ROCKERS Lamb of God spent 2013 rebuilding after a fan’s death pushed the group to the brink of collapse.

Singer Randy Blythe was arrested in the Czech Republic in 2012 and faced manslaughter charges over an incident at a gig in the country in 2010 when a stage diver died after suffering a head injury.

Blythe spent five weeks in jail  but was acquitted last year however the financial cost of the legal case (reported as more than US$500,000) left the heavy metal group facing ruin.

Lamb of God rose during the last decade to become one of the biggest players in a new breed of American metal born after the turn of the century.

Their most recent album, Resolution, adds bluesy acoustic instruments and orchestral strings to rock riffs and powerful rhythms in a bid to stay out of the comfort zone.

Drummer Chris Adler said: “A lot of bands get to the point where they put out seven or eight records and fans start to take them for granted. They aren’t the 'cool guys' anymore. I’m not immune to that, and we wanted to push ourselves and surprise ourselves by not resting on prior successes.”

Lamb of God will be live at Birmingham’s O2 Academy on Friday January 17 with support from Decapitated and Huntress.