While Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe sits in a Czech jail on manslaughter charges for which he was arrested a month ago tomorrow, his management has decided to cancel the group’s upcoming U.S. co-headlining run with Dethklok, which was supposed to kick of August 1 in Seattle. “The band regrets the decision but the uncertainty of Randy’s release makes it impossible to carry on with the tour,” reads a statement. “Upon Randy’s release, it is the band’s intention to rebook a tour in the fall.” The group still plans on performing at the Mayhem Cruise, a floating metal fest set to depart from Miami to the Bahamas in December.
“The band thanks all of the fans who bought tickets for the tour and who have been supportive of Randy and the band over the last month that Randy has been held in Prague,” the statement reads. “Without the fans, there is no Lamb of God.”
Last week, the prosecutors in the case managed to raise Blythe’s bail from about $200,000 to approximately $400,000. Lamb of God’s management paid the bail but the prosecutor is challenging the amount again, labeling Blythe a flight risk. The presiding judge now reportedly has another five days to decide whether the current bail amount is satisfactory for Blythe’s release. If granted, Blythe will go home to the States but return to the Czech Republic for a trial. According to Blabbermouth, a Czech lawyer recently described a worst-case scenario where Blythe will remain incarcerated for up to six months.
Here in the States, musicians and fans have rallied to raise attention for Blythe’s case with the U.S. government, passing around a petition on the White House’s website, which met its threshold of signatures. No one from the government has commented on the case to date, but the U.S. Embassy in Prague recently stated that they were not able to comment over specific cases they are working on due to privacy concerns.
