LAMB OF GOD
JOB FOR A COWBOY
Job For A Cowboy never seem to be on tours that suit their musical styling, last time they hit the shores of the UK was on a supporting jaunt with Megadeth and as you can guess, that didn’t see them receiving a great amount of support. However, tonight seems to be slightly more lucky for the 5 piece from Arizona as they churn out monstrous riff after beat laden fill to the eagerly awaiting crowd. “Deathcore” isn’t a title which really suits the musical style of Job For A Cowboy, but then again, neither is “Death Metal” which they are often classed as, they are just a straight forward, brutal, metal group. New material from their album ‘Ruination’ kicks off their set to a brutal and obvious note, they aren’t here to mess around - ‘Constitutional Masturbation’ sounds great, were it not for some sound issues in the venue. Which is a disappointment considering the intensity of Jon Rice’s drumming, especially live, he is accurate beyond belief. ‘Knee Deep’ sees the pit in the middle of the floor swell and devour more sweaty bodies on the Barrowlands floor as Jonny Davy stalks the stage. As the last beat of ‘Embedded’ hits, you can almost feel a giant sigh as the level of intensity can drop for a mere moment before Lamb Of God hit the stage and destroy this crowd in Glasgow. Job For A Cowboy seem to have won over a large majority of the crowd as a sea of horns are raised as the band exit the stage, which is always seen as a triumph for any band. Overall it was a well executed set, but sadly sound problems marred what could have been.
DATE:
VENUE:
Thursday 11th February 2010
Barrowlands in Glasgow, UK
LAMB OF GOD
The stage lights dim and the strobes start to highlight the stage in fleeting glances. ‘The Passing’, the acoustic intro of Lamb Of God’s newest record, practically floats across the crowd, and as the track builds, so do the screams. The crowd are surging with every moment, waiting for that instant when Randy Blythe and company appear on stage. Within seconds a space has opened out on the floor in preparation for ‘In Your Words’ and when that opening riff kicks in, the mass movement of bodies towards the pit is just unbelievable. Chris Adler sits high on the stage platform behind his band members, his double bass drums annihilating every single beat. He is simply one of the greatest musicians to watch perform live; he is flawless in each song of the set and remains to be a driving force in the superb quality of live performance that Lamb Of God display. John Campbell stands his place, head banging alongside guitarist Mark Morton and Willie Adler who are constantly moving from place to place on stage whilst trying to avoid Randy Blythe who is roaming like a mad man with a purpose. Classic tracks such as ‘Now You’ve Got Something To Die For’ and ‘Laid To Rest’ leads to the crowd screaming along to every single word, bodies flying through the air towards the stage and the pits claiming more victims from the edge of the crowd into their sweaty midst. If you have seen Lamb Of God before then you know that the gig basically acts as a build up for ‘Black Label’, that moment when an unholy amount of people cram themselves backwards for that magnificent wall of death. Tonight was no different as the men in Lamb Of God looked out over a mass of tangled and beaten bodies, almost looking proud of what they have achieved. Thankfully all sound issues which had appeared during Job For A Cowboy’s set have been rectified and Lamb Of God reign supreme, a truly great live act who never seem to disappoint. Long live metal gigs like this.
JOB FOR A COWBOY
Reviews & Photography by Siobhan Hogarty
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