Dark Days: A Memoir

1) I'm a Czech 2) I'm from Prague 3) I'm also active musician 4) Besides many other bands, I do also listen to Lamb of God and consider myself as a big fan of the band I was eagerly awaiting this book in my mailbox as I really have followed the news around Randy's arresting in my home city, the whole prison time, trial, and everything related back in late 2012 - early 2013. After watching the movie As the Palaces Burn, where 50% of the footage is related to this sad story, I wanted to read and know the story from the point of view of the only one, who experienced this from the start to the very end. This book is well written, you could read it pretty easy even if you're not a native speaker. The flow of the book is very good and smooth. The book is full of interesting wtf moments, funny ones as well. Sometimes even I shook my head and didn't believe what could've happened in my country. And believe me, I don't have a very good opinion on our police system, jail staff etc to say it softly. It seems like the text have gone through lot of erasing. Sometimes it seems like lot of parts have been cut out due to length of the book. I'm sure Randy had many other interesting moments prepared to share with us. And also there are some typos from time to time. Missing letters, few grammar mistakes etc. Randy is trying to use czech words here and there, but sometimes some letters are missing - sadly, once in a name of one of his attorneys also. In the second third of the book he suddenly starts to reffer of the prosecutor's surname as Musik. While at the beggining and last part he calls him correctly Muzik (it's Mužík in czech correctly - "Moo-zheek" - definitely not Musik). This could and should have been corrected during revision process. But it doesn't distrub at all. And I think no-one will complain besides few Czechs, who will read this book. But I also wonder if there's some correcting in the future. Randy doesn't consider himself as a writer, nor he should be - he's a musician after all. But again, his sense for good storytelling is excelent and one goes through all of almost 500 pages very quickly. I just wondered about some details in the trial. I read somewhere that the deceased one was taken to hospital right after the concert, where he had to wait quite some time for any medical help. I heard that hospital staff even asked his friends how many drinks he had as he looked very wobbly and baffled and then the staff just shook his head and went away. He wasn't given any sort of medical help right away. Just wondered whether this is true or not and if so, if it was discussed during the trial itself. Anyway, I'm very glad I bought this book. I have a first edition, which one day could be very precious since it became bestseller very rapidly. Well deserved

Bought this book for my husband and he can’t help but rave about it every time he reads some. Probably his favorite book so far!

I will start out saying I'm not really a big lamb of god fan, but I have seen them a few times in concert (and actually really like Mark Morton's solo album.) I have known about Randy's ordeal since not too long after it happened. I was appalled at the ridiculousness of the entire situation; at 51, I have been going to heavy metal concerts for damn near 40 years now. I'm all too aware of the practices of stage diving and such, and have always found it to be rather stupid - and have spent enough time around musicians to really understand the dangers. And I completely digress from where I meant this to be heading. I watched the documentary about what the book is based on - I honestly didn't know there was a book. I picked it up because it was chosen as a book club read. And I'm so glad that it was, though I wasn't all that excited about it. Our previous read was a biography of another metal singer I have never much cared for, and came out of the experience liking him even less. I wasn't sure I could take another book like that back to back. But I did have some feelings about Randy and what he went through so I figured I wouldn't break my record of never missing a book this club has read (even a couple we all still cringe about when they are mentioned. It's one of my favorite books clubs ever because all of our books in the 3+ years we have been doing it have been books I probably never would have picked out by myself (and it's from my favorite band's discord....) Digressing again .... I very quickly respected his writing style and vocabulary. I don't know why they came as a surprise to me - I'm the last one to doubt a musician's intellect - but for some reason it just wasn't what I was expecting. The story is as enthralling as it is just simply sad. I found myself highlighting passages that spoke to me frequently. There have been 3 big not happy times in my personal life since we began reading it, and I was surprised to find myself inspired by things I was reading in this book. One of my book club members is a big log fan and linked us several interviews and such, and told us about Randy's new book and book tour. I'm definitely going to pick up the new book based on how much I liked this one, and had really considered going to Denver for the signing (because Meow Wolf....I haven't been to that one yet but the others are incredible) until my life got more completely turned upside down 10 days ago. I will go to the next lamb of god show with a more open mind, and I have been leaving them on more often when they come on my radio, but I'm still not totally sold on their music.

It's a great book !!!Not only for fans but for anyone who faces day by day problems and needs inspiration!

What a book, what a story. I always suspected that Randy Blythe had a rare way with words and was a pretty decent human being, but the wonderful writing in his story about his incarceration after the tragic death of a young heavy metal fan completely knocked me for six. The description of his time in the horrific Ratsvac prison in Prague, where the Nazis had a killing factory, makes for fabulous reading. He is a moderately well known rock star (even though he hates that term) cast adrift in an alien environment and accused of a crime that he doesn't even know if he has committed. Randy emerges from his imprisonment and trial with his integrity and humanity intact and a wonderful story to tell. Not exclusively for metal heads or Lamb of God fans , this book reads like a modern day Midnight Express or Shawshank Redemption and it would be a truly heartless reader who didn't feel uplifted by reading it. When Randy finally gives up screaming and leaping about in front of thousands of moshing music fans in huge arenas and rock festivals all over the world he will have a great second career as an author to look forward to. Highly recommended read.

I did not expect this book to grab ahold of me the way it did. Mr.Blythe pulls no punches and has a way of telling his story that makes it almost impossible to put his book down. I found myself in prison with him and couldn’t believe what he had to go through and the willpower he had to keep his head clear. By far one of the best books I’ve read and you don’t have to be a Lamb of God fan to appreciate it.

Been a fan of his band, and now his book.

I am not going to rewrite everything that has been said already about this book. I picked up this book before the LoG music and I have to say I was really surprised. Randy gives wonderful advices here for struggling addicts, his writing is smart and captivating. Now I must say that I am deeply offended about what the Czech Republic government has done to Mr Blythe. They violated his civil right and they extorted him for money. This is an outrage, pure and simple. Thank you Mr Blythe for telling us about your story so we can all know better!