Over the past few months Burn The Priest has been giving us a little taste of their roots with singles from their upcoming record ‘Legion: XX’. Burn The Priest, usually known by their second name, Lamb Of God, released a full-length record paying homage to the artists that influence them. Since the mid 90’s, Burn The Priest/Lamb Of God have reached a global audience with their guttural yet thrashy brand of metal. Comprised of Randy Blythe on vocals, Mark Morton and Willie Adler on guitars, John Campbell on bass, and Chris Adler on drums they began their conquest of the world in Richmond, VA. This album is paying tribute to their first label, Legion Records (Philadelphia) and its founder the late Michael “Mikey” Brosnan. Blythe announced the release of the album on his Gimme Radio show, like a late-night punk rock college radio show. It is refreshing to see these guys who are now considered mainstream doing this release with a DIY attitude.
Each of these tracks are covers of the band’s major influences, which aren’t always under the umbrella of what is deemed metal. Produced by Josh Wilbur this is Burn The Priest at their peak performance. The entire band got to flex their muscles a bit with this record. Hearing Morton and Adler play non-Burn The Priest/Lamb Of God riffs was very refreshing. Adler and Campbell are as impressive as ever, keeping the rhythm punishing and present. Blythe shows his real range as a vocalist in singing and doing his typical growling death vocals from Lamb Of God. Tracks like “One Voice (Agnostic Front)” and “We Gotta Know (Cro-Mags)” turned staples of hardcore into good stand-alone Burn The Priest songs. This is what a cover album should be. The track I was most skeptical/excited about was the Bad Brains cover “I Against I”. Blythe pays an amazing tribute to his hero H.R, who he has stepped in for as a frontman of the Bad Brains for songs he doesn’t have the strength for anymore. Although I would have liked to have heard a track from ‘Banned In D.C.’, I was not disappointed. “Honey Bucket (Melvins)” and “Kill Yourself (S.O.D)” were strong tracks, with aggressive tone that created an unholy partnership with the riffs. Overall, this album is incredible. Trying to be as objective as possible I listened to it as it is: a cover album. In my mind, a cover album should be a band playing songs they appreciate and putting their own spin on it without straying so far from the source material and this album did that. You can tell they worked hard on this record. Finding the right sound, but still having a good time with it. This album was intended to show their fans where they came from as musicians. I was fortunate to know a few of these tracks already, but I was introduced to a few and now I have new-to-me bands to check out. This is a music fanatic’s record. Fans of either Burn The Priest, the bands they covered, and fans of both will enjoy this album. I’ve been a fan of these guys for nearly a decade now, so this was a real treat. Lamb Of God is currently supporting Slayer on their massive career-closing tour. ‘Legion: XX’ is available May 18th for physical release, in merch bundles, and for streaming. On a street date, “Inherit The Earth (The Accused)” will also be released as a 7” vinyl with “In The Meantime (Helmet)” as a B-side. For updates on Lamb Of God/Burn The Priest follow them on social media.
See below for all currently confirmed tour dates. LAMB OF GOD headline dates falling within marked with a double asterisk in bold.
LEG ONE
(In addition to support from LAMB OF GOD, Slayer leg one headline dates will also feature support from Anthrax, Behemoth, and Testament.)
MAY
10 Valley View Casino Center, San Diego, CA
11 FivePoint Amphitheatre, Irvine, CA SOLD OUT
**12 Fox Theater, Pomona, CA – LAMB OF GOD headliner + Behemoth
13 Papa Murphy’s Park at Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA
16 Pacific Coliseum Vancouver, BC
17 South Okanagan Events Centre, Penticton, BC
19 Big Four, Calgary, AB SOLD OUT
20 Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton, AB SOLD OUT
22 Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, MB
**23 The District, Sioux Falls, SD – LAMB OF GOD headliner + Behemoth
24 The Armory, Minneapolis, MN SOLD OUT
25 Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL
27 Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, Detroit, MI SOLD OUT
29 Budweiser Stage, Toronto, ON SOLD OUT
30 Place Bell, Montreal, QC SOLD OUT
JUNE
1 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT SOLD OUT
2 PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
**3 The Dome at Oakdale, Wallingford, CT – LAMB OF GOD headliner + Behemoth
4 Santander Arena, Reading, PA SOLD OUT
6 Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
7 Blossom Music Center, Cleveland, OH
9 KeyBank Pavilion, Pittsburgh, PA
10 Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, VA
**11 The Ritz, Raleigh, NC – LAMB OF GOD headliner + Behemoth
12 Veteran’s United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA
14 PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, NC
15 Orlando Amphitheater, Orlando, FL
16 Montebello Rock Fest, Montebello, QC – FESTIVAL DATE/LAMB OF GOD ONLY
17 Smart Financial Center at Sugar Land, Houston, TX SOLD OUT
19 The Bomb Factory, Dallas, TX SOLD OUT
20 Austin360 Amphitheater, Austin, TX
LEG TWO
(In addition to support from LAMB OF GOD, Slayer leg two headline dates will also feature support from Anthrax, Testament, and Napalm Death.)
JULY
26 Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, Gilford, NH
27 Impact Music Festival, Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion, Bangor, ME
29 Northwell Health at Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY
31 The Pavilion at Montage Mountain, Scranton, PA
AUGUST
1 Times Union Center, Albany, NY
3 Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien Lake, NY
4 Lakeview Amphitheater, Syracuse, NY
6 Budweiser Gardens, London, ON
7 Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
9 Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, St. Louis, MO
10 Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, GA
12 Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN
13 Walmart AMP, Rogers, AR
15 Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, TX
16 The Zoo Amphitheatre, Oklahoma City, OK
**17 Sokol Auditorium, Omaha, NE – LAMB OF GOD headliner + Napalm Death
18 Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater, Denver, CO
19 USANA Amphitheatre, Salt Lake City, UT
21 Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater, Boise, ID
**22 Knitting Factory Concert House, Spokane, WA – LAMB OF GOD headliner + Napalm Death
23 Sunlight Supply Amphitheater, Portland, OR
24 White River Amphitheater, Auburn, WA
26 SAP Center, San Jose, CA
