Metal isn’t just music. It’s a fist in the face of mediocrity. A defiant middle finger to convention. For the uninitiated, it’s a wall of sound, a cacophony of noise that makes no sense. But for those who get it – those standing shoulder to shoulder in the pit, sweating, screaming, and losing themselves in the moment – metal is church. This particular sermon was being given by none other than the metal titans Lamb of God and Mastodon. 

Opening for these heavyweights first was Malevolence, a heavy metal/metalcore band from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. I’ve had the privilege of shooting this band once before and each time has been a punch right to the face. This band comes out swinging and hits you with a relentless barrage of sound. Their energy on stage can only be described explosive. It was great to see them opening for bands that draw such heavy crowds. They played a quick set of 7 songs including “Malicious Intent”, “Higher Place”, and “On Broken Glass”. 

After clearing the stage the show was kicked into overdrive, where it would remain till the closing song of the night. The lights went down, fog filled the stage, and two upside down crosses illuminated the darkness on either side followed by a mirrored “KK”, for the one and only Kerry King. The first notes slice through the crowd like a perfectly honed blade, sharp and precise. You can’t help but be transfixed as King wields his guitar like a weapon of mass destruction, attacking every riff with an unrelenting brutality that leaves no room for anything but total immersion. It’s thrash at its purest form, no dilution, no compromise—just a relentless onslaught of sound that pounds into your chest and makes your teeth rattle. The band played a collection of new music and even mixed in a bit of Slayer by including the songs “Raining Blood” and  “Black Magic”. The ferocity with which the crowd responded to hearing those first notes of “Raining Blood” was visceral. This is a metal anthem – one of the most iconic metal songs ever written – and to hear it live is almost a rite of passage in a way. They closed out their set with “From Hell I Rise”, and left the stage for the two headliners to take their turns raising hell. 

Mastodon took the stage and played their album Leviathan from front to back, an album that put this band on the map in the sludge/prog-metal world over 20 years ago. Imagine walking into a room where the walls seem to pulse with the kind of primal energy that only Mastodon can conjure. It’s like stepping into a psychedelic fever dream, where sludgy riffs and intricate rhythms crash into each other like tectonic plates. Their performance accompanied by massive LED screens that matches the mood with intricate detail. The air was thick with sound, as if the band was channeling something ancient and untamed, dragging it from the depths of some forgotten place and thrusting it into the light…the leviathan. Brent Hinds’ guitar howled with ancient vengeance, while Brann Dailor’s drums beat forth a sonorous rolling cacophony like distant thunder, every beat a reminder that Mastodon isn’t just a band, they’re a force of nature. You don’t just listen to their music; you feel it in your bones. It’s chaotic yet precise, it’s technical, and heavy yet strangely ethereal, like finding beauty in the middle of a storm. For a moment, you’re no longer in a concert hall—you’re on a journey, one that leaves you breathless, dazed, and somehow a little more alive. Mastodon added three songs – not off Leviathan – to the end of their set (“More than I Could Chew”, “Circle of Cysquatch”, and “Steambreather”) and exited the stage leaving this crowd with what I can only describe as the ability to see sound 

Lamb of God took the stage and immediately the mood went from electric to down right feral. Watching Lamb of God live is like stepping into the eye of a storm…brutal, unrelenting, and utterly cathartic. Randy Blythe commands the stage like a man possessed, his voice a guttural roar that echoes the anger and discontent we all feel but rarely let out. Although he may have cut his iconic dreads, it took nothing away from his ability to entrance, and command that stage with authority. The band behind him, tight as FUCK, delivers a punishing wall of sound that feels less like music and more like a declaration of war. They played their iconic album Ashes of the Wake from front to back in honor of its 20 year anniversary. Every riff from the opening of “Laid to Rest” to the end of “Remorse is for the Dead” was an assault on the senses, in the best kind of way. Every note, every drum beat, and every syllable, sung with a precision in the madness that only comes from masters of their craft. It’s the kind of performance that leaves you wrecked, exhausted, but somehow craving more. Lamb of God doesn’t just play metal – they embody it, and for those brief, sweat-soaked hours, they pull you down into the darkness with them, leaving you grateful for the ride. This is a band that has withstood the test of time, the endless barrage of gatekeeping pricks, and those who refuse to acknowledge their role in the evolution of our scene. They faced struggles like addiction and even the incarceration of Randy Blythe in a foreign land. Lamb of God is a testament to the kind of legacy of brutality should be left by true metal juggernauts such as themselves. If you ever get a chance to see them live, you better fucking do it…you have no idea what you’re missing.