One of the most legendary groove metal bands has been going strong for the last 30+ years. Lamb of God has been constantly on the road and releasing new music for decades and nothing is slowing them down. Now hitting the road again in 2026 in support of their newest album Into Oblivion, the Into Oblivion Tour came to the YouTube Theatre in Los Angeles, CA ready to tear the doors off the wall. As Lamb of God has been doing this for so long, they lined up this tour with some of the heaviest hitters who deserve a showcase on a bigger stage, featuring the likes of Kublai Khan, Fit For an Autopsy, and Sanguisugabogg. This was a Saturday where hell was about to break loose.

Opening the show was a band with a name that I would give anyone $20 if they could pronounce it correctly on the first try - death metal killers Sanguisugabogg from Columbus, OH. Vocalist Devin Swank sings with a deep, soul-shaking guttural growl, akin to Phil Bozeman of Whitechapel. This resonance makes you feel the weight of the music and the carnage that is being sung about. Guitarist Drew Arnold mixes heavy chugs with driving guitar lines to create a wall of noise that just smacks you in the face, while drummer Cody Davidson beats you down with blast beats that sound like a Gatling gun firing. Sanguisugabogg wreaked havoc on the fans who arrived early with songs like "Rotted Entanglement," "Face Ripped Off," "Felony Abuse of a Corpse," "Abhorrent Contraception," and "Dead as Shit." Whether you could pronounce the band's name or not, their set ended with you understanding the brutality they play with, and at least for me, an intrigue to see more from them.

Up next was Fit For an Autopsy from Jersey City, NJ. I first saw these guys last year when they opened for Arch Enemy, and they created a fan out of me then. So I was excited to get to see them again now with more knowledge of them. Vocalist Joe Badolato is a commanding presence on stage as he sings and screams at the audience. Though the vocals are screamed, he still carries a melody to the performance that creates flow and movement in the lyrics. The dual guitar lines of Pat Sheridan and Tim Howley deliver face-melting riffs that cut through the song and get everyone in the crowd air-guitaring with them. Bassist Peter Spinazola and drummer Josean Orta held down the low end to keep the beat pounding and the mosh pitters spinning. Fit For an Autopsy kept the chaos going with songs like "Lower Purpose," "It Comes For You," "The Wretch," "Hostage," "Warfare," "Pandora," and ending with "Far From Heaven." Fit For an Autopsy continued to light up the crowd as more fans started pouring into the venue, getting ready to lose their minds with the bands still to come.

It was then time to see the crowd start throwing beatdown moves in the pit with Kublai Khan taking the stage. Another band I saw for the first time last year - the sheer carnage they brought to that smaller show was mind-blowing. I could only imagine how chaotic a larger show like this could get. With the band hailing from Texas, vocalist Matt Honeycutt speaks with a Texas drawl that reminds me of Stone Cold Steve Austin from the old WWF wrestling days. I was waiting for him to scream "Give me a Hell Yeah!" But hearing this similarity got me ready to raise hell in the crowd, as his voice just incited you to rage.

Guitarist Nicholas Adams was a bit more reserved on stage, letting his guitar playing speak for him as he chugged heavy riffs that got your head bouncing. Bassist Eric English backed Honeycutt on vocals by creating call-and-response type lyrics, setting up a shouting match between you and your friend in the crowd. Drummer Isaac Lamb held down a slow, measured drum line, often played in thirds, to really enhance that beatdown vibe from the music. Kublai Khan kept the punishing energy going with songs like "Darwinism," "Supreme Ruler," "Low Tech," "Antpile," "Boomslang," "The Hammer," "The Mountain of Corsicana," "Antpile 2," "Self-Destruct," "Mud," "Swan Song," and ending with "Theory of Mind." We were all sufficiently warmed up and ready for our headliner.

A black curtain draped over the stage as the fans eagerly awaited the headliner. As Lamb of God's logo was shown across the drapery, fans erupted in excitement as the opening to "Ruin" could be heard coming over the speakers. As the curtain dropped and the band hit the stage, the mosh pit ripped itself open to take up as much room as it could cover. The back line of the stage was dressed with giant test tubes holding massive skeleton heads, making the stage look like we had stepped into some kind of mad scientist's laboratory.

Lamb of God has been a tenured band for decades and knows how to bring their very best to every stage they step foot on. Vocalist Randy Blythe has become a staple voice in the metal community, and he has not lost a bit of edge or bite in his live sound. He is the general commanding his soldiers in the war fields of the mosh. Guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler have written some of the most iconic riffs in groove metal, and getting to hear them live sends a lightning bolt of energy coursing through the body - amping you up and making you want to give yourself whiplash as you headbang. Bassist John Campbell is the backbone of the band as he lays in his basslines with emotion and feel, while whipping his own hair around the stage. Drummer Art Cruz has cemented himself as the perfect drumming fit for Lamb of God since joining in 2019, with his drumming featured prominently on the Into Oblivion album.

Lamb of God's onslaught of the YouTube Theatre was a ferocious mauling - a lion descending on its prey. With songs like "Laid to Rest," "Blood Junkie," "Into Oblivion," "Resurrection Man," "Grace," "Desolation," "512," "Walk With Me in Hell," "Parasocial Christ," "Omerta," "11th Hour," "Memento Mori," "Sepsis," and ending with "Redneck," fans were gifted a setlist that drew from across the band's discography. No matter what era you got into Lamb of God, you had music to let loose to and get your body moving.

The Into Oblivion Tour mixed metal bands from different generations and packed the YouTube Theatre with fans of all ages. This did create a bit of a mixed energy in the audience, as the younger metalheads wanted to go as hard and crazy as possible and start throwing limbs in the pit, while some of the older metalheads wanted to rock out and circle pit. But regardless of which energy was winning over the crowd at the time, we were all in agreement that we were there to hail the legendary Lamb of God.