Metalheads Unite - Mayhem Festival 2012

What do you get when you combine extreme pyrotechnics, three stages, guitar solos, screaming loud enough to break your ear drums and tens of thousands of tattooed, head-banging metal fans?

That’s right: Mayhem Festival 2012

For five years, Rockstar has been bringing metal fans all across the country Mayhem Festival, and it’s only getting better and stronger. This year’s first show in San Bernardino, CA reported record-breaking sales for the festival. That’s no surprise when you consider the lineup of bands. This year, Slipknot is headlining with Slayer, Motörhead, and Anthrax. The other bands touring include As I Lay Dying, The Devil Wears Prada, Asking Alexandria, White Chapel, and several others.

Having been to the show in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I can testify first hand this is an amazing show. Though I didn’t get to see all the bands, none of the bands I saw failed to impress me. The Devil Wears Prada especially surprised me, as I wasn’t even sure I wanted to see them at first. However, their energy when they opened up the main-stage bands (Motörhead, Slayer and Slipknot) was definitely something to be commended, and I was left smiling. Also, it takes talent to get five people head-banging in sync.

It’s something kind of magical when you can feel the music in every part of your body, in your bones, and that’s exactly what every headlining band did. Motörhead’s Mikkey Dee floored us with his drumming skills, not to mention his extended, ad-lib drum solo. Both of Slayer’s guitarists delivered killer solos, and despite being in the second seating, I could still feel waves of heat from their pyrotechnics. By the time Slipknot came on stage, the general seating behind us was so full we actually couldn’t see the grass. Slipknot certainly knows how to put on a show, everything from their set to their stage presence being over-the-top, making them one of those bands that once you see live, you want to go back again and again. Despite missing one of their guitar players, Jim Root, due to a burst appendix, the band carried on and performed spectacularly. One thing that made the show particularly good was the fact that everyone in the crowd was there, almost as a family, throwing their hearts and souls into the performance. It made an awesome experience incredible. For me personally, seeing Slipknot live made me love them even more. They're just one of those bands that are completely worth seeing live.

So if you’re lost for something to do this summer and you want to experience some very awesome heavy metal, check out Mayhem Festival 2012. You won’t regret it.