Lamb of God, Mastodon, Kerry King & Malevolence
August 15, 2024
Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary, AB
Canadian Beats Passport
One of the summer’s heaviest tours rolled through Calgary last Thursday on their only Alberta stop. The “Ashes of Leviathan” saw Mastodon and Lamb of God on a co-headlining run as each band celebrated 20 years of the “Leviathan” and “Ashes of the Wake” albums, respectively.
Opening the show was the UK crushers Malevolence. I hadn’t heard much of them, but walked away a fan. Heavy, and tight, with a solid mix of different vocal types, they were a fantastic start to the evening.
Slayer’s Kerry King also joined the trek, bringing along his new solo band, consisting of Death Angel vocalist Mark Osegueda, ex-Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel, Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph, and ex-Hellyeah bass player Kyle Sanders. The quintet played a ton of material off King’s album “From Hell I Rise”, and as an added bonus, two Slayer classics – “Raining Blood”, and “Black Magic”. It’s great to see King back on the road doing what he does best – thrashing with some of the most skilled players in the business.
For the Calgary date, Mastodon performed third, as the band’s alternate headlining spot between shows. A rock-solid performance saw the entirety of “Leviathan”, with stellar graphics on the video walls and plenty of flames. This is my second time shooting Mastodon, and their stage show is always phenomenal, a display that immerses you in the music.
Lastly – juggernauts Lamb of God. I first saw them in 2009 with Metallica and these guys have not slowed down a bit. Blythe is an absolute monster pacing the stage, unleashing his ethereal screams, jumping off the drum riser, and interacting with the crowd. He’s easily one of the best frontmen in metal, and it’s clear why. The band was super tight, a well-oiled machine – crushing their way through the 11 tracks of “Ashes of the Wake”.
This was such a killer lineup from start to finish, and I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that nobody left disappointed.