Lamb Of God's Blythe On Manslaughter Charge

Randy Blythe, the frontman of US heavy metal group Lamb Of God, has been charged in connection with the death of a fan.

The 19-year-old, who is identified only as Daniel N, had repeatedly tried to climb onto the stage before allegedly being pushed by Blythe and hitting the concrete floor at the gig in the Czech Republic two years ago.

He went into a coma and died 14 days later of his injuries. A post-mortem reportedly found that he had not been drunk or under the influence of drugs.

Blythe, 41, who has been charged with manslaughter with intent to cause bodily harm, is expected to appear before the Czech court to defend himself.

Lamb Of God manager Larry Mazer said: "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."

Mazer recalled the death of groove metal guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott, who was shot and killed while on stage during a performance with his band Damageplan in 2004.

He pointed out that in the years since Abbott's death, artists have had to become more guarded while performing in response to the dangers presented by fans trying to become part of the performance.

He said: "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."

Mazer added: "At this point, all that the band, myself and our lawyers can do is to present a defence and try to convince the panel of judges who will hear the case that Randy is innocent of all charges."