LAMB OF GOD Drummer: We Believe That We Are Innocent And Justice Will Sort Itself Out

September 11, 2012

While LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe is back home in America after five weeks in prison in the Czech Republic, his legal problems are far from over. Manslaughter charges are still hanging over Blythe, and at some point over the next few months he will have to return to Prague and stand trial.

Randy and his bandmates returned to the live stage last month in Council Bluffs, Iowa as part of SLIPKNOT's first-ever Knotfest, an extraordinary two-date metal and hard rock festival. The band has also announced a 38-date fall U.S tour starting October 30 in Phoenix, Arizona.

"It was almost therapeutic to get back on stage," LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler (pictured below) told Billboard.com of the Knotfest shows in Iowa and Wisconsin. "People were screaming the name of the band and, of course, screaming Randy's name. So it was very cathartic to hear that and have that support and take the stage again. It felt great."

The drummer also revealed that LAMB OF GOD has no plans to alter its stage show in response to its legal issues in the Czech Republic. "It's difficult for us to say in any way that this was something that was our fault and that we should change how we're doing things, because we're already trying to look out for those kinds of incidents," Adler said.

"We certainly don't want to change what it is we do," he continued. "This is obviously a terrible tragedy that nobody foresaw or intended to happen. But it's such a random series of events that caused it to happen that I don't think us changing what we do would necessarily stop it from happening again."

Blythe was released from a prison in Prague on August 2, more than a month after he was arrested and incarcerated. The singer was accused of causing a 2010 incident in which a fan attending a LAMB OF GOD show died almost a month later, allegedly from injuries sustained when he was thrown off the stage. Blythe's predicament galvanized the heavy rock community, with artists across the hard rock genre pledging their support.

If convicted, Randy could face up to 10 years in prison, but Adler is optimistic that the singer will be found innocent.

"They haven't really played their hand out in the case and what they have on us," Chris told Billboard.com. "Obviously this tragedy happened, but how they're going to go about prosecuting is a mystery to us. Not knowing how their justice system works and being repeatedly surprised by events from when we landed there, who knows what will happen? But we believe that we are innocent of it and justice will sort itself out."

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