their faces and their sheer excitement to be rocking out to the Lamb of God family across the world. They’re constantly smiling at each other and banging their heads which really captures the energy.
Blythe flicks his dreadlocks up and down as he pukes lyrics through the mike, with his signature shorts and a baggy t-shirt combo, and one leg on the speaker. Unless the stream has had some tuning and tracking done to it, the frontman's voice is spot on, which for him is incredible for live shows, as it’s often a rawer depiction of his vocal abilities compared to recordings.
Willie Adler and Mark Morton are in fine form - and in complete focus as they smash through riffs off tracks like ‘Blood of the Scribe’ and ‘The Faded Line’. It’s so satisfying to tune into a livestream and hear the band perform an iconic album in an excitingly unpredictable mixed order. Strobes flash across the stage and the metal titans put on the ultimate show for fans, as they fly through Ashes of the Wake seamlessly.
Blythe reveals the band have never ever played ‘One Gun’ live before and warns fans to make sure they’re not driving while watching. The band absolutely killed it live, and it’s surprising they haven’t played this one live before.
Once Lamb of God wind up their fourth studio album performance, they return for an encore where they sport some O.G. New American Gospel as they celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the record. The encore hits like ‘O.D.H.G.A.B.F.E.’ and ‘Black Label’ are a feature that’ll certainly make fans feel like they got their money’s worth. Don’t forget to pick up a Lamb of God tee on the way out, and brag to your mates for years to come about one of the band’s best gigs, that you made it to.
Stream Review by Ricky Aarons @rickysaul90
