ALBUM REVIEW: Live In Richmond, VA – Lamb of God

A LAMB OF GOD live show is a display of power and energy like few others. It’s so hard to fathom bottling the beautiful, chaotic experience in a live album, but 2005’s Killadelphia did a fantastic job. Now, the band is releasing another live record attached to the deluxe version of their excellent self titled record from last year. The only catch? There’s no audience. Of course COVID has wreaked its havoc on the music world for a year now, but bands craftily found a way to get their music to their fans. Livestream performances, like the one that LAMB OF GOD recorded for this live record, Live in Richmond, VA, have become the norm. But this particular performance, recorded in a small local Richmond venue in September 2020, is played with the fervour of a band playing their last “live” show for the foreseeable future. On top of the powerhouse live performances, the album sees the band attaching two brand new tracks, Ghost Shaped People and Hyperthermic/Accelerate, which could easily have fit on their recent self titled record.

The first ten tracks of Live In Richmond, VA are the ten tracks of the self titled record played front to back, and hearing them in a live performance highlights just how good this batch of songs really are. Memento Mori, with it’s quiet, eerie opening whispers, feels very intimate in the small space, but when it explodes, everyone is immediately on point. The only nitpick that runs throughout the live tracks is that the guitar could be mixed a little more up front, and a little louder. Willie Adler and Mark Morton‘s riffs are so tight and driving that hearing them a bit more could only add to the experience of a live show. But this song is for certain a perennial live staple to come, and the performance here highlights that.

The interesting thing about this live record is that it highlights certain songs that may have fallen by the wayside on the actual self titled record. Routes feels thrashtastic with Randy Blythe doing a great job subbing in for Chuck Billy‘s parts and the song does a perfect job breaking up the set with one of the fastest paced songs on the record. On The Hook also stands out in a big way, with furious drumming from Art Cruz, and guitars that sound like an old school MEGADETH record. It bounces and has a great vocal build-up to an absolute vitriolic rage.

Then there are the tracks that still sound great. Checkmate is classic LAMB OF GOD with excellent staccato riffs and huge bellows from Randy. Everyone steps it up here and they roll right into Gears, an absolute ripper that grinds and chugs with a bounce that would surely get the crowd moving if they were there. The bass is kicking on this one as well. New Colossal Hate stands out for its incredible vocal performance. It’s utterly ferocious and rollicking. Resurrection Man was an early fan favourite after the record’s release, and here it’s easy to see why. Opening with a creepy music box sound effect over the sound of rain, Blythe jumps in with the “Blegh” and from there it’s pure brutality. The melodeath guitars, the slamming breakdown…it’s all absolutely crushing, and that’s palpable especially in the 500 cap room the band is playing in.

Some songs do tend to blend in more than others, though. Reality Bath, which Blythe dedicates to the late, great Riley Gale, doesn’t stand out too much despite its stomping pace. Poison Dream as well has great drum fills and a nice, bouncy chorus and a great opening riff, but the elements don’t align in the right way live to make this one to be seen on many setlists to come. Bloodshot Eyes actually stands out more on the studio album than live, but Blythe does deliver a healthy dose of vocal firepower to give it a bit of punch.

The band then moves to play four songs from past records. Contractor from Wrath, does a great job breaking up the pace again with its all out blitzing pace and some absolutely amazing work from Art Cruz on the drums. It was a great choice to pick this song at this point in the record. And what can be said about Ruin from 2003’s As The Palaces Burn that hasn’t already been said? It’s one of the band’s best songs, and is always an A+ rager that burns the house down every time, here included. The band then plays their brand new song from the Bill and Ted 3 soundtrack, The Death of Us which is a great addition to the band’s catalog. It’s got a great hook in the chorus and a huge, huge breakdown. It’s definitely a song the band should break out more often in the future on occasion. Finally, 512 carries just as much emotional weight now as it did when first written and performed. The track feels like a perfect coda to a show that firmly cements the fact that LAMB OF GOD can crush it in any live setting, audience or none at all.

But what of the two new studio tracks? Ghost Shaped People is fast and furious from the start, with a riff charge as fast as lightning and a drum assault to match. The chorus is as memorable and catchy as any in the top tier of LAMB OF GOD songs. The repeated mantra of the chorus sinks into the brain and raises questions about society and the workings of the world in a way the band are now practiced masters at. And Hyperthermic/Accelerate has some really neat trills at the end of the main riff, though this track is more of a standard midtempo song that blends more with the majority of the band’s material. There is an incredible transition from Blythe‘s spoken word section  to a huge vocal burst that tears into the last third of the song. It’s a solid track, but the weaker of the two.

Overall, this is another great live record to add to the band’s discography, and any fan of the band should pick this up right away. The excellent set, mixed with the great new tracks, is a more than worthy bonus for the deluxe edition of the self titled record. LAMB OF GOD remains one of the best live metal bands on the planet, and they show no signs of letting COVID stand in their way. Live In Richmond, VA is a perfect testament to that.

Rating: 8/10

Live in Richmond, VA is set for release March 26th via Nuclear Blast Records. 

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