Lamb of God high on reality

On the documentary/concert DVD "Killadelphia," by the band Lamb of God, lead singer Randy Blythe and guitarist Mark Morton come to blows outside the tour bus, and Blythe is thrown to the ground and knocked unconscious.

But Blythe isn't uncomfortable with that much "reality" on the DVD. "We have always been truthful to our audience," Blythe said by phone from a hobby shop in Chicago. "We wanted to do something different than other bands who do DVDs. Usually they do a documentary that says, 'Life is fun on the road. It's one big party.'

"Not us. When you're cooped up with 10 dudes in a tour bus for a year, (stuff) builds up. (Stuff) happens. And this gives the audience a glimpse of the pressures.

"While it's not all fun and games, I still have the best job in the world."

Blythe, Morton, bassist John Campbell, drummer Chris Adler and guitarist Willie Adler (Chris' brother) are collectively known as Lamb of God, and they have turned the tide of modern American metal, having climbed to the top tier among such notables as Slayer, Metallica and Pantera, according to Revolver Magazine.

Lamb of God formed in Richmond, Va., at Virginia Commonwealth University, initially going by the name Burn the Priest. After a line-up change — and Morton leaving and rejoining the band — the name was changed to Lamb of God.

The independent "New American Gospel" album paved the way for Lamb of God's breakthrough recording, "As the Palaces Burn." Shortly thereafter, LOG signed to Epic Records and released "Ashes of the Wake." After a DVD titled "Terror and Hubris," the band focused its energies on touring and recording and taping the live "Killadelphia" CD and DVD.

"I've been in the band for 11 years," said Blythe. "We didn't blow up over night. We started slow and have a nice grassroots following. As the band's popularity has grown, we have managed to still remain the same guys as before. But there is now an added responsibility to our fans and ourselves. With that the band faces different situa- tions, which we haven't faced before. We've (been humbled) and lost money throughout the journey but are still doing this."

Their tenacity has paid off. LOG has joined the Unholy Alliance Tour with Slayer and is able to play a few headlining shows on their own on the off dates, as when the band comes to Salt Lake City. "The set will be longer when we headline. We have more time — about an hour and a half. So you'll see and hear a lot of good stuff."

Included will be a new song, "Redneck," from the upcoming studio album "Sacrament." "We've been getting a lot of response to that song," said Blythe. "The video will be out soon."