Atlanta natives Mastodon made a special announcement via their social media channels on February 6th that they would embark on a North American tour with their good buds Lamb of God while celebrating the 20th anniversary of some seminal releases by both bands: Ashes of the Wake (Lamb of God) and Leviathan (Mastodon). The Ashes of Leviathan Tour kicked off July 19th in Grand Prairie, Texas at Texas Trust CU Theatre and will conclude on August 31st in La Vista, Nebraska at The Astro Amphitheater. Before this tour kicked off on July 19th, three days prior Mastodon performed under the name Big Hairy Elephant with opening support from St. Petersburg’s very own Wolf Face and local Atlanta favorites Palaces at The Star Community Bar in Little 5 Points off Moreland Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. This show was cryptically announced by Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher (@billy_butterslax) on his personal Instagram account on July 5th and served as a warmup for the Ashes of Leviathan Tour. Follow these links so you can see snippets of some cell phone videos of “Big Hairy Elephant” aka Mastodon performing “Blood and Thunder”, “Seabeast”, and “Iron Tusk” live at The Star Community Bar in downtown Atlanta, Georgia in the area district named Little 5 Points.

Big Hairy Elephant aka Mastodon performed Leviathan in its entirety with an additional three songs: “More Than I Could Chew”, “Circle of Cysquatch”, and “Steambreather” which I assumed would be a precursor to their upcoming Ashes of Leviathan Tour setlist. This is one of the reasons why I have loved Mastodon for decades because they have continued to show their hometown of Atlanta much love and support over the years. It is something to behold when a band of great notoriety and success will continue to perform at clubs where it all began for them. This quote from the BBC from a review of Mastodon’s 2011 release, The Hunter, encapsulates a perfect way to describe Who? What? Why? Mastodon has stayed so prevalent and influential in the metal music genre since their debut in 2000:

“They might be bonkers of lyric (sic), full of fantasy mumbo jumbo, but the band is unashamedly committed to its complex-of-composition craft, and the results have frequently stunned ever since their 2002 debut, Remission. They are the most ambitious, most fearless, most fun heavy metal band to have breached the mainstream since the genre oozed its way out of the Midlands in the 1970s.”

Fast forward nine days later when The Ashes of Leviathan Tour would make a stop in Alpharetta, Georgia at the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre with opening support from Kerry King and Malevolence. And you could tell early on that this crowd of fans was ready for an energetic and unforgettable evening from the bands.

Starting the evening was a band that I saw once opening for the Ukrainian metal band, Jinjer in 2023 at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia, Malevolence. Malevolence is a beatdown hardcore/metalcore/sludge metal/groove metal band from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England that has been active since 2010. Malevolence consists of Alex Taylor (lead vocals), Josh Baines (guitar), Konan Hall (guitar/co-lead vocals), Wilkie Robinson (bass), and Charlie Thorpe (drums). Malevolence has released three (3) LPs, two (2) EPs, and one (1) Demo since 2011. Now I was not familiar with Malevolence when I first saw them last year on tour with Jinjer.

Malevolence

Truthfully, metalcore and beatdown hardcore metal is not a genre that I listen to regularly, but after seeing the live show that Malevolence puts on, I knew that they were a perfect choice to take on The Ashes of Leviathan Tour. In the past, Mastodon has befriended and toured with multiple bands that are all over the metal landscape. So, I have grown to love seeing bands that I am not familiar with on tour with Mastodon. Malevolence took the stage and proceeded to get the crowd ready for an unforgettable evening with some wicked songs from their discography. I did recognize a few tracks that I liked during their set, so I felt better about my knowledge of Malevolence’s music. I will go support (and so should you) Malevolence the next time they come to set Atlanta on fire with their vigorous and brutal set. You can also show Malevolence some support and go to their official Bandcamp page for merchandise, and music, and sign up for their mailing list.

Check out Malevolence’s setlist as opening support on the Ashes of Leviathan Tour in Alpharetta, Georgia below:

· “Malicious Intent”

· “Life Sentence”

· “Still Waters Run Deep”

· “Self Supremacy”

· “Higher Place”

· “Keep Your Distance”

· “On Broken Glass”

Kerry King, born Kerry Ray King, needs little introduction since he played a pivotal role as a co-founding member of the legendary thrash metal band Slayer (1981-2019). Kerry King recently released his debut solo album, Fron Hell I Rise, on May 17, 2024, on Reigning Phoenix Music. Kerry King Band consists of King (guitars), Paul Bostaph (drums), Mark Osegueda (vocals), Phil Demmel (guitars), and Kyle Sanders (bass). And yes, Kyle Sanders and Mastodon’s bassist Troy Sanders are brothers, and their other brother, Darren Sanders, is helping on this tour.

Kerry King Band

Truthfully, Kerry King’s entire band is comprised of nothing but all-stars in the world of metal music. Mark Osegueda is also the vocalist for Death Angel, Phil Demmel has performed with Machine Head and Vio-lence, Kyle Sanders has played bass in Hellyeah, and Paul Bostaph has played drums with Slayer with Kerry King, Testament, Forbidden, and Exodus. You see what I mean? This evening would be the debut for Kerry King to perform solo in the Atlanta area, so we all knew this was a special treat and would be metal history in the making. I could tell the crowd was just as excited as I was to witness the rebirth of Kerry King and his all-star band at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre. From the time of the first note, the crowd went wild as Kerry and the boys trashed through an intense set list that even featured a couple of covers from Slayer. If you are a fan of Slayer and the like, definitely give Kerry King and his band a chance when they come through your town.

You can get some Kerry King merchandise or a physical copy of his debut album at his official website today. Here is Kerry King’s setlist from his set during the Ashes of Leviathan Tour at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre:

· “Where I Reign”

· “Trophies of the Tyrant”

· “Residue”

· “Toxic’

· “Idle Hands”

· “Shrapnel”

· “Raining Blood” (Slayer song)

· “Black Magic” (Slayer song)

· “From Hell I Rise”

Lamb of God is a Grammy-nominated groove/thrash/death metal/metalcore band from Richmond, Virginia that has made music since 1994. Lamb of God has released nine (9) LPs with Omens being the most recent release from 2022. Lamb of God consists of Randy Blythe (vocals), Art Cruz (drums), John Campbell (bass), Willie Adler (rhythm guitar), and Mark Morton (lead guitar). For this tour, Lamb of God’s 2004 groundbreaking release, Ashes of the Wake, is being celebrated alongside Leviathan (as mentioned earlier) and I cannot express how amazing this tour is for fans of the metal genre. Young and old metal heads alike, both Ashes of the Wake and Leviathan have stood the test of time and can still measure up with current releases within the metal landscape. That is when you know a band is very special, creating music that will impress fans for generations.

Lamb of God

As a Lamb of God fan, I was a little late to the game and Ashes of the Wake was my introduction to the band’s music in 2004. Like many other fans of Lamb of God, this was a fantastic idea and I commend everyone involved. I have had the privilege of Lamb of God four times before this evening, and two of those times were when I was doing photography. So, I felt comfortable getting to photograph tracks #2-4 on this album, because track #3 is one of my favorite tracks in Lamb of God’s discography, “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For”. This song gets pretty wild on stage, and it is one of my favorite songs they play live. Whenever I have seen Lab of God perform, I am reminded of their sets' strength and power. Whether it is Randy’s dynamic performance while jumping around and singing, the crunchy riffs being laid out by Willie or Mark, the deep low-end bass lines from John, or the thunderous beats from Art, Lamb of God commands the stage every time they play live on stage.

You can head over to Lamb of God’s website and grab some merchandise and/or music to show your support. Check out Lamb of God’s set list from the tour stop at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Ga below:

· “Laid to Rest”

· “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”

· “Ashes of the Wake”

· “Remorse is for the Dead”

· “Walk With Me in Hell”

· “Redneck”

Mastodon is a Grammy award-winning progressive/sludge/stoner/alternative metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, and has been consistently making heads bang since 2000. Mastodon has released eight (8) LPs, two (2) live LPs, one (1) demo, six (6) EPs, and eight (8) splits. With each record, Mastodon has matured into the metal powerhouse they have become today. Their most recent release, Hushed and Grim, was released in 2021 and emphasizes their ability to create a tribute to all people lost, especially their longtime manager Nick John. Mastodon consists of Troy Sanders (bass/keyboards/lead vocals), Bill Kelliher (rhythm guitar/backing vocals), Brann Dailor (drums/percussion/lead vocals/backing vocals), and Brent Hinds (lead guitar/backing vocals/lead vocals).

I remember the first time I heard Mastodon’s 2004 release, Leviathan, and I was floored at the raw power that album contained. From start to finish, this was one of my favorite albums and I did not have to skip any tracks while playing. In 2019, Mastodon and Coheed and Cambria embarked on a similar tour- The Unheavenly Skye Tour which was a celebration of Mastodon’s 2009 release, Crack the Skye, where they played the album from start to finish. So, playing one of their classic albums from start to finish is nothing new to Mastodon, and I knew they were excited at the chance to bring this once-in-a-lifetime experience to their fans.

Mastodon

Leading up to the show, I felt that both Mastodon and Lamb of God would swap closing duties out of respect for each other. I also assumed that since Mastodon was playing a home show, they would be the final band of the night. That assumption was correct. The time had come for the hometown band to take the stage for the record crowd that gathered on a rainy Thursday evening in Alpharetta. We were not allowed in the pit until after the first song, “Blood and Thunder” was over, but it gave me a chance to survey to crowd and see their candid reactions. Ameris Bank Amphitheatre removed the seats located close to the stage area before the event, so the crowd gathered as close as possible to the stage as they could. It was nice seeing so many elated fans enjoying themselves and singing along to the songs featured on Leviathan. If The Ashes of Leviathan Tour is coming to your area, get your ticket if you have yet to do so, and go listen to these bands rip it up on stage. You will not regret it!

Show some support for the dudes in Mastodon and head over to their official website for your Mastodon merchandise and music needs.

You can check out Mastodon’s full set list from 07/25/2024 below:

· “Blood and Thunder”

· “I Am Ahab”

· “Seabeast”

· “Island”

· “Iron Tusk”

· “Megalodon”

· “Naked Burn”

· “Aqua Dementia”

· “Hearts Alive”

· “Joseph Merrick”

· “More Than I Could Chew”

· “Circle of Cysquatch”

· “Steambreather”

Recording of A Perfect Circle’s version of Joni Mitchell’s song:

· “The Fiddle and the Drum”

You can still catch the Ashes of Leviathan Tour featuring Mastodon & Lamb of God with opening support on the following dates:

AUG 03

MOHEGAN SUN ARENA

UNCASVILLE, CT, US

WITH KERRY KING

Ashes of Leviathan Tour: Mastodon & Lamb of God 20th Anniversary Celebration of Ashes of the Wake & Leviathan!