LAMB OF GOD's RANDY BLYTHE Says He Would 'Do A Better Job' As President 'Than The Idiot We've Got In Office Right Now'

In a recent interview with Kerrang! magazine, LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe, who announced in 2012 that he was running for president, was asked if he would ever seriously running for public office. He responded: "That's an interesting question. When I ran for president — and I did get some write-in ballots — it was to show the ridiculousness and corruption in campaign finance," he explained. "It was meant to highlight how people are molded and shaped by lobbyists and how it's all about money. So I said that I wasn't going to spend more than 99 cents on my campaign, which I spent on a video-editing app on the iPhone. The whole thing was to make a point, and obviously wasn't serious.

"I'm not going to win the presidency — although I do think I'd do a better job than the idiot we've got in office right now — but would I ever run for public office? That's an interesting question. It would depend on the office and it would depend how long from now the election took place. You can't run for office when you're in a touring band because you need to be at home for your constituents. But I would consider running for public office in a local position where I could make an immediate impact on the environment. I don't know, maybe one day."

Asked if he is in favor of the death penalty, Blythe said: "That's an interesting question. I personally am friends with Damien Echols, who was one of the West Memphis Three, and he sat on death row basically forever after being wrongly convicted. Eventually, finally, he was released. So, on the one hand I'm thinking that the death penalty is pretty gnarly. But then there was this guy recently who got the death penalty who was in court saying, 'Kill me, kill me,' and smiling at the families of the people he killed, so it's kind of hard for me to reconcile a policy of no death penalty in that scenario. I have a hard time keeping serial child molesters alive. That's just wrong. I don't have a solid answer, to be honest with you. It's something that I struggle with."

Pressed about whether he would legalize drugs, Randy said: “It depends. I don't do any mind-altering substances aside from caffeine and nicotine from electric cigarettes, and I'm trying to quit those. But weed should 100 percent be legal. It's just not as harmful a substance as alcohol is. Do I think heroin should be legal? No, I don't. It's killed too many of my friends. I know that doesn't stop people from doing it, but if you can go down to the pharmacy and buy heroin… that doesn't seem like a wise idea. If you've met any junkies, their lives normally don't go too well. Should drug addicts be treated with compassion? Absolutely. Should we be giving cocaine out for free on the streets? No, we should not."

LAMB OF GOD's self-titled album will be released on May 8 via Epic Records. The follow-up to "VII: Sturm Und Drang" marks LAMB OF GOD's first recordings with Art Cruz, who joined the band last July as the replacement for the group's founding drummer, Chris Adler.

"Lamb Of God" was recorded with longtime producer Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH, GOJIRA, TRIVIUM) and includes special guest appearances by Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT).