Ahhh it’s that time of the year again! The Rockstar Energy
Drink Mayhem Festival has rolled into Tinley Park yet again for its 8th
year in a row. However, this year it is a bit different. The side stages have
shrunk from two stages plus the main stage to only on side stage and the main
stage. This was the year everyone was thinking was going to be the end of
Mayhem due to how much it has shrunk. But being there was a whole other story…
Beginning of the day unfortunately I didn’t arrive until
around 4 o clock and missed really the only two bands I was interested in at
the Victory Records stage. Luckily I met up with a friend who was there for the
whole day and said that Code Orange put on an excellent set which I wasn’t
surprised about and Sister Sin who are a killer and I mean freaking killer
classic sounding heavy metal act really nailed it as well. Thy Art Is Murder
was the first band I saw take on the side stage and they really had the
audience going as did Whitechapel after them. I and my girlfriend navigated
through the crowd just to see what was going on around the place (which I
remind you it was hotter than hell that day as well). The tents were very
scarce since the last Mayhem show I went to which was when Rob Zombie and Five
Finger Death Punch headlined. But anyway, after getting a bunch of free stuff
(A Mayhem tradition) and buying some awesome King Diamond merch, it was time to
head down to the main stage.
MAIN STAGE
The Devil Wears Prada
Once we got to our seats which was the closest I have ever
been to the stage at this venue, We saw our opening act for this year. Now
anyone that knows me even remotely knows I am not huge into screaming or
metalcore or much of that nature. I do, however, appreciate that these guys
gave it their all. Now this is a band that seems more of a club band that get
really up close and personal with the crowd which is why I feel they would be
better suited on the Victory Records stage. The sound was also just. THE. WORST.
It was just way to bass driven all I could hear and feel way too much was drums
and bass with the occasional scream, but oh well the lower on the bill the less
the sound guy has to care right?
HellYeah
The first band on the main stage that I was kind of stoked
to see. It was cool to see Vinnie Paul of Pantera playing drums even though it
was to some songs I only partially knew. I think these guys gave a good
performance even though their guitarist Tom Maxwell had a broken leg and had to
sit through the performance. The band was full of energy as well and they
really ripped through a good chunk of the Blood For Blood record and a few
older tunes. Good old Texas style metal but the only complaint again was the
shitty sound, which worried me, I was really hoping the last two acts would
have sound down to a point…
King Diamond
As Hellyeahs set was torn down, the most epic set next to
Iron Maidens stage was revealed. A giant two story piece with a cathedral
backdrop and inverted crosses and a large glowing red pentagram. This only
meant one thing, King Diamond was ready to give a show I won’t soon forget. To
me, it was on par to seeing a band like Maiden or Metallica or any legendary
metal group. It was also possibly the only time King Diamond would ever perform
without the makeup in Chicago. IT was a real treat and his voice is still in as
good as shape as it is on his classic records. Hos band was in fine form as
well and he spared no expense in theatrics either. The setlist was damn near
perfect as well as King ripped into the opener “The Candle” and a few cuts off
of his late 80s and early 90s records. Then, he pulled two Mercyful Fate
classics that I have waited to hear live since day one. He ended his set with
three from Abigail and really left an impression on everyone in the crowd. His
performance is something that I will remember for years it was that freaking
good. Hail to the king baby.
Slayer
Now onto our headliners, SLAYYEERRRRR!!!!!!! As if I haven’t
heard it enough, it’s still fun to scream. I was still excited to see Slayer
for a second time as I knew they would pull some interesting moves. As the
white curtain was draped over the stage, the images of pentagrams and inverted
crosses began to roam around and then, cue curtain drop. Slayer ripped into new
track Repentless which I might add is freaking insane live, it has a really
catchy chorus. Slayer had a large video screen this time around and it
displayed some rather gruesome images such as Ed Gein crime photos as well as
concentration camps for Angel Of Death. I also liked that they used some badass
pyro for this show as well even having the fire shape have inverted crosses in
them. Come to think of it I don’t think I have seen more inverted crosses or
pentagrams than I have at this show. But anyways, the boys took out some less
played tunes from their post 2000 albums which I thought varied up the setlist
for once instead of relying on the same tunes over and over. I was a tad
shocked they removed seasons of the abyss but I know they wanted to cram some
new ones in. Implode I felt sounded great live but when the stillness comes I
felt wasn’t a huge crowd pleaser. But all in all they put on a show only slayer
can do with more imagery and pyro than before.
Overall, it was a great show. Sure Mayhem has shrunk
considerably from three almost four stages to just one but I felt this year
they stuck it on home with headlining acts. It is a fun time every year
regardless and even though the crowd was maybe a couple hundred people, it
still felt huge to me. The clear shining act of this tour also is King Diamond
definitely, the strongest set, performance and just overall feel of his show
trumps every other act, and let’s hope to see him again real soon. Mayhem Fest
2015 was another great year and let’s hope for a couple more!!
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