A metal doc that detours into a real-life courtroom nightmare. Truth stranger than fiction.
As the Palaces Burn is a feature-length documentary that originally sought to follow Lamb of God and their fans throughout the world, to demonstrate how music ties us together when we can’t find any other common bond. However, during the filming process in 2012, the story abruptly took a dramatic turn when lead singer Randy Blythe was arrested on charges of manslaughter and blamed for the death of one of their young fans in the Czech Republic. What followed was a heart-wrenching courtroom drama that left fans, friends, and curious onlookers around the world on the edge of their seats.
Direction
Don Argott's impossible pivot from tour doc to true crime
Editing
Seamless collision of concert euphoria and prison corridors
Sound
Lamb of God's thunder becomes the soundtrack to existential dread
Director
Don Argott
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Don Argott had zero legal footage planned; the trial coverage required emergency crowdfunding and volunteer lawyers to film inside Czech courts.
The documentary's original title and concept—celebrating global metal brotherhood—became bitterly ironic when that same fan culture put Randy on trial.
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