Rohit's Rebuttal to Mayhem Fest Co-Founder's Comments

Date: July 10, 2015

The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival kicked off late last month and it is noticeably different than in previous years. The four stage set-up from last year has downsized to two. The amount of bands has reduced by about half a dozen? Running a touring festival, especially in today's music business, is a huge financial strain. But Mayhem Fest co-founder, Kevin Lynman, took it the next step and laid the blame out on the metal acts of today, and he could not be more wrong.

One aspect of metal to take into consideration is that it is still in its first generation. Unlike other older genres, the bands that pioneered the movement are still touring and recording today, so when Lynman called metal "Gray, bald and fat" there is some truth to it because that is what happens to people when they age, but to apply that to the whole genre is egregious.

Lynman also said the festival did the best lineup they could with what they had, which I find hard to believe considering the fact that the Slipknot and Lamb of God tour is running at almost the same time as Mayhem. Everyone on that bill, including the "openers" in Bullet for My Valentine and Motionless in White can all be, and in most cases have already been, on the main stage for Mayhem Fest. And, by the way, all those bands are relatively young and definitely attract young crowds.

This is not an attack on Mayhem Festival at all, I am really looking forward to going this year, and with the lower ticket prices this year ($20 for lawn is amazing) I think the festival may see a larger turnout than anticipated. We saw it this year with the Metal Alliance tour, it is tough to run a touring festival, and maybe metal could use a couple more bands that are young and able to headline, but as a whole metal is younger and more active than ever.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of the writers alone. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WSOU, Seton Hall University, nor any of its affiliates.

Posted in: Metal