Mayhem Festival Could Be Best Show of the Year

By MARLI LEE McGARRAH

Some people cringe at the sound of screaming vocals or the thought of anything “metal.” The series of riffs and breakdowns mean nothing. Its just not good music. … Sadly, they are very mistaken. I guess musicianship means absolutely nothing anymore when every trendy emo band can land Top 10 spots on the radio and MTV by sounding exactly the same. Luckily, there is a bright side to all of this that includes a group of highly talented musicians with noteworthy things to say, and they just streamed through Darien Lake Performing Arts center a week ago on the Rockstar Mayhem Festival. They brought with them the most amazing show of the summer, let alone the year.

When you walk in through the gates with 20,000 other kids, the anticipation is high, and you’re not exactly sure what to expect. In hoping for a good time, all you’ve been told is that Mayhem is somewhat like Warped Tour, and it is (with the exception of the genre being strictly metal and hardcore). There were three stages, instead of eight. A tent was centered in the middle of all the merchant tables, posted the line-up of all the bands, where and what time. It was very easy to map out the day with fewer bands and fewer stages. Plus, the majority of the bands played at different times so you could basically make up your own line-up and see everyone you wanted to see easily. This year’s line-up was incredible. Mayhem could not have been put together in a better way. Headliners Slipknot, Dragonforce, Mastodon and Underoath, along with a handful of others made the day worth remembering.

Until 6 p.m., bands rocked out between the Hot Topic and the Jagermeister Stage. While bands like Airbourne, Walls of Jericho, and Black Tide were busy gathering large crowds, who then made very large mosh pits. Fans waited in line at booths to meet the members of Underoath, Dragonforce, Suicide Silence, and Sid from Slipknot. As the day wound down, Underoath led the Hot Topic Stage, performing songs dating back to their sophomore release “They’re Only Chasing Safety” to two new songs off their fourth record, “Lost in the Sound of Separation” due out soon. The new single, “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures,” left everyone waiting anxiously for more as their set ended and we all traveled over to the main stage.

As people took their seats or geared up for the pit, Mastodon opened with great energy and a vibe that made everyone pay attention. Seeing as last Tuesday’s show was the last date of Mayhem, every band was making this one count.

The award for best musicianship may have gone to UK’s Dragonforce. I’m sure that at least 20 kids went home and starting tuning their guitars to start practicing Dragonforce’s intricate and fast-paced riffs, while others probably turned on their guitar hero and jammed out as if they were the actual members. In saving the well-known “Through the Fire and Flames” for the end, everyone was left in awe at the talent they had seen and were about to experience.

Disturbed hit the stage next. Lead singer David Driman, entered on a cart like Hannibal in “Silence of the Lambs” sporting a mask and trying to imitate Slipknot maybe. Their set was something that everyone seemed to enjoy. Their shout out to the troops and USA made the crowd welcome them even more. With their popularity being so high, due to the release of “Indestructible,” Disturbed got nothing but praise from their Buffalo audience.

What made Mayhem as incredible as it was, was headliner Slipknot. The jumpsuit wearing, masked band put on such an amazing set that people who had never seen or heard them before, left with the notion of “we want their new album.” Slipknot should feel happy knowing that they may have befriended thousands of new fans at first listen. Going on most of their old material and playing a few songs from their new release “All Hope is Gone” that just came out, Slipknot gave their best performance from 20-feet-high drumsets that spin around to leading musicianship, screaming and soothing vocals, guitar-driven mosh pits and an audience that knew every word. Slipknot is, hands down, one of the best bands around. If you can check out any band, Slipknot is the one.

All in all, Mayhem was a great end to this summer and an all- around great show.

Marli Lee McGarrah will be a senior at Buffalo Seminary.

Originally published by NeXt Correspondent.

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