Randy Blythe was outside Philadelphia’s Electric Factory when he realised something was happening. It was November 1, 2003, and his band, Lamb Of God, were on the Headbangers Ball Tour alongside kindred spirits Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Unearth and God Forbid.
“I remember very specifically sitting outside Killswitch Engage’s bus at the Electric Factory,” says Randy now. “I remember looking around and having this realisation: ‘This is a very special time. Something is happening right now. Pay attention.’” His instincts were correct. Musically, it was a time of upheaval. Lamb Of God had released their third album, As The Palaces Burn, six months earlier to great acclaim. They were at the vanguard of a new movement that would finally undo the stranglehold nu metal had on music and culture. This scene – christened the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal – would offer something heavier, harder and more real than what had come immediately before it.
