Live-Metal.Net - Concert Reports - Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival 2011

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MAIN STAGE: Disturbed, Godsmack, Megadeth, Trivium

REVOLVER STAGE: Machine Head, Suicide Silence, All Shall Perish, Straight Line Stitch

JAGERMEISTER STAGE: Unearth, Kingdom of Sorrow, Red Fang, Beyond the Scar

By Jeff Maki and Greg Maki

Now in its fourth year, and currently the only annual touring metal festival in the United States, the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival needs no introduction. This year we attended only one date on the tour, in Camden, N.J., as opposed to our usual stomping grounds at Jiffy Lube Live (formerly Nissan Pavilion) in Bristow, Va. Located right downtown, the Susquehanna Bank Center is a stark contrast to Jiffy Lube Live, which sits in what seems like the middle of a desert, surrounding by dust and gravel. This year’s band lineup may not go down as my favorite (that belongs to 2009 with Slayer, Behemoth, Cannibal Corspe, Whitechapel, Trivium, All That Remains, etc), but the experience as a whole was better. OK, enough already. We metalheads already know what Mayhem is all about, so let’s skip any more introductions and get straight to a band-by-band “breakdown.”

In Flames
Along with Trivium and Machine Head, In Flames, in a festival first, was to play a rotating slot opening the main stage. But upon our arrival, we were quick to notice a press release from the band taped up all around the venue stating that “with immediate effect, In Flames must cancel their current U.S. shows as part of the Rockstar Mayhem Festival and own headlining shows due to a terminal illness of one of the band’s family members.” This obviously was terrible news all the way around, and we send the band our regards. This also was unfortunate because In Flames is one of my all-time favorite bands, and I was looking forward to see them play a couple new songs from their 2011 album, Sounds of a Playground Fading.

Straight Line Stitch
Kicking off the Revolver Stage, Straight Line Stitch finally is getting a big break after several years of hard work. Brutally heavy at times, beautifully melodic at others, SLS was one of the most dynamic acts of the day. Frontwoman Alexis Brown, the tour's only female performer, helped whip the early-arriving crowd into a frenzy, calling for crowd surfers and putting the event staff to work.

Red Fang
If any band seemed out of place, it was Red Fang. Their brand of sludgy, stoner metal was at odds with the up-tempo, mosh-friendly acts that played before and after them. I'm not too familiar with this band, but a little variety is never a bad thing.

Kingdom of Sorrow
Damn, how many bands are these Kingdom of Sorrow guys in? Featuring Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed) and Kirk Windstein (Down, Crowbar), they currently are supporting their sophomore album, Behind the Blackest Tears, and this was my first true taste of the band. Any Jasta-led band is going to have the hardcore flavor, but their sound leans heavily toward Kirk’s bands, Crowbar and, predominantly, old-school ,NOLA-era Down. Even with Jasta and his perceived superstar persona fronting, it’s Kirk’s massive riffs, vocals and Jasta-proclaimed “beard of doom” that make this an incredibly heavy, yet probably short-lived band. Jasta even said between songs that fans’ only chance to see Kingdom of Sorrow live was on these shows, as the members are going back to their other bands after the tour.

Suicide Silence
Did I mention something about a “breakdown” earlier? Every year at Mayhem, there is a more underground, extreme band that experiences a true breakthrough by igniting the crowd and creating a buzz with its live show. Even though this is their second time touring with the Mayhem Festival, I’d say that distinction belongs to Suicide Silence this year.

I already was a fan of No Time to Bleed (2009), but 2011’s The Black Crown is an even better and more memorable album. These deathcore boys have infused a bounciness and groove to their already pummeling material and riot-inducing breakdowns. And the live transition of new songs like “You Only Live Once,” “Slaves to Substance” and a true motto to live by, “Fuck Everything,” sent the mosh-hungry crowd into a frenzy, including a wall of death.

Covered in ink from the neck down, vocalist Mitch Lucker is a maniac on the mic, alternating between growls, screeches and crowd enticement. His movements remind me of a younger, more-hardcore Jonathan Davis. The band plays a violent and street-savvy style of death metal crossed with hardcore breakdowns, sometimes sloppy, yet unpredictable and effective.

Word should begin to spread about Suicide Silence live, and it won’t be long before they’re mentioned in the same breath as the Lamb of Gods and Shadows Falls of the world, if they aren’t already.

Suicide Silence set List: "Wake Up," "Unanswered," "You Only Live Once," "Fuck Everything," "Disengage," "Slaves to Substance," "No Pity for a Coward"

Unearth
Our first task of the day was interviewing Unearth vocalist Trevor Phipps, discussing the band's new album, Darkness in the Light, the evolution of the New England metalcore scene and, of course, the Mayhem Festival. (Look for this one to be posted shortly.) Having seen them live before, not a lot has changed other than the band having amassed a larger pool of songs to grab from. Unearth is one of the most active and high-energy bands onstage, and they once again proved this on the Jagermeister stage with guitarists taking flying jumps, and at one point, playing from atop of the Jagermeister truck.

Machine Head
Headlining the side stages for this date, Bay Area stalwarts Machine Head was the main draw out on the pavement in the sweltering 97-degree heat. “Machine fuckin’ Head!” was heard between each song of their five-song, 35-minute set, which featured the thrash anthem “Imperium” from Through the Ashes of Empires, “Aesthetics of Hate,” “Beautiful Morning” and the crowd favorite sing-along, “Halo,” from their most successful album to date, The Blackening. They also played “Locust” from their upcoming 2011 release, Unto the Locus, a multi-faceted song in the vein of material from The Blackening.

Mosh pits broke out, and vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn encouraged headbanging that lasted the duration of their set. While they ripped through these songs, I couldn’t help but reflect a little—Machine Head is one of (if not the only) bands still going full-on from the crop that came up and rose to popularity during my teenage years in the mid-‘90s, an era that also included Pantera, Sepultura, Biohazard, Ministry and Fear Factory, among others. It’s crazy to think they didn’t even play anything from their stellar debut Burn My Eyes or The More Things Change, but such is the way with these festival live sets. Flynn and the band have been through many stylistic, image and member changes over their long career, but in 2011, they firmly stand back where they belong, playing true, old-school metal. It was like watching living legends, as they were in a whole different league compared to the other bands out here.

Machine Head set list: "Imperium," "Beautiful Mourning," "Locust," "Aesthetics of Hate," "Halo"

Trivium
With Suicide Silence as my pick for the secondary stages' breakthrough, then Trivium—which had been alternating with In Flames and Machine Head for the opening slot—is the logical and really only choice for the main stage breakthrough.

Playing in front of a massive backdrop for their new album, In Waves, and opening with the repetitive, yet infectious title track, Trivium is a perfect example of an underground band ready and more than eager to make the main stage jump and crossover breakthrough. Many make the attempt but ultimately fail—they lack the charisma or stage presence. But surprising as it was, Trivium’s sound and carefully chosen set list translated naturally to an arena setting. There will be some growing pains (such as vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy mistakenly announcing the song “Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation” instead as “Pull Harder on the String of Your Martyr”), but fans of the headlining, mainstream bands Godsmack and Disturbed were exposed to something many of us have known about for years.

Trivium also played “Built to Fall,” which Heafy said was the band’s first song going to radio. The crowd seemed to overwhelmingly approve, resulting in more action and participation than normally accustomed to openers.

Trivium set list: ("Capsizing the Sea"), "In Waves," "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation," "Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr," "Built to Fall," "Down from the Sky," "Throes of Perdition"

Megadeth
In the midst of playing metal’s biggest thing right now, the “Big Four” shows, and last year playing the Rust In Peace album in its entirety during the album’s 25th anniversary tour, a “greatest hits” 50-minute set for Mayhem must seem like a vacation for Megadeth. I don’t want to say the band was going through the motions, because I’m sure they were working hard up there, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Seriously, how many times do you think Dave Mustaine has played “Wake Up Dead” or “Peace Sells” before? 6,000?

But then it struck me when Mustaine addressed the large crowd, asking who was there seeing Megadeth live for the first time ever. There was a big response—and that’s the point. I had thought every metal or hard rock fan knew Megadeth, but apparently there’s a large percent of the new generation that is just discovering the thrash metal legends. That’s why we only got the hits; “Trust,” “Wake Up Dead,” “Peace Sells” and “Symphony of Destruction.” Only “Head Crusher” was played from Endgame, and, of course, entire albums weren’t even represented—there just wasn’t time. But I never grow tired of hearing “Holy Wars … The Punishment Due” live, and seeing Vic Rattlehead come out on stage for a few moments was a cool touch. Yeah, I know it’s just some dude in a mask, but this is Megadeth, and whether they play for 50 minutes or three hours, it will always matter.

Megadeth set list: "Trust," "Hangar 18," "Wake Up Dead," "Head Crusher," "Sweating Bullets," "Public Enemy No. 1," "Symphony of Destruction," "Peace Sells," (encore) "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due"

Godsmack
Early in Godsmack's set, frontman Sully Erna said they hadn't brought out pyro or fancy stage sets. Tonight was all about the music, he proclaimed. And for about an hour, Godsmack's music was all that mattered. Every other band on the bill was heavier, but none of the other acts—not even Disturbed—has material better suited to a big stage than Godsmack.

The set list essentially featured one hit single after another, along with Sully and Shannon Larkin, a monster behind the kit, duking it out on the drums for their concert staple, "Batalla de los Tambores," which seems to grow more epic by the tour.

Godsmack set list: "Cryin' Like a Bitch," "The Enemy," "Forever Shamed," "Straight out of Line," "Awake," "Speak," "Love Hate Sex Pain," "Voodoo," "Batalla de los Tambores," "Whatever," "I Stand Alone"

Disturbed
After serving as a co-headliner in 2008 on the first Mayhem tour, Disturbed closed the show amid talk of a looming indefinite hiatus that ultimately could be the end of the band. They still brought the goods to the stage, though, their hard rock/metal hits accented by a healthy dose of pyro. Vocalist David Draiman commands a crowd like few others, guitarist Dan Donegan is an unheralded star, and the rhythm section of bassist John Moyer and drummer Mike Wengren is as tight as ever. But a break might be a good thing. Disturbed has been a constant touring presence during the past decade-plus, and for the past couple albums, the live shows basically have remained the same, with just handful of song substitutions. Their Mayhem show still was entertaining, however, and surely sent fans home happy.

Disturbed set list: "Remnants," "Asylum," "The Game," "Prayer," "Liberate," "The Animal," "Inside the Fire," "Warrior," "Fear/Meaning of Life/Numb/Voices," "Another Way to Die," "Stupify," "Ten Thousand Fists," "Indestructible," "Down with the Sickness"

Next year looks like it will be a pivotal year for the Mayhem Festival. Yes, it appears as if it was another successful tour, and I fully expect it to continue into the foreseeable future. But we had a long discussion during the ride home; who will they get to play the festival next year? There always are going to be top-tier, quality extreme metal bands looking for their big break, so filling the side stages shouldn’t be an issue, even though many already have played. But who will play the main stage? Most of the big-time metal and hard rock bands already have played (Slayer, Megadeth, Disturbed, Slipknot, Korn, Rob Zombie ) or are popular enough to fill arenas on their own (Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest). So who’s left? Danzig? Motorhead? Anthrax? Down? Maybe Slipknot will return for their “comeback” tour.

Maybe the tour will get a kick in the ass—something like the 2009 lineup that featured Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse and Slayer. It’s hard to say at this point. What do you think? Who do you want to play the 2012 Mayhem Festival?