Released just as the world was heading into lockdown, Lamb Of God’s eponymous album saw them continue along the path of VII Sturm Und Drang, experimenting with a range of elements and delivering one of their finest albums in the process. Clean vocals, visceral sludge riffs and punk-fuelled aggression, Lamb Of God had it all, and it was truly galling that the band were unable to bring such a bruising set to the stage. Seeking, at least in part, to redress that balance, Live In Richmond, VA captures the band playing the self-titled effort in full and with blistering clarity. Originally aired as a livestream, this two-disc set features both audio and video content from the show. First up is a CD, featuring the full set, the four-track encore and two bonus tracks. Then, for fans who want to dig deeper, there’s a DVD featuring a director’s cut of the set as well as bonus material. It’s a comprehensive package for the Lamb of God fan and a more than necessary fix for fans who have been waiting for over a year for live music to restart.
Kicking off with the swirling ambience of Momento Mori (which sees Randy sounding more like Pete Steele than ever on the clean vocals), Lamb of God strike an ominous pose. A stark contrast with the band’s normal, balls-to-the-wall approach, playing the album in full means Lamb of God have the opportunity to explore the various moods and atmospheres of the record with a skill that too often goes unremarked. Next up, the stoner blues riff of Checkmate has a surly groove, even if it is soon bludgeoned into submission and, like its predecessor, it showcases a band comfortable in exploring the ever-expanding perimeter of their sound. Meanwhile, if Gears is an unhinged outpouring of corrosive metal, there’s always the Clutch-on-steroids Reality Bath waiting in the wings to send things spinning off on a tangent. None of which is to imply that Lamb of God have lost any of their ferocity. New Colossal Hate is every bit the anthem of disdain its title implies, and Resurrection Man, creepy intro notwithstanding, is utterly devastating in execution. Yet, for all the searing power the band bring to bear, there’s a freshness to these tracks that will keep you utterly hooked.
Following on from Resurrection Man’s harrowing sludge, the more typical riffing of Poison Dream is something of a relief, feeling even more like a throwback to Sacrament than it does on record. Something of a contract with the faithful, it’s diamond sharp and suffers only slightly in comparison to the white-hot rage of Routes, which follows. With the record racing past, Bloodshot Eyes emerges from an unsettling haze of horror-movie ambience to aurally trepan the listener, before a monstrous take On The Hook raises itself from the sound of sirens to bring it all home in a manner that will leave you utterly stunned at the depth and power of the band’s performance.
However, we’re not quite done yet, and the band still have a flawless four-track encore up their collective sleeve. Both Contractor and Ruin serve to give the fans what they want, but it’s the first ever live airing of The Death Of Us (written for Bill and Ted) that will have even the most faithful follower frothing at the mouth, whilst the cathartic outpouring of 512, a highlight from VII Sturm Und Drang, provides the perfect sonic complement to what has gone before.
Lamb of God have never been shy about releasing live material and they have some truly monstrous live offerings in their back catalogue. Nevertheless, Live In Richmond VA still conspires to be something special, not least because it features the bands most accomplished album played in full and sounding even more monstrous on stage than it does on record. Better still, the stunning mix captures the band’s remarkable powers in the live arena with a clarity rarely afforded bands who have to set up with the audience already baying for blood. A monumental offering from a band who have only become more essential with time, Live In Richmond VA is a pretty much flawless addition to the band’s catalogue. 9.5/10
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