The summer concert series at the White River Amphitheater might have kicked off officially this past Tuesday with the New Kids on the Block concert. But for fans of the heavy stuff, it’s not real until the Mayhem Festival comes to town.
In its second year, the multi-band, heavy music festival seeks to one-up last year’s Slipknot and Disturbed co-headlining bill by putting together two of the music industry’s most controversial bands, Slayer and Marilyn Manson.
For the past quarter-century, Slayer has thrilled heavy metal audiences with its brand of thrash metal and its intense stage show, often drawing criticism outside the heavy music community for its lyrics and imagery, which have dealt with such taboo subjects as Nazi concentration camps, Islamic terrorism and glimpses into the minds of serial killers.
The band will release its 11th album, “World Painted Blood,” in September.
Marilyn Manson, the group fronted by Brian Warner (who also uses the moniker Marilyn Manson as a stage name) also has drawn his share of negative attention, running afoul of Christian groups for his anti-religious stance and drawing accusations as serious as inspiring Columbine killers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris to commit murder.
Manson is touring in support of the band’s seventh album, “The High End of Low”, which was released in May.
For most fans of metal, however, the controversial nature of the headliners is not the main draw; rather, it’s this year’s roster of bands on three stages, including several of the genre’s heaviest bands, including Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, Whitechapel and The Black Dahlia Murder.
“It was a no-brainer for us (to play),” said Black Dahlia vocalist Trevor Strnad. “It was like, ‘Playing with Slayer? OK.’ But we’ve done a couple of other big outdoor festival-type tours before, so we know what to expect.”
Strnad, whose band will release its fourth album this summer, said the festival setting, with 30 minutes of time on the Jägermeister Stage — as opposed to the usual hour or more — suited the band just fine.
“Playing our music is pretty physically draining,” he said. “Playing an hour set pretty much drains you down to nothing. Playing for a half-hour, 35 minutes, is fun. You get to go out and go completely crazy, then you’re done. And then you can hang out with a bunch of friends and go watch Slayer.”
Strnad also said he was looking forward to seeing what Manson, who is notorious for his imaginative stage sets, was going to pull out of his bag.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Marilyn Manson, just because I’m curious,” he said. “I imagine that he’s going to have some kind of grand presentation. It’s going to be a lot of fun. There are a lot of bands that I want to see. We’re going to be among friends.”
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Mayhem Festival
The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, featuring Slayer and Marilyn Manson, July 14 at the White River Amphitheater in Auburn.
Also on the bill are Killswitch Engage, Bullet For My Valentine, Trivium, Cannibal Corpse, God Forbid, All That Remains, Job For a Cowboy, Behemoth, The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel and more.
Tickets are available online at www.livenation.com or in person at the White River Amphitheater box office. Ticket prices range from $25 to $55.55 plus service charges.
