Believe it or not, June 27, 2014, marks the two-year anniversary of the day Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe was arrested on manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic. The thought of two years having already gone by feels unreal, and Blythe himself feels the same way as evidenced in a new post by the vocalist via Instagram.

We remember the exact moment we first heard of Blythe's arrest. A reader emailed us with a simple line which read something like, "Lamb of God's Randy Blythe has just been arrested in the Czech Republic for manslaughter." The news had yet to spread, so we were wary of the tip, but after a Czech news source reported on the incident, so did everyone else, and one of the darkest times in Blythe's life became the central focus of the metal world.

Blythe had been charged with manslaughter over the death of a fan who was fatally injured at a 2010 Lamb of God show. The vocalist spent over a month in Czech prison before being allowed to come home to the U.S., but flew back to the Czech Republic to obtain justice. When Blythe was acquitted of all charges on March 5, 2013, fans breathed a sigh of relief, although there was never going to be a truly happy ending knowing that a young Lamb of God fan had died.

On the second anniversary of his arrest, Randy Blythe has expressed his thoughts on the topic with a detailed Instagram blog post that includes a photo of him and his wife:

The woman beside me, my wife Cindy, texted me this morning telling me that 2 years ago today I was arrested in Prague. This made me a little emotional- a lot of things have happened in 24 months- for 14 of those months, I didn't know whether or not I would be going to prison for 5-10 years. In those 24 months, I have toured the US, Europe, Asia, Australia/NZ, finishing in Africa just 4 1/2 months ago. I've had dear friends die, get married, have children. I've spoken at funerals, at a the premier of a movie about my band, I've gotten my own radio show where I've spoken to guys who've influenced me since high school. I've convinced friends to go to rehab, I've seen some stay sober & some not. Our 18 y/o cat Henry died, & we got our new cat, Salad. I've been pursued by a literary agent, convinced to write a memoir, & got a book contract. I've written & recorded music that was performed by the Richmond Ballet (this photo by @_brianbrown is from the premier), & I've sang on a project with one of my punk rock heroes. I've written band bios, record reviews, memorial pieces for dead friends for magazines. I've had my photos used by bands, & gotten a solo gallery exhibit scheduled for Spring 2015 in NYC I'm working on. I've written lyrics & most of my book. I've had good days & bad days. Two years ago today I was in jail, scared & wishing I was free & could go surfing. In a few moments, I will do just that- I'm in the best shape I've ever been in my life. I've stayed sober one day, sometimes, one minute at a time throughout all this, & this woman has stuck by me as I fumble through this thing we call life. So I love you, honey! Thanks for sticking with me- I am 43 years old, & I am still learning & growing- it's good to have a partner on the trip.

 

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