LAMB OF GOD – Killadelphia

The New Wave Of American Heavy Metal (NWOAHM) – the term typically quickly solicits strong opinions amongst Metalheadz worldwide, and you probably either totally love the music or hate it … but regardless which category you fall into, you’ve gotta admit that Lamb Of God (LoG) has got something special to offer, and rides at the top of genre. Signing with Sony for 2004’s release, Ashes Of The Wake, LoG took their studio music to a new level, with an incredibly, crisp, concise, and brutal Metal sound that was a complete pleasure to listen to when you’re in the mood to drive your fist through a brick wall, providing Death Metal vocal style of Randy Blythe is your cup of tea.

Now, Phase II of the relationship with Sony is the release of a DVD, entitled Killadelphia, an obvious play on the city name Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA – the location where the concert footage included in this DVD was filmed. Continuing to build a following and rising in popularity (both as a band and the genre as a whole), LoG could have easily gotten away with simply releasing a DVD of a LoG concert, and fans probably would have gobbled it up just the same. Instead, though, LoG has produced and released a “total entertainment package.”

Yeah, sure, this DVD includes a full 15-song set concert, and it comes through as brutal and crisp and concise (remarkably so) as Ashes Of The Wake, but in addition, there is so much more to Killadelphia than just LoG live … instead, this is really about how LoG lives. As a viewer/listener, you have the basic option of just watching the concert recorded in its entirety, or you can choose to take it a step further and watch the “whole show,” which is essentially “a day in the life” documentary of the band spliced in between each concert song. LoG lets it all hang out, evidently running the camera consistently for a couple of weeks to record “everything” the band does and has to go through. The “day in the life” episodes show a story of a band that really is comprised of a bunch of “regular guy” rock stars that are generally humble, hard-working pranksters, who are prone to “human” feelings, frustrations, and desires. You’ll find the band going through demeaning occurrences that seem “below” a band of this stature, such as having to deal with recurring breakdowns of an equipment rental truck and a power outage during a show, and, conversely, you’ll also see the band having a lot laughs as the suck down what seems to be an incessant stream of alcohol. Mostly, though, what you’ll find is a “family” … 5 guys with their own personalities, strengths, and hot buttons. In many ways, the band and their crew appear completely dysfunctional –- almost to Beavis and Butthead extents — but as the story continues, you’ll find quite the opposite to be the case. These guys know each other very well, and have been in the presence of each other’s company for a long time … and like many families, there are a lot of arguments along with some short tempers (and a pretty ugly fight between guitarist Mark Morton and Randy Blythe to cap it all off) … but in the end, there’s a profound understanding of one another in this band and what makes each person tick. You get the feeling by the end of the DVD that LoG could easily self-destruct at any moment, but you’ll also realize that this band is as tight emotionally as is their music, and the friendships amongst the band members run deep within their souls.

In addition to the concert footage and documentary, there’s an option to watch the entire documentary with band commentary substituting for the sound of the concert footage/documentary interviews. It’s almost as if someone put together the DVD, got the band together, and ran the “show” in front of them all at once and recorded everything they said to get their “raw” commentary about what was being viewed at the moment. This feature kind of gives a “home movie” feel to the concert/documentary footage, which is interesting, but also appears to be a feature that most viewers would only care to see/hear one time … then after that one time, you’d probably simply go back and watch the normal footage. There are also one-on-one interviews with the band about themselves and other band members, discussions about significant crewmembers, “sound check” segments, and 3 music videos.

All in all, Killadelphia is a complete entertainment package and a very honest approach of a band letting the fans know what its really like to be a Heavy Metal band on the road. As Mark Morton says in a one-on-one interview to wrap up the DVD, “… it’s ugly … it sucks sometimes. We’re probably not the Heavy Metal band you want to be.” But when all is said and done, you get the feeling the band completely loves every aspect of their lives and feel fortunate to be where they are … and probably wouldn’t change a thing if given the chance.