Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe Posts Short Film About Czech Manslaughter Trial
Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe was found not guilty of manslaughter by a Czech court on March 5. Since the judgement was handed down to Blythe, Lamb of God picked up right where they left off and hit the road to blast fans with 'Pure American Metal.' Along with seeing the band live, relieved Lamb of God fans can now watch a short film created by Randy Blythe, meant to represent the singer's state of mind throughout the legal process.
Metalheads won't soon forget the trial of Randy Blythe. After spending over a month in Czech jail, Blythe was granted bail and returned to the U.S. Fans were practically begging Blythe not to fly back to the Czech Republic, as his extradition by the U.S. government seemed unlikely. However, Blythe proved to be a man of bravery and integrity, flying back to stand trial earlier this year.
Nearly six months after Blythe was found not guilty, the vocalist posted his short film on his Tumblr page along with the following explanation:
This is a movie I made in Prague during my trial. I filmed the footage with a Canon EOS 60D, edited it with Final Cut Pro X, and wrote the music using Reason. I wanted to release a slightly different version of the film right before my judgement was rendered by the court (the very last shot in this version was not there until after I was pronounced innocent). My idea was to show my mind set through film and music during the process of my trial, and have a more ambiguous ending heading into my final day in court. I did not know what was going to happen to me, only that I felt I was doing the right thing by being there. Working in a creative capacity during the trial helped me to remain calm- it is what I know how to do, so I wanted to share it with people. I showed the clip to my lawyer and he advised against releasing it until after the trial was over, thinking the authorities might not understand what I was trying to say with the movie. It is all over now, so here is my poor attempt to try and create art in a time of great personal uncertainty.
Note- the Devil plays an important part in Czech fairy tales, and marionettes are a bit of Czech folk culture I came to love while I was there- the marionette hangs in my study now. The Devil is different in Czech fairy tales though, to my understanding- the puppet is representative of me, the way I viewed myself, the way I was viewed by society at different times- all sorts of things. It is not representative of evil- just wanted to clarify that.
Check out Randy Blythe's 'The Devil is the Details' short film by clicking the button below.