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All Photos By Krishta Photography

The venue was packed with many fans eagerly anticipating one of the summer's heaviest tours. Titled Ashes of Leviathan, the tour featured LAMB OF GOD and MASTODON co-headlining to celebrate 20 years of the Ashes of The Wake and Leviathan albums.

The UK band MALEVOLENCE opened the show. Formed in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, in 2010, the metalcore band faced the challenge of being the first on a 4-band bill head-on. Despite the early timeslot at 6 pm, the venue had a decent turnout, and the band received decent support from the crowd. They played 7 songs and I heard quite a few people exclaiming how cool they thought they were. Side note, from a photographer and completely aside from the music, for the love of all things sacred, I wish some bands would reconsider wearing gym gear (shorts, t-shirt) onstage. At least iron your clothes if this is your chosen stagewear.

Setlist:

• "Malicious Intent"
• "Life Sentence"
• "Still Waters Run Deep"
• "Self Supremacy"
• "Higher Place"
• "Keep Your Distance"
• "On Broken Glass"

Next up was the highly-anticipated KERRY KING with his new solo band. King, along with DEATH ANGEL vocalist Mark Osegueda, ex-MACHINE HEAD guitarist Phil Demmel, SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph, and ex-HELLYEAH bass player Kyle Sanders, make up this hard-hitting supergroup. Fun fact, Kyle Sanders is the brother of Troy Sanders of MASTODON. They played several hits from King's album From Hell I Rise and had two SLAYER classics, "Raining Blood" and "Black Magic". This band was by far my favorite act of the night. Vocalist Osegueda is a powerhouse backed by some of the heaviest hitters in this genre.

Setlist:

• "Where I Reign"
• "Trophies of The Tyrant"
• "Residue"
• "Idle Hands"
• "Toxic"
• "Shrapnel"
• "Raining Blood" (SLAYER)
• "Black Magic" (SLAYER)
• "From Hell I Rise"

MASTODON performed third with an immersive set of graphics running on a background video. Before their set, a clip from the 1956 film adaptation of Herman Melville's famous novel played on the video screens. The pyrotechnics were an epic addition to this massively excellent set. In celebration of their 20th anniversary of Leviathan, the band played it in its entirety. Although a few of the usual "flyers" of folks were intermittently coming over the barricade, the audience seemed more focused on the band's set. I was a bit concerned as our own National Treasure from the Jackass franchise, Danger Ehren, brought his adorable little 3-year-old bouncing into the pit to take photos. He quickly decided it might not have been a great idea, and out of the pit they went.

Setlist:

• "Blood And Thunder"
• "I Am Ahab"
• "Seabeast"
• "Island"
• "Iron Tusk"
• "Megalodon"
• "Naked Burn"
• "Aqua Dementia"
• "Hearts Alive"
• "Joseph Merrick"
• "More Than I Could Chew"
• "Circle of Cysquatch"
• "Steambreather"

Last up was LAMB OF GOD. Also playing their 20th-anniversary album, Ashes of The Wake, in its entirety, the band was flawless and packed a punch for the nearly sold-out venue. Singer Randy Blythe owns his stage presence. Pacing the stage and jumping high off the drum riser, Blythe keeps the audience engaged. An adorable young boy with a homemade sign wishing the band a Happy Anniversary of Ashes of The Wake was pulled up onstage by Blythe. Grinning from ear to ear, this boy will remember this for a lifetime. I heard a few comments from audience members saying how some songs from this band changed their lives. Seeing that a tour like this that can still get the audience it deserves is fantastic.

Setlist:

• "Memento Mori"
• "Walk With Me in Hell"
• "Now You've Got Something to Die For"
• "Resurrection Man"
• "Nevermore"
• "Ruin"
• "11th Hour"
• "Omerta"
• "Omens"
• "Contractor"
• "512"
• "Ghost Walking"
• "Vigil"
• "Laid to Rest"
• "Redneck"

Check out some more photos from the show!
All Photos By Krishta Photography