Lamb Of God
Live @ Alpheus (Roma) 23.02.2010

Known to the Italian audience for being the opening act for Metallica last June, and dear to their most devoted fans for a devastating concert with Hatebreed around the same time, the Lamb Of God return to Italy for the second time during the tour supporting "Wrath", an album released in early 2009, meeting an audience that sees them as an established entity at the peaks of international metal, thanks to exhausting tours that have allowed them to promote their albums worldwide in just ten years (their debut album was released in 2000 even though they formed in the early '90s), experiencing a constant and distinctive evolution.

The Rome gig on 23-02-2010 was the last of the three the band held in Italy together with Between The Buried And Me, August Burns Red, and Job For A Cowboy, bands stylistically different from Lamb Of God, who nevertheless immediately managed to energize the crowd that packed the Alpheus, a venue narrow and somewhat cramped for a metal concert, but with impeccable organization and decidedly good sound.

Between The Buried And Me played for about half an hour, showcasing their excellent musical skills and the wonderful voice of their versatile singer. August Burns Red, on their part, may not be appreciated for originality and wealth of ideas; however, they engage part of the audience with their metalcore full of "moshoni" that triggers the usual unstoppable mosh pit. Hats off to Job For A Cowboy, decidedly convincing, spectacular, engaging, and precise, their show is beyond any expectation for intensity and fury. None of them stop headbanging, including the drummer, who is even one of the most scenic, with his tattooed chest and hair constantly in motion during the execution of extremely fast tempos. Absolutely phenomenal is the classic "Entombment Of A Machine", welcomed with great enthusiasm by the audience that rightfully idolizes them too.

An excellent appetizer is thus served, but for dinner, the very first rows fill frighteningly (not an inch of space) and the name of the band for which they are all there reverberates loudly in the air: LAMB-OF-GOD!!! After a wait of about ten interminable minutes, as the lights dim, the album version of "The Passing", an instrumental intro of "Wrath" used as an opener for this last world tour, is played—a very evocative song that grows more and more from the initial arpeggio through intertwined melodies from the two guitars, while on stage violet-toned light shows hide the presence of Lamb Of God, all beards and tattoos, ready to attack with "In Your Words", properly shaking the crowd mesmerized by the hypnotic melodies of the intro.

From here on, the band hits the ground running, the five shady figures with a scruffy appearance, in contrast to the neatly styled hair of many youngsters in the crowd, impeccably perform a repertoire full of fast and intricate riffs, explosive barrages, and screams that are barely human, rolling out their thrash carpet stained with hardcore, death, and a lot of rock. "We are Lamb OF God from Richmond motherfucking Virginia," says Randy, the singer. The setlist includes several tracks from the latest album, while only the classics are extracted from previous ones, fired one after another with an intensity beyond the ordinary, spreading sweat, passion, and anger that infects the entire Alpheus, while in the front rows the mosh pit becomes brutal and continuous.

In the first part of the concert, they concentrate on the brand-new single "Set To Fail" and the classics "Walk With Me In Hell", "Now You Got Something To Die For", "Hourglass", and the much-acclaimed "Ruin". In the middle of the show, the two guitarists stand side by side and play the intro of Grace, with Mark Morton fully unleashing his abilities, immediately showing just how much rock and blues are present in his strings with a beautiful solo that extends for several minutes, only to give way to the devastating entrance of the double bass pedal by drummer Chris Adler, who astonished with the incredible precision in which he played throughout the show, with ultra-fast tempos, intricate rhythms, advanced-level counter tempos, and upbeat timings without ever dropping a beat. Certainly, it seems almost as if he is an anti-solo drummer, because despite his highly praised technical skills, his crystal-clear precision, and the touch with which he strikes the drums, he does not flaunt technique for its own sake for the audience's delight, playing the only real "solo" in "Ruin", without changing a dot from how it is on the album. In short, a machine.

In stark contrast to the almost robotic temperament of the drummer is the animalistic charge of frontman Randy Blythe, the real added value of the band during live performances: the singer doesn't stand still for an instant, running back and forth across the stage, jumping, encouraging the crowd, and often becoming involved in skits with guitarist Willie Adler and bassist John Campbell, but above all, he has a frightening voice. His growl is devastating live, extremely powerful yet very clear in enunciating the words, the scream is well proportioned: he dares less at the beginning to give his all at the end. An outstanding professional, but above all, an excellent frontman and vocalist.

The concert continues with the excellent "Broken Hands", full of groove and exquisite riffs, followed by the eagerly awaited "Laid To Rest", during which probably no one inside the venue refrained from moshing, followed, without respite or mercy, by the lightning speed of the second single from "Wrath", "Contractor", a thrashcore track among the most violent and direct of the entire evening. After the apparent calm derived from the initial arpeggio of "Vigil", and another skit during which the musicians wish someone from their crew a happy birthday, the southern-flavored notes of "Redneck" invite the audience to unleash in a massive circle pit. Finally, space for the oldest track in the repertoire, the only extract from the first album "New American Gospel" (2000): "Black Label," greeted by the now customary Wall Of Death with subsequent moshing during the highly rhythmic central part, concluding a concert that fully embraced the concept of metal music, which for any enthusiast is nothing but the right mix of technique, speed, power, and impact.

As a postcard of the evening, you only need to choose the biggest bruise among the many.

SETLIST "Lamb Of God":

1. "The Passing"
2. "In Your Words"
3. "Set To Fail"
   
4. "Walk With Me In Hell"
5. "Now You Got Something To Die For"
6. "Ruin"
7. "Hourglass"
8. "Dead Seeds"
9. "Blacken The Cursed Sun"
10. "Grace"
11. "Broken Hands"
12. "Laid To Rest"
13. "Contractor"
14. "Vigil"
15. "Redneck"
16. "Black Label"