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Lamb Of God Set To Release EP In Honour Of Fallen Fan

There’s never been a more exciting time to be an Australian…if you’re a Lamb Of God fan that is.

The band, who are set to tour alongside Slipknot in Australia next week, have unleashed some new music on the world, with a new EP due out just before Christmas. Called The Duke, the will be released in memory of recently deceased fan Wayne Fordwho died of leukaemia in 2015.

Yesterday Rolling Stone premiered the title track for the new EP, which the band had originally recorded for last year’s VII: Sturm Und Drang album. The song itself shows a far more melodic side of the band, with clean lyrics and even harmonies producing a dissident tone in both the verse and chorus.

Die-hard fans of the band need not worry, however, as the rest of the song is carried by a super-heavy riff laden with the band’s trademark groove.

Frontman Randy Blythe still shows off his throat-tearing shrieks and growls, while drummer Chris Adler holds down a steady, thudding drum beat which sees the song home.

The EP is also set to feature the unreleased Culling, a thrashy track that was originally slated for the band’s 2010 LP Wrath and was finished especially for the EP. Blythewho was a personal friend of Ford, has penned a lengthy note on the band’s website revealing how the passing of the fan inspired the band to release the extra music.

“On Oct. 30, 2012, Lamb of God was playing a show in Phoenix, AZ. Before I went on stage, a guy named Adam came up to me and said “My friend Wayne Ford is a huge fan- he’s in the audience tonight. He got diagnosed with leukemia not too long ago, and he wanted you to have this.” Adam handed me a t-shirt that had the words FUCK CANCER printed on it. “Will you give him a shout-out, man? He’s got a hard fight ahead of him, and he could use the encouragement.”

The post then goes on to detail Randy meeting the fan before heading back off on tour, only to be contacted 3 years later to find out that Wayne’s condition was deteriorating, setting up one final Skype call as a result.

“What could I possibly have to say to this dying man? I was a heavy metal singer, not a psychiatrist or a grief counsellor… I decided that I would simply talk about whatever Wayne wanted to discuss, no matter if it was cancer, my band, politics, or what we were having for dinner.

I was deeply moved by the experience- when presented the option, Wayne had decided to live and die surrounded by his loved ones, and on his own terms, to the best of his ability. What more could any reasonable person put into his grim situation want?

I want the story of The Duke to raise some awareness about leukemia, especially the need for blood marrow donors. There are not nearly enough registered donors to fill the need. Bone marrow matches are very specific, much more so than blood, and people die from leukemia and other blood-related diseases each year because a suitable donor can’t be found. It’s easy, painless, and free to register – just go to WWW.BETHEMATCH.ORG. You may save someone’s life.”

Lamb Of God Australian Tour

Friday, 28th October- Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
Saturday, 29th October- Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
Monday, 31st October- Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Tuesday, 1st November- HQ Complex, Adelaide
Thursday, November 3rd- Metropolis, Fremantle

Image: Metal Injection