Neil Lupin/RedfernsLet's hope he turns out to be innocent as a lamb.
Randy Blythe, the frontman for Lamb of God, was taken into custody at the heavy metal band's concert in Prague Thursday and charged with manslaughter in the death of a fan that occurred two years ago after a gig in the Czech Republic capital.
Say what?
Per Czech news outlet Novinsky, the 41-year-old Blythe was detained for questioning at the Rock Café in connection with an altercation that occurred during Lamb of God's May 24, 2010, performance at another venue when a concertgoer jumped on the stage from the audience. The vocalist is accused of shoving him back into the crowd, at which point the fan sustained head injuries from which he later died.
No charges have been formally filed as police continue to probe the matter. But L.O.G. ended up scrapping Thursday's show, and Blythe's bandmates immediately rallied behind him.
The Richmond, Va.-based headbangers took to their Twitter page Friday, writing, "Randy has been falsely accused of a crime. The band's lawyers expect a full exoneration."
Lamb's management subsequently issued a statement saying no formal charges have been filed against the rocker and, as "the case is only in the investigation stages," it would refrain from commenting further so as not to spread "false truths or innuendos."
"Having said that, management wished to address today one false piece of information that has been included in many of the news stories released so far," the statement added. "Under no circumstances was there a fight of any kind involved. This incident deals with a fan that three times during the concert jumped the barricade and rushed Randy during the performance. It is alleged that the third time, security was not able to reach him and that Randy pushed him back into the audience where supposedly he fell and hit his head."
According to another Lamb of God tweet, a court hearing was supposedly scheduled for Saturday, at which point they hoped Randy would be released, but no word whether that took place.
Randy's brother, Mark Blythe, told Richmond's WTVR that the allegation "is bogus and outrageous and will be dropped immediately."
The group's guitarist, Willie Adler, also spoke out, writing Friday on his official Facebook page that he doesn't even remember the alleged incident ever taking place.
"Hey guys, it's been a rough couple of days. All I can say is that I can't recall that particular show let alone a fan being beaten on the stage," said the ax man. "We're all still here in the Czech republic awaiting what is to happen. We hope we'll be able to get Randy out this afternoon."
He also added his sympathies to the fan's family.
"We've no real clue as to what happened to him, but we send our condolences. All we try to do is entertain, the fans are why we're here. We would never try and harm anyone."
Band members meanwhile have also created a #FreeRandyBlythe hashtag, hoping to mobilize support for the musician.
Lamb of God is currently in the middle of a European trek in support of its latest album, Resolution.