(PCM) Every summer we look forward to the brutality and full on metal assault that comes with the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival and the 2014 line-up brought us just that and a whole lot more.
Sure, there are a ton of summer music festivals that pop up all over the country, but to me, Mayhem Festival is one of very last of the tried and true rock and metal touring packages that give fans a ton of bang for their buck. The festival features over 20 bands performing across multiple stages and I always recommend arriving early to be sure that you can catch everyone you want to see, besides nothing beats a little coffee and metal to get you awake and moving.
Mayhem Festival 2014 was headlined by Avenged Sevenfold and Korn, who were both amazing (more on that in bit), but early afternoon sets from Cannibal Corpse, Mushroomhead, King 810, Texas Hippie Coalition, and Ice T’s Body Count were definite highlights and all put on incredibly energetic and engaging performances.
Sometimes I think there can be a night where a band is just on and this night in Camden, NJ Korn absolutely rocked the house. They sounded incredible! Korn is a band that I have had the pleasure to see quite a number of times and hands down their Mayhem performance was one of the best that I have seen from them in quite some time.
Front-man Jonathan Davis was in a fantastic mood and the band sounded incredibly tight and well-rehearsed. Their set consisted of a solid mix of both old and new material which created an amazing balance. Hearing songs such as “Shoots and Ladders”, “Freak On A Leash” and “Coming Undone” live is always a fantastic experience. We can’t wait for the band’s upcoming co-headlining run with Slipknot later this year!
Korn band members guitarist James “Munkey” Shaffer and drummer Ray Luzier spoke to us in an intimate press conference at the show and definitely revealed some interesting tid-bits. When asked about a group that Korn would like to tour with Shaffer revealed that it would be Die Antwoord saying “They’re from another part of the world, and they sound like they’re from another part of the universe. Their look is really cool, and I think they would fit right in with what we do, and I think our fans would get it. [Although] I think it would be completely left field”.
When looking at the generational appeal of Korn and the way that their fan base has continued to grow, Luzier comments ““There’s a lot of people [out there] who the first couple of Korn records got them through high school, and now they’re bringing their kids. And it’s awesome to see that”. Both Luzier and Shaffer find it incredibly flattering to hear so much of Korn’s influence in some of the other band’s playing with them on this year’s Mayhem Festival.
To close out the evening, Avenged Sevenfold pulled no stops with their amazing stage theatrics and pyrotechnics. The crowd absolutely erupted when the began playing songs such as the set opener “Shepherd Of Fire” and other such as “Hail To The King” and their classics “Bat Country” and “A Little Piece Of Heaven”.
Vocalist M.Shadows knows how to take control of the stage and has the audience held captive throughout the band’s entire set. It is always an incredibly touching moment when the band continues to take a moment and reflect upon the tragic loss of their drummer Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan and dedicate a song to his honor. Watching the entire venue light up in a sea of both cellphones and lighters is truly mesmerizing and we still find it hard to believe that it has been nearly five years since his passing.
Overall, I would say that Mayhem Festival 2014 was a success and yet again we find ourselves anxiously awaiting the news about just how much our summer will rock with the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival 2015 announcements.
We were able to catch up with nearly all of the band’s performing on this year’s Mayhem Festival, so please be sure to check out our exclusive interviews with Asking Alexandria, Body Count, Mushroomhead, Erimha, Ill Nino, Suicide Silence, Wretched, Emmure, Islander, Miss May I, Texas Hippie Coalition, Upon A Burning Body, and Veil Of Maya below.
2014 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival Interview Playlist
More photos from the show below:
All photography credit: Mike Sievila
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