Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe recalls how a remarkable lucky break saved him and his friends in Children of Bodom from a near certain criminal charge.
The bands toured together a number of times and Blythe would often sleep in Bodom's bus as the Finnish band were more in tune with his then wild ways than the other members of Lamb of God.
All-night parties and resulting quieter days suited Blythe's routine better, before he quit drinking more than a decade ago.
When Bodom's bus was stopped by US Border patrol at around 8am somewhere in a desert in "Arizona or New Mexico," Blythe knew he and some of the others on board were screwed if the bus was searched for illicit substances.
But a stunning coincidence left Children of Bodom believing Richmond, Virginia, native Blythe was a magician for stopping a K9 drug search before it had the chance to start.
Blythe tells Tales from the Metalverse: "The dog handler is starting towards the bus. He looks over at me and he goes, 'are you from Richmond? Dude, I lived two doors down from you! I heard you were doing a band now.'"
The dog handler convinced his captain to let the bus go on its way, saving them from potential disaster.
Blythe adds: "He takes the dogs and gets back in the car. We all get back on the bus and its dead silence. All the guys in Bodom didn't hear the conversation, so they're like 'how did you do that?' And I'm like, 'I'm magic dude, I'm magic.'
"It was a lucky close call...because I had a neighbour who wound up in the Border Patrol."
In the video, which can be viewed below, Blythe also talks about his great friendship with Children of Bodom and late singer Alexi Laiho, who died last year.
Lamb of God are the cover stars of the latest issue of Metal Hammer magazine.
