Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe has never shied away from participating in political discourse. Now, Blythe has offered his two cents on today’s cancel culture.
In a new interview with Kerrang!, alongside letlive vocalist Jason Butler, Blythe expressed his concern that call-out culture is seeping into musicians artistry. Blythe argued that bands could be left too afraid to vocalise in fear that they may say something that could negatively impact their career.
“In today’s world, there’s a culture of outrage,” Blythe shared. “If anybody does anything that people don’t agree with, immediately there’s a lynch-mob mentality, where people will pile in on someone. But I don’t give a fuck! I grew up before the internet, and I’ve done things that have pissed people off and I’m still here.”
Blythe asserted that he would have given up working in the music industry long ago if he had to concern himself with the opinions of others.
“I don’t want to be in the mindless fucking herd or the hive-mind. I want to think for myself. That’s what I found in the underground music scene and that’s why I first got involved, because I was a fucking freak in high school. If you’re sitting behind a computer screening and judging people, that goes against everything this music stands for,” says Blythe.
Butler echoed Blythe’s statement, adding that call-out mentality is the “antithesis of what punk and metal are supposed to be about.”
“That gatekeeper mentality of punk rock, metal and hardcore is one of the most dangerous and degenerative things.”
In related news, Randy Blythe recently made headlines after he organised a counter-rally against the controversial Westboro Baptist Church. The Lamb of God frontman took to Instagram to beckon “freaks, weirdos, misfits, & regular people of good conscious” to join him in protesting against the church using mans most notorious weapon, the kazoo.
Watch: Lamb of God – ‘Ruin’
