Earlier this week, the initial lineup for this year’s Rockstar Mayhem Festival was released, and it contained some typical mainstream rock names and some legitimately good metal bands. One has to wonder if this bringing together of not just one good underground band with a bunch of fad hopping, teenage girl obsessing pin-up bands might lead to some more righteous touring festivals.
Back when I was first discovering metal, Ozzfest was THE tour to see every year. With that tour I got the chance to see legends Black Sabbath, Ozzy solo, Slayer, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest; simply mind blowing performances for this young buck. In addition, at that time I was reaaaaally into bands like Hatebreed, Dimmu Borgir, Bleeding Through, Every Time I Die, In Flames, As I Lay Dying, and Killswitch Engage. I was able to see all those bands plus ones I still listen to now like The Haunted, Arch Enemy, Behemoth, 3 Inches of Blood, and Nile. Several of those bands I have seen multiple times and will continue to go see them live whenever they come through town. When Ozzfest started to wane, The Sounds of the Underground reared its ugly head for a couple years letting me witness the awesomeness of Opeth, Clutch, GWAR, Strapping Young Lad, and Cannibal Corpse among many others. Those huge tours have gone by the wayside with only The Summer Slaughter Tour giving something close to that atmosphere. However, those bills are mostly deathcore bands with one or two good death metal bands like Dying Fetus and Fleshgod Apocalypse making an appearance last summer. Also they don’t have the same feeling of seeing a huge stage and thousands of people waiting with anticipation as they are played at the same venues any normal show is at. But now the Mayhem Festival has announced the first set of bands to grace their stage this year. Stepping up are headliners Slipknot, a band sure to bring in the masses. They are not an underground favorite but not to worry, heavy weights Slayer, Anthrax, High On Fire, and Whitechapel are sure to bring in the underground metal fans as well. Rounding out the bill are As I Lay Dying, The Devil Wears Prada, and Asking Alexandria, such trendy bands will also make this one heavily attended show.
We can only hope that more bands are announced to make this a chance for fans of the more popular bands to see some that are truly unique. These shows will be at some of the biggest amphitheaters in the country and will give youngsters to chance to find more bands that will continue to evolve their tastes in music. Discovery of new, dangerous bands is always fun and exciting, and these types of shows are a great way to make that discovery (besides this site of course!) Lets cross our fingers that more bands are announced and more fests are created solely for us!
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