Black clothing, beards and beer. Even before Huntress hit the stage, the 2,600 capacity venue was in full swing, with the occasional beer-cup projectile seen high above the crowd and the communial chanting to the pre-show music of AC/DC's 'Highway To Hell'. It was a vibe which was prominent throughout, and it was most certainly one everyone was a participant in, somehow or other.
Firstly, Huntress- the rising 'doom metal' Californian quintet, meeting the expectations of the crowd who were already buzzing prior to the bands introduction. Parading confidently around the stage with her knees up high led Jill Janus, proudly boasting Huntress' fine collection of head-moving anthems, especially 'I Want To Fuck You To Death' which was co-wrote by the golden god of heavy metal, Lemmy Kilmister. Nevertheless, Huntress also wanted to point out that after a seemingly successful set at Download '13, they have been asked to play again this year, at Download '14- which the crowd, that had been won over by their prowess, cheered enthusiastically. Huntress can confidently walk away from the night knowing their fanbase has grown.
Intricate death-metallers Decapitated were next, throwing speedy bass drums and exciting riffs the crowds way, resembling a Pantera/Machine Head-esque style of music that was hard not to enjoy. With dreads down to his calves, Rafał Piotrowski screamed venomously, which left the crowd chanting for more- when they weren't in the pits, that is. Needless to say, Decapitated did brilliantly in preparing the crowd for the headliners of the evening.
Then the leaders of groove metal arrived. The almost 24 year old going-strong band claimed the stage- Chris Adler's phenomenal, envy-inducing double bass drum kit taking up a large portion, may I add.
A new face was even welcomed too among the Lamb Of God lineup, as temporary guitarist Paul Waggoner (from the band Between The Buried And Me) filled in for Mark Morton. Lead singer, Randy Blythe, stated that his abence was due to him having to be with his family, and for them, "family comes first, no questions asked". Their justification on their choice of guitarist was "he had long hair, so why not?" joked Randy, before unleashing their flawless monster of a set.
The sound inside the Academy complimented them brilliantly; emphasising Randy's superb vocal range, Chris' drumming (which has been the best I've heard in a long time) and the guitar riffs, which Paul nailed, cementing himself as an exceptional cover guitarist. The sound was only outdone by the level of energy in their performance, which forced time-outs for the frontman so he could douse his head in water to cool down, even claiming "I'm sweating more than a whore in church".
For what seems to be an exciting year for Lamb Of God with the release of their documentary 'As The Palaces Burn' which comes out on February 27, they've most certainly started the year with a bang.
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