At Download 2010, I made the mistake of consuming five pints of Hobgoblin in a short space of time and then heading to the pit for Lamb of God. Needless I say, I was quite ill after, but boy did I have a good time. I have a number of other similar anecdotes of other Lamb of God appearances at Download and the vast majority involve the furiosity of their pit, and alcohol.

Lamb of God are a no holds barred foot to the floor proposition, forged in a dual furnaces of American Punk and European Metal. Rejecting all the trappings and idiosyncrasies of Nu-metal, they brought a brutally primal breath of fresh into the scene when they appeared twenty years ago. Dumping the new wave of American Heavy Metal, they flew the flag for big seismic riffs with the simplicity and beauty of guttural heaviness. They took the groove of classic Pantera, the directness of Thrash and melded that with the brutal directness of Death metal to create something that was reverential about its past but looked to the future.

Over the years, they have stuck pretty steadfast to their formula, refusing to comprise or to latch on to passing trends. What you will get on Sunday night is a Lamb of God that is as vicious and brittle as the one that burst into our lives all those years ago. They may all be knocking on the door of fifty but this is a band determined to deliver the most ruthless slab of primal heaviness each and every time they play. My advice; avoid the Hobgoblin, get in the pit and enjoy. 

By Stewart Lucas