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Lamb of God, Acacia Strain Crush Boston; Club Show Sets Stage for Busy Year

Band Photo: Lamb of God (?)

For the past few years, your best bet to catch Lamb of God has been at an amphitheater or arena on a massive stage on a package tour.

But the gods of metal have smiled upon the East Coast as the Virginia band hit six small clubs this month to roll out their speaker-shattering latest disc, “Resolution.” I was among the lucky thousand or so packed into the Paradise in Boston this week and witnessed first-hand the band’s raw force. They slayed – simple and plain.

Massachusetts’ own The Acacia Strain opened with a grinding set of chugging, angry hardcore that brought the club to a near riot. I last saw these guys on Warped tour last summer when towering vocalist Vincent Bennett terrified the Ashleys and Tylers and scared the eyeliner off the emo kids.

But this crowd – jammed with beefy Masshole hardcore dudes - couldn’t get enough of the band’s furious pummel. Before launching into “Bay of Pigs,” Bennett chortled: “This is for all the big, fat metalheads here.” The burly headbangers rewarded him with a raucous pit.
“I Am the End of the World” was equally sick and I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that drummer Kevin Boutot is a beast. Plain and simple.

Lamb of God ratcheted up the fervor, exploding with “Desolation” from the new album and the disc’s first single, “Ghost Walking.” The Richmond, Va. band has been at it for nearly two decades now and like most great groups, has improved with age. Vocalist Randy Blythe, having purged himself of his self-destructive, booze-soaked demons, roared like the seasoned metal vet he is on the classic anthems, “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For” and “Walk With Me in Hell.”

“The Undertow,” another metallic fist-to-the-face from the new disc, was a late set highlight.
With an impressive light show and killer sound, it was a triumphant return to Boston, and an intense tune-up for what’s sure to be a busy year of face-melting across the planet this year for Lamb of God.