Lamb of God Become Burn The Priest for 20th Anniversary Covers Album Legion: XX Featuring Songs by Melvins, Ministry and Bad Brains

Josh Rosenberg March 23rd, 2018 - 10:24 PM

One of the most famous heavy metal bands of all time, Lamb of God, have never forgotten their original roots back in Richmond, Virginia. Before they were well known as Lamb of God, they went by the name of Burn the Priest after meeting at Virginia Commonwealth University. “To truly understand the essence of the band Burn the Priest,” explained guitarist Mark Morton in a press release, “one must first consider the landscape in which it began: the mid-90s. Grunge and alternative music ruled the airwaves. Social media and the internet had yet to assume their role as our collective sources for entertainment and cultural exchange.”

Their debut self-titled record brought the group local fame and attention before they changed their name to Lamb of God, and the house shows they were playing in Philadelphia are, as Morton described, “forever embedded in our collective consciousness and the DNA of our band.” To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original Burn the Priest, the band is set to release a record of covers entitled Legion: XX, featuring songs originally by Bad Brains, Melvins, Helmet, Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front, Quicksand, Ministry, The Accused, S.O.D., Big Black and Sliang Laos.

“The songs we chose to cover on this album reflect that story. They are touchstones from that point in time,” Morton continued. “The inspiration we gleaned from these bands and these songs carries through our work and our creative pursuits, even to this day. Many thanks to these bands for lighting our fire and endless gratitude to our fans around the world for keeping it lit.” The band will speak even more of their return as Burn the Priest in May’s issue of Decibel, which can be pre-ordered here.

Legion: XX will be officially released on May 18th, 2018 via Epic Records, but the first single “Inherit the Earth” (originally performed by the Accursed) can be streamed now with an accompanying video. According to The PRP, Lamb of God also performed as Burn the Priest earlier today in Richmond, VA. Check out the upcoming Legion: XX tracklist and the first single “Inherit the Earth” below. Dates for the tour are available here, where Lamb of God will open for Slayer’s final world tour.

Inherit the Earth (Official Video) by Burn The Priest on VEVO.

Legion: XX tracklist:

1. Inherit The Earth (originally performed by The Accused)

2. Honey Bucket (originally performed by Melvins)

3. Kerosene (originally performed by Big Black)

4. Kill Yourself (originally performed by S.O.D.)

5. I Against I (originally performed by Bad Brains)

6. Axis Rot (originally performed by Sliang Laos)

7. Jesus Built My Hotrod (originally performed by Ministry)

8. One Voice (originally performed by Agnostic Front)

9. Dine Alone (originally performed by Quicksand)

10. We Gotta Know (originally performed by Cro-Mags)

Photo Credit: Owen Ela