By Jim Gilles
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 9/1/21- Tonight, September 1, at the Irvine Five Point Amphitheater is the must-see Metal Tour of the Year, co-headlined by MEGADETH and LAMB OF GOD. This is the only Southern California concert in their Northern American Tour that began in Quebec in early August 2021. Joining them as previously planned will be special guests TRIVIUM. IN FLAMES will not be able to perform due to international visa issues and have been replaced by HATEBREED. MEGADETH, fueled by Dave Mustaine’s return to the stage following his diagnosis of and recovery from throat cancer, will finally embark on this tour which was planned for 2020 but postponed due to the COVID epidemic. As MEGADETH’s leader and frontman, Dave Mustaine says, “Can you hear that sound of armies on the march – of destruction on the horizon? That’s this tour, coming for you. We cannot wait to return to the stage and I promise you you do NOT want to miss these shows. You’re not going to know what hit you!”
LAMB OF GOD pressed ahead with the release of their crushing self-titled Lamb of God, which was one of the best-selling metal albums of 2020. The band now looks to take the show on the road as they return to the stage for the first time since the release of the record. Randy Blythe, inimitable frontman of LAMB OF GOD, adds: “It’s been far too long since we got together to do our thing – by ’we,’ I mean bands, road crew, bus drivers, truck drivers, local venue staff, vendors, audience, parking lot attendants, the freaking janitors – the whole damn enchilada. ALL OF US. TOGETHER. Everyone has been waiting, but the time has come to put the puzzle back together. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been more ready to hit the road with Lamb of God. See y’all with Megadeth, Trivium, and now Hatebreed. Over a year with no live music? These shows are gonna be INSANE.”
It was over 30 years ago that Dave Mustaine founded MEGADETH, in the process of pioneering the sound that would become known the world over as “thrash metal.” From the very beginning, the band proved to be the most lethal and audacious unit on the heavy metal scene, pushing thrash to the limits of musical ferocity and instrumental virtuosity on early efforts like their 1985 debut, Killing Is My Business . . . And Business Is Good! And 1986’s seminal Peace Sells . . . But Who’s Buying? MEGADETH has become one of heavy metal’s most influential and respected acts, as well as it’s most successful. They have sold more than 38 million albums worldwide, earning a 2017 GRAMMY Award for “Best Metal Performance” for their title track “Dystopia,” 12 GRAMMY nominations, and scoring five consecutive platinum albums. The band has worked its way up from headlining clubs to headlining arenas, festivals, and stadiums, cementing a legacy that continues to grow and spread. MEGADETH is slated to release their 16th album later this year.
LAMB OF GOD propelled heavy metal into the new millennium two decades ago with the prophetically titled New American Gospel. They followed with 2003’s As the Palaces Burn, which made the Rolling Stone list of the Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time. Ashes of the Wake, released in 2004, was the first LAMB OF GOD album to be certified gold by the RIAA, as was 2006’s Sacrament, which also made a Top 10 Billboard 200 chart debut. In 2009, LAMB OF GOD released Wrath, their first with Josh Wilbur as producer, and earned the number one album spot on Billboard’s Hard Rock, Rock, and Tastemaker charts, with a number two position on the Billboard 200.
Those number one positions were repeated in 2012’s Resolution, which swung effortlessly between thrash, traditional metal, sludgy doom, with flashes of crust punk swagger and bravado. LAMB OF GOD’s last album, VII: Sturm und Drang (2015) made its debut on the Billboard 200 at number three and finished number 2 in the world charts, reaching Top 5 in five countries and six additional Top 15 positions. In 2020, LAMB OF GOD released their critically acclaimed self-titled opus, the band’s best work to date, featuring new drummer Art Cruz. It seems that LAMB OF GOD is re-energized and ready to lay claim to the throne of metal.
hollywoodtimes.net will be covering this event so please check out our review tomorrow
