Lamb of God receives death threats in Malaysia for offensive lyrics
It looks like the distinct growl of Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe won’t be heard in Malaysia since the Malaysian government refused to let the metal band perform. The show scheduled to happen on September 28 had wildly successful ticket sales with over 1,500 tickets already being sold for the concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Even the success of the concert wasn’t enough for the Malaysian government to issue a permit for the show. The publication The Star reported that the permit was not issued because the band’s songs “were found to infringe on religious sensitivities and cultural values of Malaysian society.”
Death threats have also been made to the band after the Malaysian government pointed out lyrics that directly reference the Quran and lyrics that they found offensive. The promoter for the Lamb of God tour released a statement on their disgust with the death threats.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms these threats that were made. Malaysia is a country of peace and we are sure that we speak on the behalf of all Malaysians when we say we are appalled that certain individuals who think it’s perfectly fine to threaten the life of others. No one deserves that regardless of his or her religious, political, or even musical preference.”
Lamb of God’s guitarist Mark Morton also issued a statement on the cancellation and discusses his frustration about the decision.
“It is very evident (and a bit frustrating) that the groups, parties and powers that have taken the most offense to our music and lyrics, have themselves only made a passing glance at the content of those songs. We would invite anyone offended by our music to engage in a discussion regarding the true motivations behind our work, especially before publicly slandering us based on assumptions and shallow misinterpretation. We sincerely apologize to our amazing fans in Malaysia for the cancellation. Many thanks to all who have spoken out in support of us through this.”
The shows that have been scheduled in New Zealand, Australia and Thailand will still be performed.
