Summer's biggest metal show announced its 2013 lineup yesterday, offering familiar faces in Mayhem veterans Rob Zombie and Five Finger Death Punch alongside newcomers Mastodon and Amon Amarth on the festival's main stage.
As usual, Mayhem Fest will be skipping the New York City region, and local fans will have to travel to either Camden, NJ (July 19), Hartford, CT (July 21), or the relatively-nearby PNC Arts Center (July 23). Also as usual, the Hartford date is a Sunday, making the all-day metal extravaganza more appealing for those with work or school during the week.
This year's lineup is decidedly less platinum-selling than last year's Slipknot/Slayer/Motorhead combo (read my review of Mayhem '12 here) or the previous year's Disturbed/Godsmack/Megadeth lineup (my review here), and in fact both Zombie and 5FDP already headlined Mayhem '10 together with Korn and Lamb of God (Mayhem '10 review here). It is mildly surprising that Mayhem didn't secure at least one more radio-friendly headliner, especially considering that the festival also boasted Anthrax on the second stage last summer.
Mayhem '13, however, still has significant firepower on both main and second stages. Machine Head return atop the Jagermeister Stage, where they staged their triumphant return to US audiences on Mayhem '11, and Children of Bodom will be headlining the Musician's Institute stage. There will be plenty of extreme metal with Job For A Cowboy and Behemoth, and the fast-rising Butcher Babies are sure to be favorites thanks to their affinity for skimpy outfits in the summer heat.
Battlecross, Emmure, Born of Osiris, Huntress, Motionless In White, and Thrown Into Exile round out the bill, with the Mayhem website promising more bands to be announced. In the meantime, tickets go on sale tomorrow, Wednesday 3/20, starting at $26 for lawn seats at most venues. Many Livenation venues also typically offer $80 4 packs, although none have been announced at this point.
Mayhem Festival is usually an undisputed highlight of the summer concert season, and with virtually no other metal tours announced so far, fans should be eagerly anticipating the annual mosh-convention. Count on full coverage here at the New York Hard Rock Examiner, albeit from Hartford, CT, and in the meantime read my recent reviews of Machine Head, Butcher Babies, and Rob Zombie.
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