Live Review: Lamb of God & Trivium Co-Headline Australian Tour
Photos & Review by Jeana Thomas
Review by Jeana Thomas Photography
A Night of Three Metal Heavyweights: Lamb of God, Trivium & Bleed From Within
Lamb of God: The beauty in the brutality
The last time I saw Lamb of God was at Knotfest in 2024. Regardless of everything else happening around them at a festival, I remember being drawn to their stage the second they started playing. I was instantly transported back to a previous encounter, but this time I found myself watching the individual musicians more closely.
Lamb of God was formed in 1994 in Richmond, Virginia as Burn the Priest, one of the pioneering American groove metal bands. Randy Blythe, Mark Morton, Willie Adler, John Campbell and drummer Art Cruz have together created a unique brand of heavy metal music that uses Blythe’s recognisable vocals. I have always been fascinated by Lamb of God’s music because, despite the complicated guitar work and rhythm, there is no need to over-analyse it. The music immediately seizes your body, connecting with it physically.
They didn’t waste time easing into the night, as soon as the large curtains dropped, you could see Randy Blythe prowling across the stage and from there they launched into ‘Ruin’, ‘Laid to Rest’ and ‘Now You’ve Got Something to Die For’. There was no long introduction or unnecessary talking between songs – the setlist set kept moving, each song given enough room to make its mark.
There was absolute pandemonium everywhere on the floor. The centre of the arena gave way and opened out into a huge, surging circle pit, causing people to be thrown through a frenzy of raw momentum as wave upon wave of crowd surfers rode the sea of hands right up to the barrier. The entire chaotic scene was held together by a loud, unified roar that shook the roof, thousands of voices shouting out ‘Lamb Of God’ in total, pure unison.
In the middle of the performance, the band instructed that each and every person on the floor to drop into a low, taut crouch, causing everyone to remain in a breathless state of suspended animation. As soon as the bass drop broke the silence, the whole room exploded—with everyone jumping upwards at the same time and turning the venue floor into a wild, trampoline-like sea of pure kinetic chaos.
This marked their return to Australia after their 2024 appearance at Knotfest and with ‘Into Oblivion’ released since then, I was keen to hear how the new material would fit into a set built around songs I’ve known for years. When the title track arrived, the response from the crowd made it clear that being new didn’t make it any less welcome. It fitted naturally into the set rather than feeling like a pause from the familiar material.
Their songs are built around rhythm. Mark Morton and Willie Adler’s guitars don’t just sit there throwing riffs at you, but lock together with John Campbell’s bass and Art Cruz’s drumming to create that unmistakable Lamb of God pulse. There is plenty going on technically, but I never find myself standing there thinking about how difficult a guitar part must be, I end up moving with it instead.
Morton had one of those moments during ‘Walk with Me in Hell’, ripping into the guitar solo while the rest of the band held everything underneath him. It was the kind of playing that makes you stop watching the whole stage and focus on one person for a few seconds. ‘Descending’, ‘Omerta’ and ‘Memento Mori’ were other standouts for me, each bringing something different to the set without disrupting its momentum.
Then there is Randy Blythe. I’ve seen a lot of metal singers over the years, but Blythe seems completely consumed by what he is doing. He doesn’t just deliver the words, but spits them out, throws his whole body behind them and prowls around the stage as though standing still isn’t an option. His voice is so distinctive that a Lamb of God song without it is almost impossible to imagine.
I also like that there is more to the band’s music than riffs and aggression. ‘Now You’ve Got Something to Die For’, for example, carries a much darker message about war and the human cost that comes with it. That gives the songs another layer, particularly when you are standing in a venue full of people shouting the words back to the band.
The audience played its own part in the show. There were songs where people around me seemed to know exactly what was coming before the first few notes had even finished. The reaction was immediate, particularly during the older favourites and there was never any sense that the crowd needed convincing to get involved.
With only 14 songs, the set was tight and deliberately economical. There wasn’t much room for pleasantries, but that suited Lamb of God. They weren’t there to fill time, they were there to play the songs. The band have now reached the stage of their career where they can stand alongside their own history without being trapped by it and ‘Into Oblivion’ showed that the newer material can sit comfortably beside the catalogue that established them.
Seeing them again reminded me why their music works so well in a live venue, you don’t have to analyse it, you just feel the rhythm, recognise the song and get swept into whatever is happening around you. And when the opening riff of ‘Redneck’ came crashing in for the final song, the reaction said everything. After more than 30 years, Lamb of God don’t need to prove where they belong, they have earned their place among metal’s defining bands.
SUPPORT ACT 1: Bleed From Within
Ethan Harrison, who is the lead singer of Great American Ghost, played guitar on this tour in Australia filling in for Craig “Goonzi” Gowans, who had to return to Scotland because of an urgent personal matter. It’s a good substitute, particularly since Ethan is mainly known in his role as the frontman. The two bands have a close relationship – the fact is that Great American Ghost joined Bleed from Within as a support/special guest act on Bleed from Within’s The Zenith Tour and Scott Kennedy, the vocalist with Bleed from Within, also appears on their song “Hymn of Decay”.
Bleed From Within hit that stage with raw energy and I could instantly understand why they were a great support act for Lamb of God. This Scottish metalcore band brought a heavier and more modern edge to the venue, with a physical intensity that was just as much a workout for the body as it was for the ears. I liked how they used a blend of heavy riffs and more melodic choruses, as contrasting elements rather than one overwhelming sound that bludgeons everything else into submission.
As I watched them perform from the crowd, it was apparent that everything they did on stage was with a clear intent. The band members exuded a confident swagger, wasting no time getting the punters hyped up. Their guitar chords were punishing, their drums relentless and their vocals vicious. To me, they provided the perfect build-up for what was to come, adding their unique Scottish edge to an otherwise very heavy evening, and using their supporting slot well.
SUPPORT ACT 2: Trivium: Precision with a heavier edge
Trivium began as strong as they left off and broke the mold of the support slot the evening had in store for a heavy night, setting the scene with a fiery set. As the night’s headliner loomed, there was still a thrum of anticipation in the arena, until the Florida metal players emerged and stole the show, attacking the stage with an aural punch.
I’ve always been a fan of this Florida band’s ability to change from thrash metal, to metalcore to traditional heavy metal without getting too comfortable in any one mode. There is a lot of technical guitar playing going on in their music, but good melodies and heavier grooves are present in the character of their songs. Seeing them live I could tell there was always something evolving without the music ever getting too complex.
Matt Heafy, the band’s frontman was a wild entity on stage, going from guttural roars to clean singing melodies with the ease of breathing, all the while his band played guitar into bloody splintered shards, Paolo Gregoletto provided big, thunderous bass while Alex Bent kept the timing tight and snappy. The band pulled off an impossible task, as everything they did, was for the song, and nothing they did was to show-off.
But the most spectacular examples of their prowess were certainly displayed on the likes of ‘In Waves’, ‘Strife’ and ‘Until the World Goes Cold’, where the band poured all that energy into the actual songwriting, giving the song a distinctive melody for all to sing along with, with the guitar riffs being savage and requiring a tremendous amount of technical ability.
As support for Lamb of God, they made the most of a night centred on unflinching metal. Instead of just preparing the crowd for the main event, Trivium delivered a set packed with enough rhythmic punch, melodic variety and technical nuance to make a set of theirs quite complete on its own. They proved their heaviness isn’t just measured in its power, but in what lingers.
Sheldon Ang Media would like to thank Dallas Does PR, Destroy All Lines, Lamb of God and Trivium for the media accreditation.
The tour will continue in Sydney (9th of October) and Brisbane (11th of October). Visit Lamb Of God & Trivium – Co-Headline Australian Tour | Destroy All Lines for tickets.
About the Writer: Originally hailing from Western Australia, Jeana Thomas now thrives in the vibrant city of Melbourne. Amidst the hustle of her role in a prominent teaching hospital, she also navigates the dynamic world of entrepreneurship as the owner of a medical transcription company. Beyond her professional endeavours, Jeana finds solace and joy in the rhythm of music, the allure of travel and the artistry of photography, with a particular passion for wildlife photography.
About SAM: Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) have been accredited to over 250 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), Coldplay (Perth Melbourne), Backstreet Boys, KISS, Iron Maiden, RHCP and P!NK with reviews shared by the likes of Suzi Quatro, Belinda Carlisle, Roxette, Tina Arena, UB40, Delta Goodrem, Leo Sayer and Tina Arena on social media. The founder has interviewed rockers Suzi Quatro, Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N’ Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS), and over 70 other artists. He’s also a contributor on Triple M Radio as a music journalist.
