Last month, Lamb of God frontman and heavy culture ambassador Randy Blythe launched a monthly showcase of his creative contributions from behind his camera.
The In Focus series presents a unique platform in which Blythe transitions from vocalist to documentarian, capturing and compiling a compelling collection of images that each have their own anecdotal quality. In much the same way Blythe asserts a standard of heavy in his music, his photography is equally substantive.
For his inaugural curation published on Knotfest.com, Blythe presented a cache of images that offered his distinct vantage point of the historic Knotfest Iowa festival. Showcasing images that featured candid backstage glimpses at bands like Gojira and Trivum, depicted the live horsepower of bands like Turnstile and Fever 333, and offered an intriguing look at fans from the stage perspective - every image is a powerful, print-worthy statement.
For the latest edition of the pictorial series, Blythe aims to present the sights and sounds, faces and places he experienced while on the road for the recent Metal Tour of the Year excursion. Trekking across the country with Megadeth, Trivium and Hatebreed, when Randy Blythe was not onstage commanding thousands of fans with Lamb of God, he was snapping images that presented an intriguing look at life on the road.
See below for Metal Tour of the Year through a completely different lens.
Blythe - Ryan Holiday - bestselling author and Stoic philosopher outside his bookstore, The Painted Porch, in Bastrop, Texas. I had a great chat with Ryan about writing and bought a bunch of tour reading material from The Painted Porch. Check out his latest book, Courage Is Calling— it’s a great read.
Blythe - Giant wheat pasted bat under the Congress Bridge in Austin, Texas. During bat season, thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats fly out from under the bridge right around sunset.
Blythe - My buddy the photographer Travis Shinn having a cig after dinner in Austin, Texas. You should quit smoking, Travis- it looks rad in photos, but it’s gonna kill ya!
Blythe - The desert behind the Isleta Amphitheater in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I love playing this venue — there are always epic sunsets here. Regrettably they usually happen right as we are going on stage.
Blythe - This dude was security guard at the Reno, Nevada show. I came outside and saw him and our bassist John Campbell talking shop. Apparently he is a bassist as well, so John handed him a bass to play. Cool dude.
Blythe - The mighty Matt Pike of Sleep/High on Fire fame at his local pub in Portland, Oregon. Love this dude- I’ve known him longer than my band has existed.
SAVAGE RIFF-LORD OF THE IOMMISPHERE.
Blythe - The Bean, downtown Chicago, Illinois. Probably the most over-shot object in Chitown, but I don’t care - it’s so much fun to take photos of this thing.
Blythe - Skyscrapers, Chicago, Illinois. Y’all sure do got tall buildings in the Windy City.
Blythe - My friend and Pigface bandmate, Martin Atkins. Martin has played drums for Public Image Ltd, Killing Joke, Ministry, Pigface, and a bunch of other bands. Dude is one of many living legends that I feel lucky enough to call my friend. We had a great lunch of steak and ale pies in Chicago.
Blythe - Flowering weeds and barbed wire, Danville, Virginia.
Blythe - Pepper Keenan of the mighty Corrosion of Conformity at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Danville, Virginia. I was especially happy to see Pepper at this festival, as his hometown of New Orleans had just been hammered by yet another hurricane. Love ya, Peppi!
Blythe - The O.G. Ice T getting his game face on seconds before taking the stage with Body Count in Danville, Virginia. Ice and the Body Count posse are all just the most awesome dudes and I’m always stoked when we cross paths.
Blythe - Reflection of The Arch in St. Louis from my hotel room window. Me and some of the road crew walked around The Arch earlier that day. It’s super impressive to see up close.
Blythe - The homie Jason Alaon Butler about to go out and crush it with Fever 333 at Knotfest in Iowa. Such a sweet, innocent, perfectly gentle looking face… Well, we all know appearances can be deceiving (Laughs).
Blythe - Wondering which one of those planes is gonna take me home. Airport hotel after the last show of tour in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
