Leslie Felperin 

As the Palaces Burn review – Lamb of God documentary takes a surprise turn

Lamb of God's singer Randy Blythe's arrest in Prague in 2012 turned this rockumentary into a courtroom drama, writes Leslie Felperin
  
  

As the Palaces Burn: Lamb of God concert
One for the fans … As the Palaces Burn was intended to document a Lamb of God tour, until Randy Blythe was arrested Photograph: PR

This is one of those documentaries, like Catfish for example, that was supposed to be one thing and evolved into something else because of a dramatic turn of events halfway through shooting. In this case, director Don Argott set out to follow Lamb of God, a successful, greying metal band from Virginia on their international tour to illustrate how this group in particular and metal in general unites fans in disparate countries. It's an idea we've surely seen a few times already in rock docs, but then the Weird Thing happened: lead singer Randy Blythe got arrested in Prague in 2012 for the manslaughter of Daniel Nosek, a local fan whom Blythe allegedly pushed off the stage during a concert. Thereafter, the film turns into a courtroom drama of sorts, with a predictable narrative arc about guilt, penitence and redemption. Again, it's only mildly interesting unless you're one of the band's many rabidly loyal fans, especially since Argott, clearly thoroughly embedded, chooses not to dig very deep into the personalities and issues around the incident.

 

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