RANDY BLYTHE of LAMB OF GOD is currently working on his second book: “It will be published next year”

In a new interview with Chuck Armstrong by Loudwire Nights, LAMB OF GOD Singer Randy Blythe revealed that he was “in the process of final revisions” of his second book. “It took me 10 fucking years,” he added (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “So, it will be published next year, probably in February. So it is finished. I am editing. And then I will start with another book and not let 10 years pass in between.”

When asked if the upcoming book was “a kind of memoir,” similar to his 2015 book “Dark Days: A Memoir”which dealt with his torture in a Czech prison and his subsequent acquittal, Cool said: “I don’t know if you would call it a memoir. It’s a collection of – not essays, I guess, but individual chapters that are self-contained stories. It was much harder to write than my last book. Because in the last book there’s a narrative arc and I knew exactly what was going to happen. I knew the story. I had already lived it. When I started writing this book, I had ideas about what I wanted to say, but I wasn’t quite sure what ground I was going to cover. So it was much harder. With the last one, I had the roadmap in front of me. This one was a bit more open. And it’s a shorter book – thank God.”

“(‘Dark Days’ “My contract was 80,000 to 100,000 words. I turned in 257,000 words, so he had to cut a lot of crap. I can be a little long-winded. My editor kept it in check this time, which I was very happy about. I need someone to keep me in check. It’s like in a band when you need a producer.”

Blythe declared that he wanted “Dark Days: A Memoir” to distinguish itself from other rock autobiographies in that it does not focus exclusively on LAMB OF GOD and the band’s touring lifestyle.

“Long after LAMB OF GOD finished, I will still write books,” he said. “So when I wrote (‘Dark Days’), I wanted to write it, and I know some people were upset that there wasn’t more stuff about it LAMB OF GOD and heavy metal and all that other shit – I wanted the book to be read by a much wider audience than just metalheads, and I wanted it to stand the test of time, to be some kind of universal human story that people can read and reflect on. If I sit there and just talk about touring with this band and getting drunk here and all that, it’ll be like, “Ah, great, whatever. It’s another fucking music story.” But one of the most gratifying things about this book for me was that a lot of the reviews said you don’t have to be a metal fan to read this to enjoy it, you don’t have to know who the band is to read this to enjoy it. Because I write records for the metal fans; I already do. I want to write books even though they (metal fans) Are a significant portion of the people who bought the book – I want to write books for everyone.”

In November 2022 Blythe told Metal Hammer magazine that he is working on two new books. The first is a “long-term project” that “Frontman”which, as the title suggests, focuses on other people who share his profession. The second was a kind of sequel to “Dark Days: A Memoir”.

“The last book was about personal responsibility” Cool explained at the time. “The vehicle for that was the story about my arrest and trial. This book is about perspective – the core theme is perspective and how to change it to a healthy perspective. Over the last few years, I’ve been listening to other people’s perspectives rather than just trying to figure it all out myself, because I’m not going to. The book is a collection of stories about different experiences I’ve had with people and what I’ve taken away from those experiences.”

In October 2022 Blythe told the Illinois Entertainer that he was working on a new “nonfiction book.” He added, “I wanted to write fiction, but my agent said, ‘You need another nonfiction book.’ And he pushed me toward what I guess you call an ‘inspirational memoir’ or something. So I’m writing this book, and it’s about different perspectives of other people that I’ve tried to incorporate into my own life and take something from that. Something positive – things that I’ve learned from other people. And it was very difficult for a while to maintain any kind of positivity. That’s really it.”

In May 2022 Blythe was asked by Full Metal Jackiehow writing prose differs from writing song lyrics. He replied, “Well, they are two different things – two very different things. I always say that writing a book makes writing an album seem like going to kindergarten. It is a much more intense, much more sustained (and) much more nerve-racking, extended creative effort. It has advantages and disadvantages, of course. And the thing that I dislike about it, just as a lazy bum, is that I have to do everything on my own. If something in the book is bad or it doesn’t work, then I can’t blame it on my bandmates. Because we are a democracy – we Are a democracy – and if someone is unhappy with something, we don’t go forward creatively, even if they really say so. That being said, we make a lot of compromises with each other to function as a band. So if there’s something I don’t particularly like about one of our songs or on an album, or a song I’m not particularly happy with, but the rest (the guys) love the song, then I say, “Oh well. That’s the way it is.” That’s part of being a band. And then if it comes out and I still don’t like it, I can say, “Well, it was their decision, not mine.” If you mess something up when you’re writing a book, or something isn’t good, or you review it later and it doesn’t meet the requirements, then that’s a problem. So it’s a little more nerve-wracking. No, on the contrary, that’s basically what I like about it, because I don’t have to discuss my ideas with other people. I say exactly what I want to say without having to go through any filtering process with other people – it’s just me. In a way, it is a much more creative process – or a pure creative process, I would say – because there is only you and the blank page. But it Is nerve-racking – it really is. And the older I get, the more I enjoy the quiet, and writing is a very quiet and solitary activity – at least for me. So I enjoy that. My ears don’t ring after I write a book, but they definitely do after writing an album.”

In July 2021 Blythe said in a Instagram Post that he is writing his second book. The singer, now 53, wrote: “It has been six years since my first book, Dark dayshas been published. I’ve been pretty busy, but I can’t dally any longer – it’s finally time to write a new one. The proposal is ready, the publishers have accepted it, and the contract is drawn up and in the mail.

“Shit – that means I actually have to write the thing! All I’m saying is: A) it’s another non-fiction book, and B) I just spent over two weeks writing the damn introduction. 2,296 words in 15 days – that’s not a lot, but I want it RIGHT. Plus, I’m just stretching the old muscles and getting back in shape for the brutal long road ahead. The sustained creative heavy lifting required to write a book makes writing the lyrics for an album look like finger painting in kindergarten. Plus, if what you’re doing sucks, you can’t just blame the rest of your band. (sorry, guys)

“Most books on writing are rubbish, collections of pointless ‘exercises’ by people who haven’t sold any other books themselves (I should know, because I’ve bought most of them). No book in the world will turn you into a good writer. There is no magic pill. Just like making music, photography, or any other creative activity, the ONLY way to find out if you’re any good is to DO IT. You have to write, and the hardest thing about writing is sitting down and doing it, and then repeating that process day after day.”

In 2012, Blythe was arrested in the Czech Republic and charged with manslaughter for allegedly pushing a 19-year-old fan off the stage at a show two years earlier, causing injuries that led to the fan’s death. Blythe spent 37 days in a Prague prison before being finally found not guilty in 2013.

Blythe‘s prison experience inspired two songs on LAMB OF GOD2015 album “VII: Storm and Stress”: “512”one of its three cell numbers, and “Still echoes”written while he was in Pankrac Prison, a dilapidated 1880s facility used by the Nazis for executions during World War II. It also prompted him to write the above-mentioned “Dark Days”in which he presented his entire side of the story publicly for the first time.