Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe

Big news today in the music world as Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe has been indicted on manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic in connection to the death of a fan during a 2010 concert.

For those of you unaware of the saga, Blythe was initially detained by Czech authorities in late June and although he had posted the requisite bail amount of $200,000, the prosecution challenged the amount and he was held longer, finally released in August.

Blythe is accused of pushing a concert goer off the stage during a Lamb of God concert in 2010, resulting in a fatal head injury. If convicted, Blythe could face up to ten years in prison.

Blythe had maintained his innocence throughout these events and vowed to return to the Czech Republic to fight the charges. A trial date has yet to be determined at this time.

After his initial release, Blythe spoke about his incarceration to The Times: “When I got to the top of the ramp there was a SWAT team there: five guys in masks with machine guns, three plainclothes officers and a female chief investigator. They looked like they were there to snatch somebody from Al Qaeda, not a member of a rock 'n' roll band. Then they handed me a piece of paper saying they were charging me with manslaughter, and I was, 'Oh my God.' It was a big shock."

On Monday, Lamb of God Manager Larry Mazer released the following statement regarding Blythe’s indictment:

“Obviously, we intend to fight vigorously against these charges as we feel that in no way did Randy intend to cause bodily harm on the young fan who subsequently died from injuries sustained at the show. As he has stated previously, Randy intends to go to Prague to defend himself at trial.

"While it is a tragedy that a Lamb of God fan died following a performance by the group, in no way do I feel that Randy did anything improper that led to the young man’s injuries and subsequent death. The price of a ticket to a show does not entitle audience members access to a band’s stage. In the years since the murder on stage of Dimebag Darrell Abbott, performers of all genres have had to become more guarded while performing in response to the dangers presented by fans trying to become part of the performance. We believe that Randy responded professionally to the numerous amount of fans rushing the stage that day, a number of them captured on videos that have been posted on the Internet. We have testimony from the venue operator that acknowledges lax security and an improper barricade being used that evening. Numerous testimonies from fans also were contradictory as to the actions of the multiple fans that tried to access the stage.  

"At this point, all that the band, myself, and our lawyers can do is to present a defense and try to convince the panel of judges who will hear the case that Randy is innocent of all charges and that his name and reputation need to be cleared and that he be permitted to carry on with his life and career always mindful that a fan passed away after a Lamb of God performance.”