It’s August 2004 and two legendary hitters in the heavy metal kingdom just released two iconic albums; Leviathan by Mastodon and Ashes of the Wake by Lamb of God on the same day. Fast forward 20 years and these two legends are joining forces to perform each respective album to an insanely amped Los Angeles crowd while on a joint headlining North American tour, “Ashes of Leviathan.”
There is really only one word that can accurately describe a show of this magnitude and prowess; EPIC. On Wednesday, August 21st Lamb of God and Mastodon took the stage at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA to deliver one of the hardest but also grandest concerts I’ve yet seen. With support from Kerry King and Malevolence, Wednesday night came and shook LA like another 5.7 earthquake, heads thrashing, horn hands held high.
A Wednesday night in LA is like a Saturday night elsewhere. Audiences flocked to the Kia Forum armed with psychedelics and nostalgia wearing their favorite out-stretched Lamb of God tee and studded jean jacket with Mastodon and Slayer patches. Fans were fanatic, and the forum was a frenzy.
After Kerry King came out and shredded our faces to a pulp, it was time for Mastodon to jump head-first into the sounds of their sophomoric album, Leviathan. Hearing the first few chords of “Blood and Thunder” knowing that the entire album is about to be played in its entirety was an unexplainable feeling. A concept album based on the tale of Moby Dick and awarded several awards for Album of the Year when it came out, Leviathan played to a packed and penetrable modern-day audience flawlessly. Every riff from Brent Hinds and yowling scream from Troy Sanders punched out into the arena, timelessly. Clearly, it’s an album that has aged like a fine cabernet delivering “Iron Tusk” and “Hearts Alive” like the tannins of a vintage bottle.
While coming in from the lot, I overheard two fans discussing the evening and one of them exclaimed, “my edible should be kicking in right in time for Mastodon”. This person was on my mind when suddenly on stage there was a giant Monsters Inc. creature bobbing about amidst some trippy visuals. Mastodon concluded Leviathan to a roaring crowd that seemed to have been transformed from the journey.
The pause between the Mastodon and Lamb of God sets was a heavy one. Audiences were quaking with an unique combination of both satiation and hunger while the arena buzzed with eager excitement and lengthy lines for beer refills.
When one of the most iconic and recognizable opening riffs rang loudly through the arena, screams echoed across the Forum’s domed walls as fans congregated loudly to throb along with Lamb of God’s beloved “Laid to Rest.” The following tracks were equally as epic as Randy Blythe’s screams filled the dark abyss with rage and terror. “Hourglass” being one of my favorites from the album with its use of whispers overlayed on top of the screams. Following came my other two favorites, “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For” and “The Faded Line”. Being in the photo pit for these three was incredible. Being able to see and shoot the sweat so closely while Randy repeatedly screamed “hopeless” was beyond my imaginable bucket list dreams.
My late dad who was an audio engineer and lover of rock and metal music introduced me to Lamb of God when I was in middle school. It’s wild to be shooting a band that’s been making music for longer than I’ve been breathing air, and especially significant to shoot a band that my dad and I bonded over during my tumultuous teenage years.
The album plugged on with badass basslines booming through John Campbell’s strings, paired with equally ferocious chords from Mark Morton’s and Willie Adler’s guitars. Art Cruz kept things in check with the perfectly timed rhythm change-ups from the banger and thrasher vibe to a slower more contemptuous pace, cymbals crashing and chiming to a precision. I’m still in shock and in awe at being able to witness this historic performance. “Omerta” took things in a different direction while “Blood of the Scribe” punched things back up a few notches. “One Gun” and “Break You” kept momentum going strongly as “What I’ve Become” took flight and rounded the corner for the journey home.
An album like Ashes of the Wake takes up significant space in the early 00s zeitgeist of metal music as Lamb of God had already secured themselves as a top-reigning force holding a lit beacon for all who followed. Released not only during a tumultuous time hormonally for me, but during a tumultuous time geopolitically, Ashes of the Wake serves as a strong dose of societal self-reflection of wartime malice targeting the Bush Administration and the Iraq War. Themes and issues that are still complex and prevalent in today’s world.
The tenth track, titled after the album, “Ashes of the Wake” swings hardest with its blunt lines;
We killed a lot of innocent civilians
To us, every civilian in Baghdad was a terrorist
These Fedayeen are now in civilian clothes that makes everybody free game
But if they came within our perimeter, we lit ’em up
And when we would pull the body out, and when we would search the car, we would find nothing
This took place time and time again
No harm, no foul, that’s OK, don’t worry about it
Because this is a new type of war, this is an eradication
I remember this album making a splash in 2004 beyond it’s genre-defining musical prowess but for it’s intelligent and scathing take on a war of the era. A mock to the marches, “Ashes of the Wake” sets out with one objection and that is to destroy the idea of mindless destruction.
When “Remorse Is For the Dead” delicately took life on stage, crowds were momentarily lulled only to be thrashed back awake by Blythe’s resentful growls as the album beated its way to its end.
An encore was chanted back out for “Walk With Me In Hell” and “Redneck” before this monumental show concluded as one of the most memorable heavy metal shows in America.
Buy Lamb of God music and merch here:
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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY MORAN
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