Ethan Miller, Getty Images As reported yesterday (Dec. 3), Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe has been indicted on manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic by the State’s Attorney Office in Prague and, as a result, will likely stand trial in the near future. Following the news of Blythe’s indictment, Lamb of God’s manager offered a lengthy statement . Many musicians are also speaking out, one of them being Disturbed frontman David Draiman who took to the band’s official Facebook to speak his mind about this situation. Draiman states: “MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS MY BLOOD, OUR FRIEND RANDY BLYTHE OF LAMB OF GOD HAS NOW OFFICIALLY BEEN INDICTED ON CHARGES OF MANSLAUGHTER. THIS IS A TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE. HE IS BEING A MAN AND STANDING UP TO THESE CHARGES. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT BY ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE AND TWITTER PAGES, RAISE AWARENESS AMONGST YOUR FRIENDS, AND TAKE THE TIME TO DONATE TO HIS DEFENSE FUND ON BOTH PAGES. YOU CAN ALSO HELP BY WRITING YOUR LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS AND PRESSURING THE U.S. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS/STATE DEPARTMENT TO GET PERSONALLY INVOLVED. WE STAND BEHIND RANDY, HOPE ALL OF YOU WILL AS WELL. AS ALWAYS, MUCH RESPECT. -DAVID P.S. BEEN USING CAPS FOR YEARS, NOT CHANGING. BIGGER PROBLEMS IN LIFE. BUILD A BRIDGE AND GET OVER IT.” Blythe was arrest was arrested in June of this year in regard to an alleged incident where a man died a few weeks after an apparent stage fall at a Lamb of God concert in the Czech Republic in 2010. The vocalist spent five weeks in a Czech prison before being released in early August. If Blythe is convicted of manslaughter, he could face 5-10 years in prison. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/lamb-of-god-randy-blythe-indicted-manslaughter-charges-czech-republic/” title=”Next: More on Randy Blythe’s Indictment” align=”center”]
Kevin Winter, Getty Images Over the weekend (Dec. 2), several rockers descended upon Washington, D.C., to pay homage to one of the most influential rock bands of all time – the legendary Led Zeppelin . The tribute performances for the annual Kennedy Center Honors show would see the combined talents of Foo Fighters , Lenny Kravitz and Kid Rock all take the stage to play classics from Led Zeppelin and attempt to do them justice. It was in the practice stages for this main event that Foo Fighters lead vocalist Dave Grohl had an epiphany, thinking he might want to return to the drum kit for this one. Grohl told the Washington Post that the decision came during a practice run when he asked himself, “Can I sing Zep? I can drum Zep,” concluding with he and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins swapping roles for the evening with Grohl taking over the drum kit and Hawkins providing vocals. Together, Foo Fighters conjured up their versions of Zeppelin tunes ‘Black Dog’ and ‘Rock and Roll.’ Grohl also spoke about the impact late Led Zeppelin drummer Jon Bonham had on him as a player. “I was completely obsessed with John Bonham,” Grohl gushed. “So much so, that I knew that I would never be technically able to do what he did. But I wanted to see if I could crack open his instinct and see why he did the things that he did.” He continued singing Bonham’s praises, “Because, as any musician or producer will tell you, John Bonham’s feel was legendary. Just the way that he held down a back beat was something that no one had ever heard. And no one has been able to recreate since.” It wasn’t just Bonham that Grohl had kind words for though, he called Led Zep “the most powerful musical entity in the world when they were together,” and said that “No one could touch them.” From one musical great to another, Grohl summed it up, saying, “They were fearless because they were so confident. And they had the chops to back it up.” Fans can tune in to see the Foo Fighters and many more honor Led Zeppelin when the Kennedy Center Honors award show airs on CBS on Dec. 26 at 9PM ET. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/eddie-vedder-dave-grohl-12-12-12-hurricane-sandy-relief-show-madison-square-garden/” title=”Dave Grohl To Perform at 12-12-12 Benefit Concert” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe has been out of Czech prison since Aug. 2. Although back home here in the United States and free to tour nationally, the next step of Blythe’s criminal proceedings has been put into effect. The State Attorney’s Office in Prague officially indicted Blythe on manslaughter charges on Friday, Nov. 30, which means that Blythe will likely stand trial in the near future. According to Czech news source Novinky.cz , the District Court now has three months to either set a trial date or to delay the hearing in lieu of further investigation. If convicted of manslaughter as a result of his future trial, Randy Blythe could face 5-10 years in prison. Blythe has publicly stated that he will not hide out in the United States if summoned for a trial in the Czech Republic, despite the potentially horrific outcome. “I feel ethically responsible to go back there and face this charge,” declared Blythe in a recent interview with WTVR in his hometown of Richmond, V. “[The victim’s] family right now is in a lot of pain, and they deserve some answers. To lose a child is the worst possible thing a human can go through. I want my name cleared. I have to go around the world and tour, you know? That’s what I do. I’m not going to hide here. I’m an innocent man. I’m going to go to court and see what happens.” The controversial arrest of Randy Blythe stems from an incident in which a man died nearly a month after he sustained a head injury following an apparent stage fall while attending a Lamb of God concert in the Czech Republic in 2010. Video of the incident has been posted online, although there have been questions as to whether or not the man shown in the footage is in fact the deceased fan. Blythe spent five weeks in a Czech prison over the summer as several legal proceedings delayed his release on bail. Update: Lamb of God’s manager has issued a lengthy response to the news of Randy Blythe’s indictment. Click below to see his entire statement: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/lamb-of-god-manager-responds-randy-blythe-czech-republic-indictment/” title=”Lamb of God’s Manager Responds to Randy Blythe’s Indictment” align=”center”]
Fearless Records After five straight wins, Motionless In White and their track ‘Devil’s Night’ have made it into Loudwire’s Cage Match Hall of Fame. The song, which is off of the band’s latest disc ‘Infamous,’ took down some serious challengers along the way. Motionless In White defeated their fifth and final opponent The Ghost Inside over the weekend after beating out bands Attack Attack! and Woe, Is Me , as well as Miss May I and Hollywood Undead . Congrats to Motionless In White and their fans on this major triumph. Their song ‘Devil’s Night’ now joins tunes from such bands as Avenged Sevenfold, Down, Fozzy, Anthrax, Korn, Trivium and more in Loudwire’s Cage Match Hall of Fame. Motionless In White are hitting the states in December an Europe in 2013. For a full list of dates, go here . Listen to Motionless In White, ‘Devil’s Night’
Instagram UK metalcore band Asking Alexandria were involved in a tour bus accident earlier today (Dec. 2) in the midst of their headlining run on the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour. No serious injuries have been reported, although the bus itself suffered some significant damage on the way from Cleveland, Ohio, to Chicago. The news was reported by a series of Tweets by various band members, who all seem to be okay, although lead guitarist Ben Bruce is nursing a sprained ankle. The Monster Outbreak tour also features As I Lay Dying, Memphis May Fire, I See Stars and Attila. In one of their tweets, Asking Alexandria promised fans that tonight’s Chicago show would still go on as planned. The North American tour is scheduled through Dec. 16 in Tampa, Fla. Below are separate tweets from Bruce, drummer James Cassells and guitarist Cameron Liddell, as well as the entire band, regarding the bus crash: So our bus had abit of a crash this morning! Thankfully everyone involved is ok! Chicago we are still coming to rock you, don’t worry — Asking Alexandria (@AfuckingA) December 2, 2012 Sprained ankle and a fucked up bus…..love crashing :/ instagr.am/p/Svf7qAjn7t/ — Ben Bruce (@BenAfuckingA) December 2, 2012 So we got in an accident this morning, thankfully everyone is ok! instagr.am/p/SvfuTqw7r9/ — James Cassells (@JamesAfuckingA) December 2, 2012 So one of our buses crashed last night. Fortunately everyone is ok. Fucking scary times :/ — Cameron Liddell (@camAfuckingA) December 2, 2012 [button href=”http://loudwire.com/asking-alexandria-record-80s-inspired-covers-digital-ep/” title=”Next: Asking Alexandria Record ’80s-Inspired Covers EP” align=”center”]
Within Temptation – Official Site Dutch metal outfit Within Temptation have been having some fun en route to celebrating their 15th anniversary. Over the last few months the band has been recording and posting a number of covers of popular songs and putting their stamp on the tracks. The band told Metal Hammer , “We figured this would be a great occasion to do something special for [the fans]. It will be a musical adventure as we are covering songs that are very close to us, but also songs that are not close to us at all.” So far, the group have run the gamut from classic rock ( The Who ‘s ‘Behind Blue Eyes’) to alternative ( Coldplay ‘s ‘Paradise,’ Gotye ‘s ‘Somebody That I Used to Know,’ Mumford & Sons ‘ ‘Little Lion Man,’ Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’) to pop ( Bruno Mars ‘ ‘Grenade,’ Enrique Iglesias ‘ ‘Dirty Dancer,’ Lana Del Rey ‘s ‘Summertime Sadness,’ OneRepublic ‘s ‘Apologize,’ Swedish House Mafia ‘s ‘Don’t You Worry Child,’ David Guetta ‘s ‘Titanium,’ Adele ‘s ‘Skyfall’). The covers were meant to get fans excited for the band’s 15th anniversary concert , which took place in Antwerp, Belgium last month. Not all of the track stay true to the original and we offer a few examples below. Check out the symphonic rockers adding some aggression to Bruno Mars’ ‘Grenade,’ making Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’ a haunting tune, stepping up the pace on Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used to Know,’ and offering a more atmospheric take on Mumford & Sons’ ‘Little Lion Man.’ Watch Within Temptation Perform Bruno Mars’ ‘Grenade’ Listen to Within Temptation Covering Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’ Listen to Within Temptation Covering Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ Listen to Within Temptation Covering Mumford & Sons’ ‘Little Lion Man’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/within-temptation-singer-weve-already-written-six-songs-for-next-album/” title=”Next: Within Temptation Writing for Next Album” align=”center”]
Thomas Pollard / Rocky Schenck Who could blame Frances Bean Cobain for being a little weirded out after one of her Twitter followers alerted her to the fact that someone had gotten a tattoo of one of her recent photo spread pictures? But the offspring of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Hole vocalist Courtney Love also had some kind words to say about the tattoo artist who created the fresh ink as well. The tattoo imagery was initially posted on Twitter by Thomas Pollard, who wrote, “Done this smoking hot chick today… Haha! Great fun! Will get a better photo when it’s all healed…” In a series of tweets, Cobain expressed her equal admiration for the artwork that went into the tattoo creation but also the awkwardness knowing that her image was now on someone’s body: @ kittycordaiy whoa. That’s my face permenently on someone’s body. I’ve had my art tattooed on ppl but never my face #kindacoolkindaawkward — Frances Bean Cobain(@alka_seltzer666) December 1, 2012 @ kittycordaiy he did portray my hands perfectly though. Talented dude. — Frances Bean Cobain(@alka_seltzer666) December 1, 2012 @ kittycordaiy definitely a little creeped out but not by him he was just doing his job. It’s cool, I’ve given up trying to understand humans — Frances Bean Cobain(@alka_seltzer666) December 1, 2012 The picture that the tattoo was based on came from a photo spread of Frances Bean taken by Rocky Schenck last year. See more pictures from that spread here . In a separate Twitter discussion, Cobain discussed her affinity for attracting “crazies.” Her tweets read: Why am I a magnet for crazies? I’ll be minding my own business & they’ll always find me. I think it’s a genetic predisposition (thanks mom) — Frances Bean Cobain(@alka_seltzer666) November 29, 2012 @ sawacloud im not just talking nirvana/hole/Internet crazies. I’m talking crazies of the fucking world. they’re drawn to me. tis unfortunate — Frances Bean Cobain(@alka_seltzer666) November 29, 2012 Cobain has reason to be cautious about her privacy. She was recently in the headlines when her house was broken into . She would later tweet that the man that was arrested for breaking in was apparently there to attempt to kill her fiancé . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-grunge-bands/” title=”Next: 10 Best Grunge Bands” align=”center”]