PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
@PlanetMosh reviews the @LambOfGodBand @Decapitated @HuntressKills show in Birmingham. @Roadrunner_UK
First up tonight were Huntress. At first glance they seem an odd choice to support Lamb of God as they’re nowhere near as heavy as either Lamb of God or Decapitated, but they don’t let that bother them and right from the start give it everything to show they are a band worth taking seriously. The band kick off instrumentally before singer Jill Janus strides on stage and lets rip with a seriously powerful voice. Tonight’s set is made up of material from both their albums, and they really do go down well with the crowd. Jill Janus not only has power in her vocals, she also has the ability to hold her screams for an unfeasibly long time – if you or I tried a long scream we’d be gasping for breath before she’s even half way through hers. They are heavy – not as heavy as the other two bands but it’s a good way to get the night started whereas going straight into Decapitated might be too much of a shock to the system for people coming to a gig after work. It’s a great performance, and their set alone justified the ticket price for me. At the end of their set they announce that they’ll be going to the merch stand to meet fans after Decapitated have played – a nice touch as fans always appreciate the chance to meet bands.
Next up were Polish band Decapitated. Their approach is less intricate than Huntress and seems to rely more on brute power and aggression, and it certainly works – they quickly get mosh-pits forming and the first crowd-surfers start heading over the top and keeping security busy. Musically they didn’t do a great deal for me, but it was a great performance to watch and they really know how to get a crowd going crazy. It says a lot about how good a band are when they can get someone who isn’t a fan of their music to really enjoy their set, and thats what Decapitated managed to do tonight – I thoroughly enjoyed their set.
Finally though it was time for the headliners, Lamb of God who are back in the UK for the first time since they headlined Bloodstock festival in August last year. Tonight they’re sadly without guitarist Mark Morton who had to return home due to a family emergency (as Randy said – family always comes first). Standing in for him on guitar is Paul Waggoner from “Between The Buried And Me”.
Right from the start they send the crowd nuts – security worked harder during their set catching crowd-surfers than I’ve seen at a gig for a long time. The band put in a superb performance and singer Randy Blythe is very energetic racing around the stage and leaping high into the air at regular intervals, with his energy levels matching those coming from the music and the crowd. After every couple of songs they disappear off stage for a minute or two which although it does break the flow slightly, does have the advantage of letting security catch their breath for a minute before the place goes nuts again. When Randy introduced “Walk with me in hell” he managed the impossible – he got a crowd that was already going crazy to go even crazier, and they kept that pace and energy up for the whole gig.
A four song encore including “Redneck” ended the gig leaving a packed venue full of exhausted sweaty fans to stagger out into the cold air having enjoyed what is sure to be one of the best gigs they’ll attend this year. Lamb of God were good at Bloodstock but tonight was even better – a superb performance.
Setlist:
Desolation
Ghost Walking
Walk with Me in Hell
Hourglass
Set to Fail
Now You’ve Got Something to Die For
The Undertow
Omerta
Ruin
In Your Words
Encore:
Vigil
Redneck
Laid to Rest
Black Label
