After a long and awful ordeal overseas, Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe has been released from Pankrac Prison in the Czech Republic. Blythe almost immediately boarded a plane for the States, reportedly wearing the same clothes from the day he was arrested. Despite his 5-week incarceration, Randy plans to return to the stage almost immediately, as Lamb of God will perform as one of the featured acts at Slipknot’s 2-day Knotfest in Iowa, along with Deftones and Machine Head. Lamb of God’s fall headlining tour, originally cancelled, has been re-scheduled to start on October 26.
Blythe’s arrest came in connection with an incident that happened 2 years ago at a Lamb of God concert in which a fan tried to jump on stage twice, but was stopped by security. On his third attempt, the fan got past security and charged at Randy. Randy simply pushed him back into the crowd. It was reported, however, that the fan fell back into the crowd and hit his head, causing trauma that resulted in his death 14 days later. Blythe was released on released on 4 million Czech Koruna bail (approximately $200,000), however he remained incarcerated in Pankrac Prison due to contention of bail made by a Czech prosecutor. Blythe is awaiting the court’s ruling on whether or not the bail will be approved.
Martin Radvan, Blythe’s attorney, has stated that Blythe is fully committed to returning to face the charges. Radvan said:
“As a world-renowned artist, in a specific genre of music, of course, he cannot afford to simply disappear. If he wants to continue performing, he will have to return. And he wants to return because he believes he is not guilty of anything he has been charged with.” – Martin Radvan, Attorney of Randy Blythe
Randy himself had this to say about the incident and his arrest:
“I don’t know anything about any sort of incident [that allegedly took place during the concert]. I remember very few details about the show, mainly because I have played a lot of concerts [before and after the gig in question. I just remember that the stage at the club was very small, and we barely managed to fit our equipment on there. Also, apparently there was a security guard there because many people climbed onto the stage – including one small boy, in particular, but I could be mixing up details with what happened at other clubs. In any case, I did not attack anyone. The only way I could have come into contact with anyone from the audience was if I was protecting myself from [people bumping into me when climbing on the stage].” – Randy Blythe, Vocals – Lamb of God
Lamb of God’s publicist, Adrenaline PR, released the following statement this morning:
After five weeks in a prison in Prague in the Czech Republic, Randy Blythe has been released on bail and is returning to the United States. Although Lam of God has cancelled their summer co-headline tour with Dethklok, the band has agreed to play the Knotfest shows on August 17th in Council Bluffs, Iowa and August 18th in Somerset, Wisconsin. The band is currently targeting October 26th as the start date for a U.S tour. Dates and cities will be released as soon as possible. Randy will be making a public statement discussing his time in Prague and thanking fans worldwide for their support in the next week. – Adrenaline PR
I think I speak for the entire music community when I say that we are so happy and relieved to have Randy home. It was a travesty that he was not home 5 weeks ago. It is great to see that Randy is not letting this keep him down. His return to the stage will certainly be one of the most uplifting moments in recent rock history, and I’m looking forward to it. As always, all the love and support in the world go out to Randy, his family, Lamb of God, Adrenaline PR, Epic Records, and everyone that has supported Randy throughout this dark period. Keep calm and ROCK ON. – by Matt Bishop (Photo Courtesy of Bobin James Photography)