Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe has spoken to NME about his new book, Just Beyond The Light: Making Peace With The Wars Inside Our Head, and explained how sobriety has led to him having a new perspective on life.
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The book marks the follow-up to his 2015 memoir Dark Days, and sees the metal icon recall how he has been moulded by his previous struggles. Less focused on personal anecdotes than its predecessor, the project instead encourages readers to take a look at their own experiences and uncover the tools they need to improve their lives and the world around them.
“It’s not a straight memoir in the way Dark Days was. Instead, there’s a three-act narrative arc, provided by the unfortunate events in my life. A collection of essays where the main theme is perspective,” Blythe explained to NME.
“I’ve lived a rough life at times and now I’m in my 50s, I’ve tried to learn from experiences so I don’t keep making the same stupid mistakes. The main theme of Dark Days was my personal accountability, but the main purpose of this book is broadening our perspective.”
In a balance of wit and hard-hitting introspection, the book sees Blythe break down how things like sobriety, art, and surfing have changed his outlook on life, and understand how some of his darker moments have led to a healthier view on society.
Check out the full interview with the singer below, where he also tells NME about new music from Lamb Of God, their upcoming set at the final Black Sabbath show, his thoughts on the current metal scene, and his recent comments about Elon Musk’s controversial gesture at Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.
NME: Hi Randy. Just Beyond The Light has been described as a “roadmap” on how to keep balance during tumultuous times. What do you mean by that?
Randy Blythe: “It’s described as a roadmap because, as I was writing the book, it was like taking a trip. At first, I only knew I wanted to write about two things: death and surfing.
“I wanted to write about mortality because that’s the ultimate fear that we all face. No matter what’s going on in the world, we’re all going to die one day. I knew I wanted to write about that because I’m almost 54, and mortality comes closer and closer every day. Then surfing was something that broadened my perspective for the better. It really was like a road trip for me because I was thinking about different people and experiences that have provided me with a broadened perspective.”
Why was it important for you to hone in on the idea of perspective?
“Perspective is key in trying to maintain balance in this crazy time, because we are in an undeniably screwed up place right now. Looking at what’s going on in the world – politically, war, natural disasters – it is important to remember that throughout history, horrible things have been going on. But there has also been beauty, light and hope. Bombs are dropping in multiple war zones right now, but at the same time, somewhere a mother is looking at her child for the very first time and experiencing that kind of love. These moments of horror and tragedy exist at the same time with love and beauty.
“While I think we always must speak up and do our best to make the world a better place – especially in the face of injustice – we can’t let that consume us to the point where we forget about the beautiful human experiences going on. That’s what the book is, it’s me trying to go through this crazy world without being consumed by either nihilism and cynicism or apathy. Trying to let a little light in my life.”
Was there a specific turning point that led to this new outlook?
“I’m continually adopting that perspective, but there was a huge shift when I got sober. I drank at Olympic levels for 22 years, and I don’t have anything against anyone who drinks, but most people don’t drink the way I did. It made me want to not exist. I got sober when I was 39, so it’s been 14 years now. But by the end of those 22 years, I had truly sunk into nihilism. I had a cynical view of everything, including myself.
“It’s not like I was Hitler of alcoholism or the Genghis Khan of the people who did drugs! I wasn’t conquering Europe or anything – I was just a drunk who did some shitty things. So when I got sober, I had to realise that not everything in the world was so bad and that I was not so bad either. That is a continual process, so it’s not like I have all the answers. I didn’t want to write this book as some sort of authority, I just want to let people know that I’m in this human struggle too, and we have to remember to do the best that we can.”
We recently saw you call out Elon Musk’s after his controversial appearance at Trump’s presidential inauguration. Why was it important for you to do that?
“What I see is not the Italian version of fascism or whatever, not that specific political structure, but the sort of hallmarks and the early signs of that kind of thing. I come from the punk rock scene and we’ve been warning about this for a long time. There’s a band called Corrosion Of Conformity who released a record in the ‘80s called ‘Technocracy’, and that’s what we’re heading into now.
“When you have the richest man on earth giving what is a Nazi salute… That was not a fucking mistake. He did it twice. People can say he’s self-diagnosed autistic or he was giving his heart, blah, blah, blah. Go fuck yourself, you know? If we are afraid to say, ‘Hey, that’s not cool’, we’re screwed. I will not swallow that bullshit, and I will not comply with fascism. Fuck you.
“I don’t know if you can print this shit or not, but I get very upset about this stuff. It’s dangerous and you’re seeing it not just in America, but in other parts of the world as well. Power is consolidating. All you have to do is follow the money. If you look at Trump’s inauguration, how many tech billionaires are there? Someone like Elon Musk, he’s not doing it for money, he has all the money in the world. Some of his contemporaries have said that he’s bored with money, now it’s time for power. It’s just obvious, and anyone that can’t see that is blind.”
As a whole, do you think there is a disconnect between the general public calling out for change, and those who have the authority to make a definitive impact?
“Well there is a big difference between me and Elon Musk. With some elected officials there has got to be a common ground, but I don’t trust politicians. I never have. I come from the punk rock scene. I learned my lessons from Black Flag and the Sex Pistols. I don’t believe that all politicians are evil, machiavellian-type people out to get you, though. I believe a lot of them start with an honest intent to serve the people. The problem, I think, is the system, and there’s such a disconnect between the working person and the people in power.
“In America, there’s this disconnect where you feel as if your vote doesn’t count – therefore people don’t engage in the political process as much as they could. So I think there is a bit of a disconnect between the common person and people who can affect change. The only way, I think, to change this is to become politically engaged. I believe that apathy and the feeling of hopelessness and powerlessness is what has got us where we are. People want a solution handed to them and, regrettably, that doesn’t work. You have to engage with the world. You have to engage with politics if you’re going to change anything.”
Speaking of things we can hope for, are there plans for new music from Lamb Of God?
“You bet. There will definitely be a new record, it’s just a matter of us getting it all together. We’re always writing. I’ve been writing lyrics, my dudes write riffs all the time, and we’re always documenting stuff. For now though, our guitar player, Mark [Morton] has got a new solo record [‘Without The Pain’] coming out, so he’s been working on promoting that. I got my book coming out too, so people are always doing various things. But yes, there will most definitely be new Lamb Of God music and it won’t take five years to come out, I promise. As of right now though, there is no concrete release date.”
The band will be performing at Black Sabbath’s massive final show this summer. Why was it important for you to get involved?
“Black Sabbath is the first heavy metal band. I don’t care what anybody says, heavy metal was born in Birmingham, England, with four dudes: Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne. For years now, every time we play Birmingham, I say: ‘Thank you, Black Sabbath for creating heavy metal and giving me a job.’
“We toured with the original line-up in 2004 at the Ozzfest. It was incredible and it came at a critical time for Lamb Of God, because it was our first major label release [‘Ashes Of The Wake’], so our fanbase was expanding rapidly. Then, in 2007, we were both main support for Ozzy, and then joined the band for the ‘Heaven And Hell’ tour with Ronnie James Dio – so Sabbath has done a lot for our career.
“It’s more than that though, because these younger bands, even if they don’t listen to Black Sabbath, they actually do because their music is in the DNA of every single heavy metal band on earth. So to be asked to play at their final show is an incredible honour. We’re gonna do our best to kick some ass, show some respect and give them the send-off that they deserve.”
What can we expect from the set?
“As far as I know, what you can expect is for us to play a Black Sabbath song – and no, I will not tell you which one! We’re going to play a Lamb Of God song too, and I will not tell you which one for that either… because I don’t know yet! We haven’t even discussed that. We just want to show Sabbath some love. Especially with Ozzy having Parkinson’s, we really want to show him some love and thank them.”
What are your thoughts on the current metal scene?
“Me and my buddy Sharlee [D’Angelo, Arch Enemy] were recently saying how it’s a really young genre because we know the people that pioneered it. I’m friends with Rob Halford from Judas Priest. I know Ozzy. I had coffee with Bruce Dickinson in Brazil last year, and these are the people that created this all. Same with the guys in Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, and Megadeth – those are the guys who created this aggressive genre of metal called thrash, from which we are descended. It’s always been a constant process of evolution and, as far as I can tell, metal’s healthy because of that.
“I think it’s really stupid when people get all gatekeep-y when music evolves. There are some new bands that are utter shit, but there are plenty of good bands too. So, anyone that is just poo-pooing like, ‘This new stuff sucks’, get a life. Grow up. There are lots of good musicians and kids today are freakishly technically adept.”
A year from now, what would you hope people who have read Just Beyond The Light have taken from it?
“I want them to [understand that] I don’t have any answers for anyone. I’m not a self-help guru. I’m a middle-aged dude from Richmond, Virginia, who probably should still be washing dishes, but somehow is going to go open up for Black Sabbath. It’s a miracle, right?
“Instead, I want people to ask themselves this question: ‘What tools do I have at my disposal?’ No matter what you do in life, whether you’re a musician, a tradesman, a banker, a politician, or an accountant: what tools do I have at my disposal, right now, that I can use to make my life better and to make the world a better place? Everybody has a tool. You just have to reach for it and pick it up.”
‘Just Beyond The Light: Making Peace With The Wars Inside Our Head’ is out now in the US and available from March 13 in the UK. Visit here to buy a copy. Lamb Of God will play a brief run of US festivals this year, following their appearance at Black Sabbath’s final show.