Lamb of God brought their supercharged Ashes of Leviathan tour to the Michigan Lottery Ampitheatre Saturday night in Sterling Heights, Michigan and when the dust finally cleared the place was nothing but a pile of ash. If you ever been to a LOG concert you know what i’am talking about for the rest of you what are you waiting for. The evening was certainly going to be a banger with Unearth joining the tour for three days along with guitar (Slayer) Kerry King and Mastodon on the bill. If you are on the soft side this concert isn’t for you. Mastodon and Lamb of God are both celebrating the 20th anniversary of two of their seminal albums.
The evening got on the way at 7:00 with Unearth who got the crowd all lathered up for what was to come. I would like to add before the band set, bassist Chris Rybicki came out a did a couple of beer bong’s before launching the funnel out to one lucky fan who happened to snag it out of the air. The six-song set had some very high energy to say the least. Strap yourselves in kids it’s going to be a rough ride. Kerry King’s band took the stage shortly after with some very seasoned musicians, a super band if you will. The band consist of singer Mark Osegueda (Death Angel) along with drummer Paul Bostaph (Slayer) bass player Kyle Sanders (Hellyeah) guitarist Phil Demmel (Machine Head) along with the “Slayer” himself Kerry (MFK) King. I was very impressed by the set and looking forward to seeing the future. King is on tour supporting his first solo album “From Hell I Rise.” A couple of highlights from King’s set were song’s seven and eight both from the trash metal band Slayer. “Raining Blood” and “Black Magic” both of which angered the mosh pit which grew in size and rage. King ended the set with “From Hell I Rise.”
Not sure if we could handle anymore but here, we go. Up next came the high energy in your face heavy metal band from Atlanta Mastodon who came out blazing looking to destroy anything in its path. Mastodon’s set was very full bodied, Mastodon performed tracks off “Leviathan,” opening with “Blood and Thunder” putting everyone and anything into a frenzy even the security staff who were watching for crowd surfers were enjoying the show as well. No one was escaping this night without sore necks and body bag full of bruises to go with it. The 13-song set came complete with guitar shreds and solos along with some aggressive behavior and throaty lyrics we come to expect from metal shows. The crowd was just as aggressive as the band watching them and roaring along with every song. By the time Lamb of God took the stage, Freedom Hill was on fire and feeling the Burn!
All you heavy metal folks out there it’s time to get nasty. Lamb of God took the stage at 9:00 and it was on. The mosh pit was ready to slam with full glasses of beer being launched into the air with liquids of all kinds flying every which way and angry metal faces seen for mile ready to rip. I have covered LOG a few times now by far this has been one of the wildest shows i have ever been to. The story and visuals from this tour are very masterfully done and take you on a ride well beyond the headbanging from the get-go. Randy Blythe was pacing the stage back and forth like some caged animal looking to retaliate on its pray. Drummer Art Cruz was like a brain surgeon masterly breaking down tracks “One Gun” and “Break You” while guitarist Mark Morton put on a rip fest for all in attendance. Founding member and bass player John Campbell plucked at his bass with precision and some attitude.
One key highlight from the 13-song set was “Ashes of the Wake” an instrumental rendition between two band members trading guitar riffs that didn’t go unnoticed. Rest assure after tonight all in attendance are going to have that throaty roaring voice when they talk for the next couple of days. After playing through “Ashes of the Wake” LOG closed out the night with a couple of heavy bangers “Walk with Me in Hell” and “Redneck.” The tour still has 14-dates left and is a must-see event something you don’t want to miss out on. Stay young America and keep rocking!
Lamb of God – Ashes to Leviathan Tour 2024
