Richmond, VA – 50 years is diamond, 25 years is gold… and two twenties are the purest of metal. What am I talking about? Of course, I am talking about the dual two-decade anniversaries for two iconic metal band albums. Leviathan by Mastodon and Ashes of the Wake by Lamb of God. They brought the celebration to Richmond’s Virginia Credit Union Live on July 28, 2024 stopping for the co-headlining, Ashes of Leviathan Tour.
A local youth power metal group, Extermination, greeted fans at the entrance. They put on one hell of a show as people were entering the venue. They were given a huge responsibility, to officially open for Mastodon and Lamb of God and they definitely came came through!!
When the night officially kicked off, the pre-anniversary party started with British metal marvels, Malevolence! They brought a little hardcore metal finishing up the set with “On Broken Glass“.
Malevolence and Kerry King Gallery
Next on the bill was Kerry King. No, it was not “Fucking Slayer”, but close enough!! Their set included a lot of Kerry King originals with a couple Slayers thrown in for good measure. Included in the night was his most recent single, “Residue“.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 2004 album, Leviathan, Mastodon, consisting of Troy Sanders (bass, vocals), Brent Hinds (guitar, vocals), Bill Kelliher (guitar, backing vocals), Brann Dailor (drums, vocals), played the album in its entirety in the track order.
Opening with “Blood and Thunder” and “I am Ahab“, the party was underway. Like grooves in vinyl, they went through the album, track by track. “Seabeast” made some gigantic metal waves.
“Island“, “Iron Tusk“, “Megalodon“, and “Hearts Alive“, were among the tracks with the set ending with the track depicting the artist known as ‘The Elephant Man’, “Joseph Merrick”
The encore included a few more recent pieces, “More Than I Could Chew” and “Steambreather“. With the last note, were all well prepared for Lamb of God.
Mastodon Gallery
Mastodon Setlist
Blood and Thunder
I Am Ahab
Seabeast
Ísland
Iron Tusk
Megalodon
Naked Burn
Aqua Dementia
Hearts Alive
Joseph Merrick
Encore:
More Than I Could Chew
Circle of Cysquatch
Steambreather
Lamb may be in the name, but they took the stage to the thunderous sound of “Laid to Rest” followed by the second track, “Hourglass“. The 20 year anniversary set had begun for the band with Richmond roots, consisting of John Campbell (bass), Randy Blythe (vocals), Mark Morton (guitar), Willie Adler (guitar) and Art Cruz (drums).
Blyth, sans his signature dreads, continued to blow us away with “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For“, “The Faded Line” and “Omerta“.
This was my second Lamb of God and my first Mastodon experience. One cannot see either without loving their pyro, which will warm the coldest of hearts. On a few occasions, I feared for my eyebrows, but thankfully, there was no need to fear!
Rounding out the album tracks, they finished with, “What I’ve Become“, the title track from the album, “Ashes of the Wake“, and the seldom played live, “Remorse is for the Dead” to an insane crowd reaction!!
Lamb of God Gallery
Thanking us for letting them relive Ashes, Blyth took us down a more recent path to finish off the night with “Walk With Me in Hell” and “Redneck“. When the last note, goodnight, and frenzy in the pit, there was silence. The 20th anniversary celebration had come to an end with Ashes of the Leviathan moving on to the next town.
Lamb of God Setlist
Laid to Rest
Hourglass
Now You’ve Got Something to Die For
The Faded Line
Omerta
Blood of the Scribe
One Gun
Break You
What I’ve Become
Ashes of the Wake
Remorse Is for the Dead
Encore:
Walk With Me in Hell
Redneck
Show Date: July 28, 2024
Check out Lamb of God “Redneck”
