Coverage/Photos By Julius Aguilar
Moshing, headbanging, adrenaline shredding riffs and pyrotechnics are what comes to mind when reflecting on the evening with the bands that make up the “Omens” tour. Lamb of God brought the “Omens” tour to the Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, AZ and dominated the venue with the rawness and harshness of the bands Fit for an Autopsy, Animals as Leaders, Killswitch Engage and of course the one and only Lamb of God.
We started the evening with the facing melt, fast-paced adrenaline rushed band Fit for an Autopsy. Steamrolling the stage with such fierce vocals and speed Fit for an Autopsy did not dwindle to get the crowd hyped; hitting straight to the face with songs such as “The Sea of Tragic Beasts”, “Pandora”, “Far From Heaven” and “Black Mammoth.” Destroying the crowd was the name of the game and Fit for an Autopsy delivered.
For a change of pace, Animals as Leaders took the stage and shredded faces with their melodic fast paced sounds. The precise nature of the band took the crowd for a journey into the vortex of their instrumental tracks. Tracks such as “Arithmophobia”, “Micro-Aggressions”, “Monomyth” and “CAFO.” This was a nice change of scenery to melt into before heading back into war with Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God.
Killswitch Engage started their set blasting Van Halen’s “Jump” with their own version of the lyrics shouting “Get drunk!!! Gotta, Gotta get drunk!!!”, the crowd screams with excitement and agreement to the lyrics. The band takes the stage and hits the crowd with “Strength of the Mind” which sets everyone off in a frenzy. Jumping, moshing, crowd surfing ensues throughout Killswitch Engage’s set as they perform fan favorites tracks such as “This Is Absolution”, “Rose of Sharyn”, “My Curse”, “This Fire”, “The End of Heartache” and “Holy Diver.” This was a great setup for the main event and set the venue’s pace for what was to come.
With a drape covering the stage and Lamb of God’s logo being projected, all that could be seen from the audience was the silhouettes of the band members taking their position. This building up the crowd’s anticipation, Randy Blythe stepped on the most forward center platform which his distinguished silhouette erupted the fan’s in a cheer. Lamb of God began their set with the track “Memento Mori”, a soft, chilling, goth-like track, which as it the song built to the break the fans began to feel the chaos coming. A discharged bang and the drape fell and swooped over, introducing the band Lamb of God to the congregation of fans screaming. The band performed with such ferocity, the venue began to heat up and in an instant Randy stated to the crowd, “Walk With Me in Hell.” The introduction of fire spits up, illuminating the stage called to the crowd for more chaos. Lamb of God performed tracks such as “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For”, “Ruin”, “Omerta”, “Omens”, “Laid to Rest”, “Vigil” and a special treat to live debut of a new song “Grayscale.”
Lamb of God
Killswitch Engage
Animals as Leaders
Fit For An Autopsy
