When Lamb of God decided to hit the road for the 2022 summer “The Omens Tour” they brought some strong supporting acts along with them. They received direct support from Killswitch Engage and for the Sterling Heights date they brought along Baroness and Suicide Silence as well. While Lamb of God and Killswitch Engage will be on the road together for 6 weeks, the supporting acts are changing periodically throughout that time. Future legs of the tour will also include various combinations with Motionless in White, Spiritbox, Animals as Leaders, and Fit for an Autopsy.

Written by Jessica Trail

Founded in 2002 Suicide Silence looked like a very different than the version we know today. Today the only remaining founding member is Chris Garza, on rhythm guitar. The band has a dark past. Having lost their founding vocalist, Mitch Lucker, in late 2012 to a motorcycle accident, they took a break until late 2013 when they announced Eddie Hermida would step up as lead vocals. They have always had a fast-paced deathcore sound that has remained over the years. The set they played at the Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill was no debarment from the sound and stage presence expected at a deathcore show. They started the night with the 2007 song “Unanswered.” This opening song set the tone for the whole night. To say it started off right was an understatement.  

See full Suicide Silence photo gallery here.

Up next was the Savannah Georgia powerhouse heavy metal band known as Baroness. They took the stage by going right into “The Sweetest Curse.” The quartet moved just as harmoniously as the songs they played. Their stage presence during the whole performance included lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist John Baizley taking turns playing facing lead guitarists Gina Gleason and again with bassist Nick Jost. John, Gina, and Nick all played their instruments and contributed to vocals throughout the set. They were also joined on stage by drummer Sebastian Thomson. Their stage energy was infectious to everyone at the amphitheater. As expected, this intoxicating energy continued as they played their entire set.

See full Baroness photo gallery here.

When someone hears a Killswitch Engage song now it is hard to not know it is distinctly theirs. In the beginning their sound was distinctly different when the band formed lead guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz’s distinctive sounds were not part of the mix just yet; Adam started on Drums when the band first formed. In the twenty-three years that they have been playing music together Adam along with Jesse Leach, Joel Stroetzel, and Mike D’Antonio were all founding members, sometimes switching up what and how they play as a band. In 2002 Justin Foley joined the band and took over drums from Adam. For ten years of the band’s history from 2002 until 2012 Howard Jones was on Lead vocals, however he had to step away for medical reasons. This departure brought the band back to virtually the same lineup that had been together since 1999. Bands who have passed the twenty-year mark together have a certain seamless continuity on stage. Killswitch Engage is by far no exception. They moved and played with such grace it felt like the audience was watching a group of friends have a jam session in their friend’s basement. Starting off the night with “Strength of Mind” and flowing right into one of their top songs, “This is Absolution.” This raised the energy level of the whole crowd. This energy did not falter throughout the rest of the set. They closed out the Dio cover of “Holy Diver” and “The Signal Fire.” These two songs brought the vitality needed to prepare the crowd for the headliners, Lamb of God.

See full Killswitch Engage photo gallery here.

The band now and mostly commonly known as Lamb of God is a band that is adored my many. No matter if you have known the band since before they had a singer in the mid-ninety’s or if you just found them today, it is easy to see how so many fans they have worldwide. Singer Randy Blythe has had twenty-seven years to perfect his stage presence fronting Lamb of God and it shows every time he takes the stage. Randy was joined on stage by founding members, Mark Morton on guitar and John Campbell on bass, long time member Willie Adler on guitar, and newer additional Art Cruz on drums. This lineup is strong and always delivers a strong, fiery performance. The pyrotechnics at Lamb of God shows are always something welcomed. They opened the set with “Memento Mori”, took a small pause and brought the heat with “Walk with Me in Hell.” The set had a balanced mix of songs from their albums starting with the 2003 album As the Palaces Burn as well as songs from the newest 2022 album The Omens and ended the set with one of their top favorites, “Redneck.” As always, the heavy metal heroes known as Lamb of God brought the excitement needed to energize an entire amphitheater on a rainy Sunday night in Metro Detroit.

See full Lamb Of God photo gallery here.

Today marks the moment when Lamb Of God and Killswitch Engage will be joined by Motionless In White and Fit For An Autopsy. See full list of upcoming dates for #theomenstour below.

Lamb of God w/ Killswitch Engage, Motionless In White, Fit For An Autopsy:
Oct 01 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Great SaltAir
Oct 02 – Grand Junction, CO – Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park
Oct 04 – Fresno, CA – Exhibit Hall at Selland Arena
Oct 07 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival *No Fit For An Autopsy

Lamb of God w/ Killswitch Engage, Spiritbox, Fit For An Autopsy:
Oct 09 – Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
Oct 10 – Kent (Seattle), WA – Accesso ShoWare Center
Oct 11 – Portland, OR – Theater of the Clouds

Lamb of God w/ Killswitch Engage, Animals As Leaders, Fit For An Autopsy:
Oct 13 – Inglewood, CA – YouTube Theater
Oct 14 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theater
Oct 15 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Oct 16 – El Paso, TX – UTEP Don Haskins Center
Oct 18 – San Antonio, TX – Freeman Coliseum
Oct 19 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
Oct 20 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

Photos and article All Rights Reserved by Jessica Trail / JETRAIL Photography, LLC