Metal veterans Lamb of God have no intention of calling it quits anytime soon. In a recent comprehensive interview with Revolver magazine, vocalist Randy Blythe and guitarist Mark Morton addressed a wide array of burning questions from their fanbase, discussing everything from sobriety and side projects to death metal and the enduring legacy of Black Sabbath.
When the topic shifted to the band’s long-term future and the possibility of retirement within the next few decades, Randy Blythe made it clear that his drive to create is a lifelong commitment.
“ Well, I’ll never retire. I personally will never retire. I will write. I hope to make music and shoot photographs until they chuck me in the grave,” the frontman stated.
“Lamb of God is my job,” he explained. “It is my job, and it is a huge part of my life, but it is not my sole identity. It’s just not. A much broader aspect of my identity is being an artist. It is how I interface with the world. It is how I try and make sense of my own life. So in some way or the other, I will be creating art until I die, ’cause that’s the only way I can function as a human being.”
Looking ahead to the band’s timeline, the singer emphasized the deep personal bonds that have kept the group together for decades.
“We’re gonna be around for another five years — for sure we’re gonna be playing shows. In 10 years, I’ll be 65. That’s an interesting question. However, Mark and I were discussing this in the interview the other day. I don’t think we’re ever gonna break up. I don’t think we’re ever gonna break up. I am fine with dying as a member of the band, because the band — once again, I’m not in any hurry to do it — but like all of us can be 95 years old and still in Lamb of God. Because for us, Lamb of God is not just the music that we make. We’ve been together for 30 years in this relationship. It’s something outside of just the music for us. It’s its own thing. It’s a relationship. And so I hope that relationship continues until we all either develop dementia and wander the earth bearded and insane, or we pass away peacefully in our sleep or whatever.”
Mark Morton echoed his bandmate’s sentiments, noting that while his desire to create music remains strong, he does foresee a shift in how they handle the grueling demands of the road as they age.
“There have been times along the way where I thought, ‘Well, I think I’d like to be done with this whole project, winding down, when I’m, like, 50 or 55.’ Well, I’m 53 now, and I’m not done. I do like the notion of slowing down the touring a bit, frankly. We’ve just been touring a long time, and I’ve got children, I’ve got young children, and I’m getting older. And it’s hard to be away… When you’re away for two months at a time, it takes its toll. And the way the industry is, you kind of have to do it at those lengths of time because things are so expensive. But I will say this: as I get older, I would like to tour in shorter lengths of time. And I’ve done the time. I feel like I can reward myself with shorter tours now that I’m in middle age. But I don’t put a goalpost on, like, ‘I gotta be out when I’m 60.’
The guitarist concluded by reflecting on the current, healthier dynamic within the band, contrasting it with their turbulent early years.
“Randy and I talk about very often — we never have to break up,” Morton continued. “This band never has to break up. We just can decide what we wanna do and how often we wanna do it, because we really, really like being around each other. We really like each other, and we laugh so much — more now than ever. That’s just the thing. There were times when we used to be very combative, and amongst the fanbase that’s pretty widely known. It was part of the deal — we were drunk and fighting and yelling and it was funny. But as older gentlemen, I’m glad we don’t live that way anymore. Now we just laugh a lot, and it’s great fun to be around these guys. And I love making music, and I still think we’re making good, good music. So I don’t see any reason to stop. We just might take longer breaks.”
