One of the bigger trends in rock and metal these days are anniversary tours commemorating significant albums in a given band’s history. Often times, the records being celebrated are the ones that thrust the band to another level, and are often considered classics in the respective genre to which the group belongs. The Ashes of Leviathan tour, featuring Mastodon and Lamb of God, falls into this category of tours and is one of the more marquee metal events to catch this summer as it features two absolute titan albums released 20 years ago being played in their entirely by equally colossal bands.
Mastodon’s breakthrough album Leviathan, a concept record based on Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and Lamb of God’s release from the same year, Ashes of the Wake, served similar purposes for both bands, respectively. Fresh of their full-length debut, Remission, which was more of an underground sensation, Leviathan elevated Mastodon’s status to the point they were chosen to open for Killswitch Engage and Slayer on the Jagermeister Music Tour. Ashes of the Wake had a similar effect for Lamb of God after As the Palaces Burn, as both releases further enshrined them at the forefront of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal that was prevalent in the early 2000s. An opportunity to see both of these albums played back-to-back was something I couldn’t turn down, despite the closest show being a three-hour drive away.
My long journey on August 3rd, though, was well rewarded. As an added bonus, Kerry King of Slayer fame opened the show with seven originals from his new album, From Hell I Rise. He also mixed in two old school Slayer songs that sent the crowd into an early frenzy. In addition to 'Black Magic,' the apex of King’s 45-minute set was 'Raining Blood,' which you can see a clip of below.
After a half hour break, a clip from a 1956 film adaptation of Moby Dick played before the curtain seen above fell to reveal Mastodon already ripping into the opening track of Leviathan, the immortal 'Blood and Thunder,' one of the band’s most iconic tracks. Bassist Troy Sanders’ vocals on the verses came through loud and clear, while aquatic imagery played behind guitarist Brent Hinds and drummer Brann Dailor. An overly enthusiastic crowd joined Bill Kelliher on each chorus, his only vocal performance on any Mastodon track, shouting “white whale, holy grail!” alongside the co-lead guitarist.
Mastodon continued the album in succession, as 'I Am Ahab,' 'Seabeast,' 'Island,' and 'Iron Tusk' followed. The band rarely took a break all evening, as they packed as many songs into their 75-minute set as possible, as is usually the case. Sanders stopped for a short bit of crowd work before the band launched into 'Megalodon,' a staple of their live set since its release, largely due to the impressive dual guitar work of Hinds and Kelliher that close out the song.
'Naked Burn' and 'Aqua Dementia' came next, before giving way to the 13-minute epic 'Hearts Alive' that essentially closes the album, and led Mastodon down the progressive road that eventually gave us 2009's masterwork Crack the Skye. 'Joseph Merrick,' the album’s instrumental epilogue, closed out the Leviathan portion of the set – a song the group had not performed live prior to this current tour.
The Atlanta-based quartet rounded out their set with 'More Than I Could Chew' from their latest effort, 2021's Hushed and Grim, 'Circle of Cysquatch' from the 2006’s classic concept album Blood Mountain (featuring a lifesize cysquatch on stage), and 'Steambreather' from 2017’s Emperor of Sand, also a concept record. The former and the latter feature drummer Brann Dailor on lead vocals. One of the most incredible parts of seeing Mastodon perform, besides their incredible musicianship, is watching Brann play his intricate drum parts while also hitting each note vocally with his tremendous pipes. If you’ve never seen it in person, do yourself a favor and go.
After another set break, Lamb of God took the stage, opening with perhaps the strongest track in their catalog, 'Laid to Rest,' the crushing opening track to Ashes of the Wake. Frontman Randy Blythe sounded on point from the beginning of the set, bouncing around stage with a contagious energy that resounded with the Connecticut crowd as he delivered his trademark harsh vocals.
Video credit: James Pasinski (YouTube).
That energy would continue throughout the duration of Ashes of the Wake, as Lamb of God tore through the album in succession: 'Hourglass,' 'Now You’ve Got Something to Die For,' 'The Faded Line,' 'Omerta,' 'Blood of the Scribe,' 'One Gun,' 'Break You,' 'What I’ve Become,' the eponymous 'Ashes of the Wake,' and the album closer 'Remorse is for the Dead.' Blythe repeatedly called for the metal patrons on the floor to open up the pit between songs, and they obliged him each time throughout the evening. The stage show was particularly impressive as well, as pyrotechnics accented the large video display showing the iconic bird from the album’s cover in effigy for a large part of the evening.
The Richmond, Virginia group's crushing playing was on display throughout their hour and fifteen minute set, perhaps none more so than during the largely instrumental 'Ashes of the Wake.' Guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler shredded throughout, complemented by the punishing rhythm section of bassist John Campbell and drummer Art Cruz, perfectly accentuating Blythe’s lead vocals. The band closed their set with a pair of songs from 2005’s Sacrament: 'Walk With Me In Hell,' which was dedicated to Hatebreed, and 'Redneck,' which sent the crowd into the largest circle pit of the night.
Video credit: Timothy Borkowski (YouTube).
The Ashes of Leviathan tour is a rare opportunity to witness two of the best, and most important, metal albums released in 2004 being played cover-to-cover consecutively by two bands who continue to dominate the heavy metal scene today. Mastodon and Lamb of God are arguably two of the most prominent acts from the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, and this tour is a testament to their longevity and acumen. After witnessing it myself, I can safely say this is one of the premier metal tours of the summer, and a wise investment of time and money – well worth the three hour drive!
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