Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe recently explained why the band decided to change their original name from Burn the Priest. He shared insights about the decision in an interview with Hardlore.
The discussion centered around the band’s name change and the reasoning behind abandoning their original moniker. When asked directly about the transition from Burn the Priest to Lamb of God, Blythe provided detailed context about the decision.
“Because our guitar player, Mark Morton, with some foresight, he came up with the name Burn the Priest, right? And he’s like a 20-year-old metal kid or whatever. He’s like, ‘We need an edgy good. A metal name.’ When you hear the name Burn the Priest, you don’t think it’s going to be a soul band. You don’t think it’s going to be jazz. You don’t think it’s going to be anything other than what it is,” Blythe said.
The vocalist explained that religious connotations and misconceptions about the band’s beliefs played a significant role in the decision.
“There’s also the sort of religious connotation around that. And at that time, Satanism had sort of reentered the consciousness due to all the crazy black metal sh*t that was going on in Norway where they were murdering people and burning churches and all that stuff. So, we were looking at that and and while we were still playing mostly with hardcore and punk rock bands, we were definitely known as being more of a metallic band and people were like, ‘Burn the Priest, are you guys part of this Satan bullshit?’ You know what I mean?” he continued.
Blythe revealed that guitarist Mark Morton was particularly concerned about public perception and pushed for the change.
“And Mark, our guitar player, I probably wouldn’t have changed the name because I was like, ‘Ah, f*ck you.’ But it was important to him. And so he’s like, ‘Let’s change the name.’ And Mark just did not want the perception that we were a satanic band, he didn’t want that,” Blythe explained.
The name change ultimately became a condition for their record deal. The band stood firm on their decision despite initial label resistance.
“So we put out the Burn the Priest record with my friend Mikey. And we did some touring, you know, mostly not mostly, all of it. We booked ourselves through something called Book Your Own F*cking Life, which is a resource Maximum Rock and Roll put out. So, we started getting label attention finally. We talked to a few different labels and then we went with Prosthetic, which is a division at that time of Metal Blade,” he said. “And they’re like, ‘We want to sign Burn the Priest. We’re like, ‘Killer. By the way, we’re changing the name.’ They’re like, ‘No.’ And we’re like, ‘Either name change or we go with someone else.’ And so we did. And then went on to record the first Lamb of God record.”
The name change decision came at a crucial time in the band’s evolution. It marked a significant turning point in their career trajectory.
Revolver Magazine reported that Burn the Priest opted to change their name after releasing 1998’s eponymous debut album. This timing was strategic, as the band was gaining momentum and attracting label attention that would eventually lead to their breakthrough success.
The misconceptions about the band’s religious stance were more widespread than Blythe’s recent comments initially suggested. Loudwire noted that bassist John Campbell echoed similar sentiments in 2012. He explained that people thought they were a satanic metal band and wrote them off based solely on the name. This perception issue was clearly affecting the band’s ability to reach broader audiences and secure meaningful opportunities in the music industry.
The rebrand coincided with other significant changes within the band’s lineup. Knotfest revealed that the band had also recruited new guitarist Willie Adler after parting with Abe Spear. This marked a lineup shift that aligned perfectly with their name change and new musical direction.
The decision proved to be career-defining. Loudwire emphasized that Lamb of God changed their name from Burn the Priest specifically to avoid career-killing controversy and expand their audience reach. This strategic move allowed them to shed the limiting perceptions associated with their original moniker and establish themselves as one of metal’s most influential bands.
