Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe has earned a reputation as being one of the most well spoken people in metal. Yesterday, just hours after the news of Tommy Ramone’s death broke, Blythe reaffirmed that title once again by releasing a heartfelt tribute to the fallen icon that we could not resist sharing with all of you.

Whether you were a fan of The Ramones when they originally burst onto the scene or you discovered them long after they stopped recording, it goes without saying that their impact on music was vast. Every band you listen to today spent at least part of their lives enjoying the music of The Ramones, and I would wager a good portion of them were influenced by The Ramones’ work whether or not they even realize it. Randy Blythe knows he would not be where he is today without having first heard their records, which is likely one of the reasons he felt so compelled to share his feelings on Tommy’s death with fans. He wrote:

The last original Ramone, Tommy Ramone (second from right), has died, & with him the last of one of the main roots of all modern punk/hc/and metal as we know it today. The importance of the Ramones in the history of underground music cannot be overstated- before the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Black Flag and waaaaaaay before any speed/thrash metal band, the Ramones were blowing minds with LOUD, FAST, AGGRESSIVE music. Although to the calloused ears of modern youth who have grown up listening to crust punk/grind core/speed & thrash metal/and even some of the more aggressive music on commercial radio, the Ramones might sound like fast pop, at the time they started playing out in NYC at CBGB/Max’s Kansas City (1974) they were something that had never ever been seen or heard before. The first time my band played CBGB, I was completely emotionally overwhelmed- “Man, the FREAKING RAMONES started out here!” I thought as I stood on stage- I almost started crying. Without that band, the tempo of underground music would have never reached the speed that it has today- there were a bunch of glam bands & hippies at that time, & (yeeeech) disco was big- the Ramones came along & blasted everyone straight out of the water. No Ramones= no lamb of god, or any of the other music most fans of my band listen to. Metal existed, but it was not until punk rock kicked it right square in the ass with a combat boot that things got FAST & AGGRESSIVE. Tommy passed away from cancer yesterday in Queens, NYC, at the age of 62. Rest in peace, bro, & thank you for helping to create the music that changed and saved my life. #BEATONTHEBRATBEATONTHEBRATBEATONTHEBRATWITHABASEBALLBAT!!!!OOOOOOOHYEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHH,OHOHOOHHHHH!!!!!!

You can view the accompanying photo below.

Tommy Ramone was the last member of The Ramones to pass away. He will never be forgotten.

• Author
• Recent Posts

James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

Latest posts by James Shotwell (see all)

• 2015’s Most Underrated Films - December 29, 2015
• Passing The Torch: The End Of An Era For UTG - December 1, 2015
• UTG PREMIERE: Before The Streetlights – “Private Browser” - November 26, 2015