Ashes Of Levithan Tour. A metal celebration honoring the 20th anniversary of two amazing albums: Ashes Of the Wake from Lamb Of God, and Levithan from Mastodon. When this tour was announced earlier in 2024, it seemed like the perfect matchup and reason for the bands to tour. Adding Kerry King of Slayer with is solo project and up and coming British metalcore band Malevolence added extra depth to one of the best metal tours of the year.
The Richmond, VA performance was the homecoming show for Lamb Of God. 20 years celebrating Ashes Of The Wake and riling up Richmond is a good reason to celebrate. The band had many friends and family in attendance along with a packed Virginia Credit Union Live (which is a venue I do hope gets used more in the area).
Hearing the crowd know the lyrics and sing sections of Ashes Of The Wake reinforced my belief that heavy music can last with people. At one point, VA State Senator Danica Roem was seen crowd surfing (as seen by guitarist Mark Morton). A Senator of the people, proving they know their assignment.
Between songs, Randy Blythe took a moment to talk about how this was Lamb Of God’s first performance at Virginia Credit Union Live since 2016 for a GWARBQ. Blythe also thanks many Richmond metal and hardcore bands, including young and upcoming ones Blythe recommended checking out. It was clear that Blythe wanted to show respect to Richmond as the city has treated the band so well over 20+ years.
Mastodon brought back their massive video boards and trippy visuals to play their brand of groove metal roughly one year after the band’s last visit to Virginia Credit Union Live. The group’s sound along with the presentation has always been impressive since the first time I saw the group perform in 2017. I hope more people get to experience Mastodon live.
After Mastodon’s set, Brann Dailor walked to center stage and told the story about how 20 years ago, Brann was at a Richmond Best Buy and saw both Levithan and Ashes Of The Wake at the best sellers section in the CD aisle. Dailor called Randy Blythe who also couldn’t believe it. As a former employee of Best Buy 20 years ago (Store #773 to be specific), I can confirm that both albums were indeed selling well across the US. Best Buy used to be a great place for music, and Mastodon and Lamb Of God are still great to hear in 2024.
Along with Slayer returning to the stage later this year at Riot Fest, Kerry King is working with his solo project. A thrash inclusion to a tour like this was a good choice and hearing King’s solo work along with Slayer classics was a fun addition to the evening. Kerry King still sounds great while shredding and has a great presence live.
This was my first time seeing Malevolence live. I had known the band from hearing singles on SiriusXM Octane and it was good to put faces to the sound. Malevolence’s vocalist gave credit to Lamb Of God and being proud to perform in the hometown of one of Malevolence’s favorite bands. This band was a strong opener.
Ashes Of Leviathan Tour is something unique in metal: a tour that celebrates the anniversary of two successful albums from bands that have remained friends over the years WHILE proving that metal has lasting power. Here’s hoping there are more examples of this in the future.
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“The Ashes of Leviathan Tour is set to be a monumental event in the metal music scene, featuring powerhouse bands Lamb of God and Mastodon. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of their iconic albums, Ashes of the Wake and Leviathan, this co-headlining tour promises to deliver an unforgettable experience as both bands perform their celebrated albums in full. Joining them are special guests Kerry King and Malevolence, adding to the lineup’s star power.” (Perplexity)
Lamb Of God Ignite Homecoming Show with Mastodon on Ashes Of Leviathan Tour
