LAMB OF GOD's RANDY BLYTHE Defends His Right To Speak Out On Political Issues: 'I'm Not Some Dancing Monkey Put Here For Your Entertainment'

In a new interview with Sam Law of U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine, LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe was asked how he responds to people who say that musicians or "entertainers" should stay out of politics. He said: "To those people, I say 'Go fuck yourself.' I'm an American citizen and a world traveler. More than that, I'm a human being. I'm not some dancing monkey put here for your entertainment. If you have any sort of moral compass at all, it's irresponsible to not exercise your right to speak up. If people are willing to compartmentalize something like a child sex trafficking ring because they think it might better their bank account, they've lost a component of their humanity. They've lost an integral part of what it is to be a righteous human being. At that point, it's time to stop and reassess and reevaluate. You're not going to be able to carry your money into the grave, motherfucker, but you will be able to carry the memories of silently going along with people that enabled child sex predators. How are you going to feel about that on your death bed?"

Blythe went on to say that he is "hopeful" things will get better in the not-too-distant future.

"There is an apocalyptic side to my nature. I will admit that, and plenty of our lyrics reflect it," he said. "I have to watch myself with that. I have to acknowledge that that possibility exists. But I don't need to sink into glorifying it. It's okay to pay attention to what's going on and be worried, but you need to do your best to change it. Everyday citizens in a functional democracy have a right to vote and they need to not become apathetic. I have a lot of problems with our American system. There are things that are archaic such as the electoral college, which should be abolished. But that is the only system we have right now. And if I do not engage in it and do my best to be a force for positive change, then I am abdicating responsibility and handing what little bit of control I have — my agency — over to someone else.

"In general, I see that fatalist, defeatist attitude in people and it bums me out. Like, 'Oh, it doesn't make a difference…' Well, you're right, because if you don't do anything, then that won't make any difference at all," he explained. "So please carry yourself to the voting booth and do what you can. I don't understand politics in the U.K., but I do know that you need to vote. Don't just be an apathetic slug and complain when everything turns to shit."

Back in 2021, Blythe told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show that being confrontational about social and political issues has painted an inaccurate picture of his personality and temperament. "I guess some people would think, 'Oh, this guy is super-duper liberal in all aspects,' and that's not true," he said at the time. "In some ways, I'm quite conservative. I think change is definitely necessary in so many ways in our society, but I do think, in many ways, with this rampant spread of technology, there's a lot of good values that are being abandoned. Some people would look at that and say, 'Oh, that's stodgy conservatism,' but I don't care.

"I don't define myself as liberal or conservative or Democratic or Republican," he continued. "Just because you speak on a certain issue... And that's a problem in our country today, on both the left and the right, is this knee-jerk reaction, that if you disagree with some sort of issue, because things are so polarized right now, then automatically you're painted as A or B, and that's idiotic; that's simply moronic.

"We're all human beings, and I think people are existing in these echo chambers, particularly 'cause they're isolated lately. They're sitting in these digital echo chambers of negativity, and it's just sort of reinforcing their biases; they're looking for things to just reinforce their opinions.

"As far as an inaccurate view of my personality, I have no idea of what people really view my personality as," Randy added. "I mean, my friends tell me I'm a pretty mellow guy. I don't really care what people think of my personality; it's not my concern. It's really none of my business. My business is to act in a manner in accordance with my moral compass, which I would like to think is empathetic and correctly calibrated."

LAMB OF GOD's tenth studio album, "Into Oblivion", will be released on March 13 via Epic.

Produced and mixed by longtime studio collaborator Josh Wilbur, "Into Oblivion" was recorded across multiple locations tied closely to the band's identity. Drums were tracked in Richmond, Virginia, with guitars and bass recorded at guitarist Mark Morton's home studio. Blythe recorded his vocals at the legendary Total Access studio in Redondo Beach, California, the birthplace of seminal punk records by BLACK FLAG, HÜSKER DÜ and DESCENDENTS.

LAMB OF GOD previously announced a spring North American tour in what promises to be the heaviest trek of 2026. Joined by KUBLAI KHAN TX, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY and SANGUISUGABOGG, the tour will kick off on March 17.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn