Lamb Of God

After releasing two albums as Burn the Priest and early Lamb of God releases on independent labels, the band signed with Epic Records and released Ashes of the Wake (2004), which debuted at number twenty-seven on the Billboard 200 — a landmark achievement for an uncompromisingly heavy metal record. Sacrament (2006) debuted at number eight, their highest chart position, and was certified gold in the United States, confirming that Lamb of God had broken through to a mainstream audience without making any commercial concessions. Wrath (2009) and Resolution (2012) continued their run of acclaimed, commercially successful releases and cemented their position as one of the most important bands in contemporary metal.

The band's trajectory was dramatically interrupted in 2012 when Blythe was arrested in the Czech Republic and charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a fan who was pushed from the stage at a 2010 concert. Blythe spent six weeks in a Prague prison before being released on bail and eventually acquitted at trial in 2013 — an ordeal he documented with remarkable candor in his memoir Dark Days. The band rallied around him and released VII: Sturm und Drang (2015) and Omens (2022) to continued critical and commercial success. Lamb of God remain one of the most respected and influential acts in American heavy metal.