10 Things You Didn’t Know about Randy Blythe
David Randall Blythe is an American singer and songwriter. Generally speaking, he is known for being the lead vocalist for Lamb of God, which is one of the more notable names of the new wave of American Metal. However, some people might remember Blythe because of a manslaughter case in the Czech Republic instead.
1. Comes from Franklin, VA
Background-wise, Blythe comes from Franklin, VA. This is one of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s independent cities, which are considered to be county-equivalents because they do not fall within the territory of any county or counties. As such, they are similar to consolidated city-counties, though they are still different because the county still exists on a nominal basis in consolidated city-counties. The United States has a total of 41 independent cities. However, it is interesting to note that the overwhelming majority of them can be found in the Commonwealth of Virginia because of its state constitution.
2. Spent Some Time As a Cook
It is common for entertainers to work side-jobs while they are still trying to get their big break. After all, said individuals need to eat, which in turn, means that they need an income stream of some sort. In Blythe’s case, he spent some time working as a cook before his music career took off.
3. Not a Founding Member of Lamb of God
Speaking of which, Blythe wasn’t a founding member of Lamb of God. For those who are curious, the band had four founding members – the bassist John Campbell, the drummer Chris Adler, and a pair of guitarists Mark Morton and Matt Conner. Both Morton and Conner left the band a short while following its founding to pursue other opportunities, with the result that they were replaced by Abe Spear. With this line-up, the band spent five years practicing before releasing a total of three demos. After which, they added Blythe as a vocalist.
4. Joined Lamb of God When It Was Still Burn the Priest
At the time, Lamb of God was still called Burn the Priest. There are rumors that the name change happened because the band was banned from various venues. However, that wasn’t the case. Instead, there were a couple of reasons for the name change. One, there were further line-up changes, so a name change felt appropriate. Two, the band members didn’t want to be mistaken for a satanic metal band, so they decided to go with something that wouldn’t give off that kind of impression.
5. Compared to Pantera Singer Phil Anselmo
Initially, Blythe was compared to Phil Anselmo, who was the singer of Pantera. This was a compliment, seeing as how the band was very successful in the 1980s and the 1990s. Unfortunately, Pantera broke up in 2003. However, it was clear that there were serious issues before that point in time, seeing as how the band had gone on hiatus in 2001. Now, a mass shooting plus a case of heart failure mean that just two members of Pantera’s best-known line-up remain, with one being Anselmo and the other being the bassist Rex Brown.
6. Well-Known Name of New Wave of American Metal
As mentioned earlier, Blythe and the rest of Lamb of God are considered to be an important part of the new wave of American metal. Generally speaking, there is a consensus that this musical movement started up in the early to mid 1990s before going on to see considerable expansion in the early to mid 2000s. Eventually, it died down for the same reason that a lot of musical movements die down, which is to say, an oversaturated market caused by over-eager labels looking to capitalize on the latest trends. In any case, interested individuals shouldn’t mistake the new wave of American metal for the new wave of British metal. Yes, one is named for the other. However, they aren’t directly connected to one another, not least because the new wave of British metal started up in the mid to late 1970s before becoming internationally prominent in the early 1980s.
7. Was Involved in a Manslaughter Case
On May 24 of 2010, Blythe was involved in a manslaughter case. In short, what happened was that he was performing in Prague when a fan named Daniel Nosek tried to climb onstage before being thrown from it by the singer. Unfortunately, said individual fell on the back of his head, with the result that he fell into a coma before dying in it. The Czech police launched an investigation into the matter, for which they asked the assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice. However, the latter didn’t just refuse to cooperate, the latter also didn’t notify either Lamb of God or its management about the request. As such, Blythe was quite surprised when he was arrested for suspected manslaughter when he arrived in Prague on June 27 of 2012 for another performance.
8. Was Acquitted
In the end, Blythe was acquitted. He was indeed the person who had thrown Nosek from the stage. However, his nearsightedness meant that it was possible that he had mistaken him for someone else who had managed to get over the guardrail multiple times. As such, Blythe was considered morally responsible but not criminally liable. After everything, Blythe met with Nosek’s family in private, stressing that they never attacked him but had just wanted to know what had happened to their son.
9. Has Shown Support for the Removal of Confederate Statues
Very recently, Blythe showed support for the removal of Confederate statues in Charlottesville, VA on July 10. Said event was particularly notable because the proposal of the removal contributed to the Unite the Right rally in 2017, which saw clashes between protesters and counter-protesters. In particular, a self-identified white supremacist rammed his car into a group of counter-protestors, killing a woman named Heather Heyer as well as injuring 35 other individuals. The United States saw a considerable backlash against white supremacist groups in the aftermath.
10. Used Robert E. Lee’s Own Words to Support the Removal of Confederate Statues
Blythe seems to have a fair amount of knowledge about historical matters. After all, he pointed out that Robert E. Lee didn’t want Confederate statues, which is relevant because said individual is much-admired by Confederate supporters both in the past and in the present. Besides this, Blythe also pointed out that the removal of the Confederate statues isn’t meant to erase history. Instead, it is meant to encourage a more accurate recounting thereof.
