Coverage by Senior Editor James Benson

On a hot, humid, typical summer day, July 27th, 2024, Lamb of God and Mastodon brought their Ashes of Leviathan Tour to the Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, NC and let me tell you, it was a PACKED house! It was a lineup of the year (in my opinion) and the place filled up before the opening band, Malevolence took the stage. And when they did, they threw down! Malevolence, coming all the way from the United Kingdom. And when I say don't sleep on these guys, you pretty much can't. They are amazing. A must see when they are in the states.

Next to take the stage was Kerry King, yes...that Kerry King. It was amazing to see the legendary Kerry King shred on the guitar. Overall, the band is awesome. There was a Slayer like feel to the band, but different as well. The crowd was nonstop singing along to the songs. They played some original songs, and a few from their new album and covered two Slayer songs. Kerry King was fantastic to see live.

Next to take the stage was Mastodon. The lights went out and the crowd cheered loudly. Then Mastodon took the stage and absolutely crushed it! The talent alone of these guys was amazing to finally see live. They played their entire Leviathan album, celebrating its 20th year of being amazing! Seeing Mastodon live was finally a bucket list band I could check off. From the light show to their technical skill on their instruments, Mastodon performed a flawless show. And they sound amazing live. Not much of a difference than listening to their albums. In my opinion, Mastodon is one of the best bands to see live. They sound great and the energy they bring is off the charts. And at one point of the show, they thanked the fans not just for showing up tonight, but for being there since they started out and allowing them to be able to do what they do. And the energy they gave to the packed Red Hat Amphitheater was needed for the next, legendary, the almighty Lamb of God.

Lamb of God playing their classic album turning 20, Ashes of the Wake in its entirety left Red Hat smiling and trying to catch their breath. Or maybe it was just me. From start to end, the energy of that place was the most I've felt in a very long time. Randy did not stand still the entire show and even jumped off the platform that the drum kit was on. And about the middle of the set, Randy kinda told us a really cool story on how this tour came about. He said that 20 years ago, when their album and Mastodons album came out the same daya, that they said if they were even alive and still playing, they should do a tour together to celebrate 20 years of each band's album. And boy, I'm glad they are still touring and playing live music! From the pyro to the raw energy of Lamb of Gods set, it was perfect. They gave everything they had to the fans and the fans gave all they had. If you can, check this tour out! The line up is incredible and two of the best metal albums are being played in its entirety. You can't really get any better than that!