Well some very bad news for fans of Lamb of God, Dethklok and Gojira. Their 2012 tour has been officially canceled after rumors of which were dismissed.

“Due to the continued incarceration of LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe in the Czech Republic, the band’s co-headline tour with Dethklok scheduled to begin August 1st in Seattle is being cancelled. The band regrets the decision but the uncertainty of Randy’s release makes it impossible to carry on with the tour. Upon Randy’s release, it is the band’s intention to rebook a tour in the fall and at this time the band fully intends to participate in the Mayhem Cruise in December.

LAMB OF GOD wishes to thank Dethklok, Adult Swim and Gojira for their support and patience as well as all of the promoters who had dates on the tour. Last but certainly not least, the band thanks all of the fans who bought tickets for the tour and who have been supportive of Randy and the band over the last month that Randy has been held in Prague. Without the fans, there is no LAMB OF GOD.”

Adult Swim adds:
In light of circumstances beyond our control, the upcoming Dethklok and Lamb of God with Gojira summer tour has been canceled. Refunds will be available to customers who already purchased tickets through their point of purchase. We thank Dethklok fans for their continued support and look forward to releasing information about the band’s upcoming third album and a planned fall tour in the coming weeks.

It goes without saying that many fans will disappointed, myself included, as Lamb of God has always been one of my favorite metal acts for over a decade. Even when they were Burn The Priest; before they changed their name.

What I find most interesting, and very bizarre, is the charges raised on Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe. Involuntary manslaughter is what he is facing. What I first thought to be a simple misunderstanding, a charge that would blow over and quickly dismissed has escalated into a two bail hearings which he was denied both times and Czech prosecution that seems very unwilling to relent.

From what fans can gather, Blythe, Lamb of God and their label have not had any knowledge or contact with the Czech authorities regarding the unfortunate death of the young individual who attended the Czech show two years ago. TWO YEARS. I find it very odd that for a prosecution who seems very adamant on convicting Blythe they had failed to contact US officials, issue a warrant, go public, or simply notify those involved with the tour in which the “victim” received his injuries that Blythe is being charged.

Furthermore, this whole incident is being alleged to have spawned from a push off the stage Blythe had given to the fan that night. From this “shoving” the individual is said to have received injuries that later caused his death. Since details of the case are stilling being ironed out I can’t say for sure what is in fact true or not. But having frequented many metal/hardcore shows I can attest to the brutal mosh and crowd surfing that happens at these shindigs. I have seen many a fan storm the stage to only be launched back into the sea of ragers by venue security. This is a very unfortunate incident indeed. But I would not call this murder.



Lamb of God Official Statement:
“First of all, thanks to everyone who has reached out in support of Randy and each of us in this terrible situation. It’s noted and very much appreciated.

We have been keeping our heads down and not speaking out due to the fluid nature of the situation and the constantly changing information that even we receive daily. Within an hour things can do endless 180’s. It’s maddening to try and make heads or tails.

We’re taking the time to speak to you as it has been a significant period of time since this situation began and while nothing is immediately clear to any of us, we are not trying to keep anyone in the dark.

We have reached out and are making use of the resources we have acquired to help our brother who is still detained in Czech jail.

In the two years since, we were never notified of anything related to this incident.

Randy is our brother and we assure you, we are all staying very positive for him, working endlessly behind the scenes to provide any and all assistance possible.

The best we can do is to stay positive and continue to support our friend that we know is innocent.

We know that justice will prevail and we will continue to do our part to support our friend.”

- LAMB OF GOD

Below is footage of the alleged shoving by Randy Blythe that caused the victim to sustain injuries which is said to have later caused the fans death.

Lamb of God lead singer Randy Blythe was arrested in Prague over the death of a fan at a 2010 gig in the Czech Republic.

Blythe, 44, was detained at Prague airport late last week, forcing the US metal band band to cancel a live appearance the following night, according to Agence France-Presse.

The fan, 19, died 14 days after allegedly being pushed from the stage by Blythe at Prague’s club Abaton after repeatedly trying to climb up.

A post-mortem reportedly found that he had not been drunk or under the influence of drugs.

Maria Ferrero, the band’s longtime publicist, told MTV news that no formal charges had been filed.

She said there have also been inaccurate reports of what happened at the concert where the fan died.

“Under no circumstances was there a fight of any kind involved,” Ferrero said.

“This incident deals with a fan that three times during the concert jumped the barricade and rushed Randy during the performance. It is alleged that the third time, security was not able to reach him and that Randy pushed him back into the audience where supposedly he fell and hit his head.”

The LA Times cited the band’s representatives as saying that Blythe had not been officially charged but pointed to reports indicating that the vocalist is facing charges of “bodily harm of 4th degree and resulting in the death of a fan.”

If convicted, he could serve a prison term of up to 10 years.

The singer had reportedly been released from custody, however, Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton wrote on the band’s Twitter account late Sunday: “Finally HOME! 4/5 of us anyway… Thanx for all the support yall!”

Blythe is expected to post $200,000 U.S. bail today, July 02nd, in order to eventually be released from custody following last weeks arrest on suspicion of manslaughter.

Lamb of God formed in Virginia in 1990 and in 2007 wee nominated for a Grammy award for their album “Sacrament.”

Here is some metal news for all our head banging peeps, myself included. As reported by MetalSucks.com, citing an article on Novinky.cz, Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe was arrested on charges of manslaughter stemming from a “tragic incident” in Prague on May 24, 2010, which led to a death. Reportedly, a year ago there was a confrontation between Randy and the individual who passed when they last played in Prague. The Lamb Of God performance tonight at Club Cafe in Prague was cancelled by the band’s management identifying no specific reason, says local promoting agency Obscure.

The band was scheduled to perform tonight with All Shall Perish and Skeletonwitch. Stay tuned for more information on this unfortunate story.