Mayhem Fest
featuring Marilyn Manson and Slayer

Marilyn Manson

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August 12, 2009
at Cruzan Amphitheater, West Palm Beach, FL

Review and Photos by Michelle Feingold

       The anticipated Mayhem Festival stormed into the Cruzan Amphitheater on Wednesday, August 12. With them, they brought headliners Marilyn Manson, Slayer, Killswitch Engage and Bullet for My Valentine on the main stage. The eclectic headliners were supported by Trivium, All that Remains and God Forbid on the Jagermeister Stage, and Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, Job for a Cowboy, The Black Dahlia Murder and Whitechapel on the Hot Topic stage.

       As far as summer festivals go, we all know what to expect. A tip for the all-day festival attendee: pack a survival kit. This consists of sunblock (of course), deodorant, body spray, sunglasses, an extra pair of socks, tons of cash for those super over-priced french fries and bottles of water, a bed sheet (for those lawn junkies), and last but not least – a sharpie. You never know which favorite rock star you're going to run into, and it would be an opportunity sorely missed if you didn't have the proper equipment to sign one of your body parts.

       Lucky for us, it didn't rain one drop of water, but it was scorching hot. The festival started right on the dot at 1:55 p.m. when Whitechapel took the Hot Topic stage and played their 30-minute set, followed by God Forbid on the Jagermeister Stage. Heavy metalcore stirred up the stages until something different came into play. Behemoth had some technical difficulties and started late, but delivered an unforgettable show to all first-time Behemoth viewers. The audience was packed and ready to view the brutal black death metal delivered by the infamous Behemoth, who entered the stage in their traditional white (and some black) face paint. Behemoth's actions didn't have to speak for their music. As they mostly stood still and just banged their head in unison, their intense thrash-influenced sound made up for the lack of activity on stage. As their performance went on, audience members came alive. Behemoth concluded their last 10 minutes on stage with synchronized blood spitting into the audience and blood dripping down their faces. The vocalist then put on his traditional Apostasy Mask and performed their last song.

Patryk "Seth" Sztyber (Behemoth)

       Black Dahlia Murder hit the stage directly after Behemoth, which kicked up the intensity in the pit. The audience was infested with a far different style of metalhead, and those still remaining in the audience without that knowledge were certainly in for a treat. The one and only exciting thing that ended up happening during that set was when an audience member got completely knocked out or fainted and the roadies had to jump down to the rescue.

       As All That Remains owned the Jagermeister stage, Rockstar Energy Drink sponsored motorcyclists finished their petty ramp jumping warm ups and started doing some tricks that definitely got some eyes looking their way. Don't try this at home; these are professionals!

       Cowboy for a Job took their place at the Hot Topic Stage directly after Black Dahlia Murder. At the first note that rang, the audience jumped at their opportunity to ride the crowd. Not even one minute into the first song someone needed rescuing! Pure unadulterated metal deathcore was shoved down everyone's throats within hearing range to the point of incomprehension. Wait, were they playing the same song over and over? Well, even if the audience didn't get it, they liked it... at least those who were flying. A tornado of dust and dirt went flying in the air from the pit and created a permanent cloud throughout the entire set. If anyone went home to blow their nose to find nothing but black stuff, it was probably thanks to Cowboy for a Job.

       By now the clouds blocked the sun from its horrible death rays. Whoever didn't wear SPF 1,000 surely got roasted by this point but just didn't know it yet. People shielded themselves from the sun by sacrificing their backs to wrap their face up with their shirts ninja style. Not sure if it was a fashion statement or actual protection, but an unexpected turnout came about this style.

George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher (Cannibal Corpse)

       Trivium was absolutely wild with their overactive bass playing flying around on stage, jumping and even leaning on a chunk of the audience within the first song. The bass was so intensely deep that it knocked a couple of fans hanging over the railings to let go of whatever they had in their stomach. Tip for the future: If you have even the slightest headache, don't strive for the front row in a Trivium show.

       Everyone by now started lining themselves up against the railings for the Cannibal Corpse set. Vocalist Corpsegrinder took the time to meet and greet some fans at the railings before the show by talking and taking pictures with them. When they did take the stage, it was obvious that Corpsegrinder was the one and only Dethklok's Nathan Explosion in the flesh. He even wore the Dethklok shirt to show support for his alter ego that was so graciously modeled after him. Unfortunately for Corpsegrinder, it is much easier to understand Nathan Explosion. What in the world is this guy saying anyway? Knowing the graphic nature of Cannibal Corpse with their album covers, titles, and song names, we're probably better off not knowing what this guy is talking about. The only thing that was audible was when Corpsegrinder introduced one of his songs titled "I Cum Blood." Considering all of their graphic tendencies, their show opted to be quite boring. I think the proper saying is, "All talk, no show."

       Bullet for my Valentine started on the main stage even before Cannibal Corpse had the chance to finish their set. Everyone scurried out of the dirty parking lot where they stationed the Hot Topic and Jagermeister stage to catch every second of the catchy melodies and hooks delivered by English boys.

       Killswitch Engage began to set up their stage with their traditional two-level setup. They entered the stage with fire bursting out from the back and they all sported a uniform look of tuxedo shirts! Who do they think they are? AC/DC? Killswitch Engage were at full energy for their performance and expected the audience to do the same. They forced the lawn to split in two and explode into a fusion that completely tore up the back of the amphitheater.

Kerry King (Slayer)

       Finally the sun began to set and everyone was settling into their seats (or marking their territory on the lawn). Slayer was next. What else is there to expect from a band named Slayer? Tons of thrash, tons of metal, tons of smoke, tons of red lights, tons of headbanging, tons of hair – except for one of the bald guitarists! This was the time where you could separate the goths from the metalheads. The dolled up sons and daughters of Manson's Army sat bored against the railings and sitting in their seats waiting for their queen to descent from his (or her) throne while the true metalheads made sure they killed every last brain cell on alcohol and slamming their brains against their skull. Who's idea was it anyway to put these two as headliners? To the person who observes everything, this was an interesting observation. Surprisingly enough, Slayer used bursts of fire as their climactic ending.

       The end of the festival came with what we had all been waiting for. Even if you aren't a fan of Marilyn Manson, you couldn't help but want to see the man live, to gaze upon this phenomenon that we've all been fascinated with for the past decade and a half of our short lives. So after over a decade of Manson performing, wouldn't you think he would get tired of his own getup? Yes, he wore crazy makeup that would make you second-guess his gender. Yes, the stage was very dark and had tons of smoke to give you that eerie haunted house feeling. Yes, he sung "The Beautiful People" and contorted his body in various and unflattering ways. Yes, he burned a bible on stage AGAIN. Can't he pick a different scripture for once? There really is a lot to choose from; burning the bible on stage for the past decade is so anti-climactic.

       Manson expressed his hatred for the media by repeatedly filling his mouth with beer and letting it freely drip and flow out of his mouth on top of the photographers. Manson really vocalized how happy he was to be back in his home town, and the audience really embraced their pride in the fact that South Florida is the origin of Manson's presence.

       After 10 hours of intense and brutal metal and shock rock, it was time to go home. Sunburnt skin, Behemoth blood and dirt-stained sweat all needed to be washed away. The Mayhem Festival once again has truly lived up to its name, and now we can only wait to see what Mayhem is going to bring us next year!

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