Mayhem Fest
w/ Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, Kittie, We Come As Romans, Architects, Suicide Silence, After The Burial, Jinjer, Throwdown, Darkest Hour, Poppy, Unearth, Seven Hours After Violet, It Dies Today, Peyton Parish, Esceula Grind, Brutus, Roman Candle, Holy Wars
Glen Helen Amphitheater – San Bernardino, CA
Saturday, October 12th, 2024
Review/Pics: Manuel Gay
About a decade ago, Mayhem Festival had announced 2015 being its final year of existence. In 2019, it was announced (with poor timing) that the festival would make its triumphant comeback in 2020. Well, due to the pandemic shutting down the world of live music – and pretty much the entire world, really – the restart was postponed to 2024 for a one-day event. I was lucky to be approved to cover this amazing event in San Bernardino, CA at the Glen Helen Amphitheater which is allegedly the largest outdoor music venue in the United States.
As doors were set to open at 1pm, a line was already formed at the gates by 11am when I arrived. I anticipated a nightmare situation at the parking lot after hearing urban legends of concert goers being stuck in that lot for hours before being able to exit. I have to say I cannot complain as getting in went smoothly. After a quick glance at the schedule breakdown, I went in thinking I was going to have make some choices in terms of band I wanted to see and shoot as there were three stages with some start time overlapping from stage-to-stage. Spoiler alert I got to hit twenty bands out of the twenty-two on the bill (more on that later). There were a few bands I was highly looking forward to seeing, some I sort of knew and was interested in a some I didn’t know at all.
First band to kick things off at 1:30pm sharp won the Back To Black stage as LA based band Holy Wars that I didn’t know. Primarily consisting of Kat Leon (vocals) and Nicolas Perez (guitar), the duo was accompanied by a bassist and drummer. Despite the field still being quite empty, the band performed with intense energy and Kat proved to be a great performer. By the time the band was done, the field had started filling up already. Twenty minutes later, Las Vegas hardcore band Roman Candle appeared on the Blood Runs Red stage. Those two smaller stages were located next to one another on a grassy area five to ten minutes (depending on your physical abilities) from the main stage which was the actual amphitheater. Well even though I wasn’t familiar with that band either, I have to say that they everybody’s heads off with an explosion of raw energy. Singer and frontwoman Piper Ferrari left it all on the stage during this intense twenty-minute performance.
Holy Wars
Roman Candle
Next up was one the bands I was the most excited about. Belgian trio Brutus felt like a peaceful yet powerful moment in this packed line-up. Although the band can hit really hard at times, they also incorporate some mesmerizing progressive rock element to their music, see the intro of “War” for example which was the only song they played that was not from their 2022 Unison Life album. Stefanie Mannaerts clear vocals remind me somewhat of Bjork’s although the music is very different, but the fact that she’s able to sing like that while playing drums is pretty amazing. This was the band’s last day of touring the US wile opening for Architects. Right after this, grindcore Escuela Grind took the intensity back up a notch without holding back any punches. Every single member’s energy was off the charts and the crowd could feel it. Electricity was in the air. Although I must confess grindcore is not necessarily my cup of tea, I enjoyed the show 100%.
Brutus
Escuela Grind
At 2:40pm, Peyton Parrish got the ball rolling on the Hot Topic Main Stage. At that point it became a tricky exercise juggling between the three stages. Especially because the two smaller stages started accumulating delay, while the main stage stuck to its strict schedule which didn’t leave room for any mistake. As most of the action was still on the smaller stages at that point, the bigger stage felt kind of empty especially because it is such a huge space. This didn’t stop Peyton and his band to rock their hearts out to the early birds who had made it out already. The song that particularly stood out for me was the Linkin Park cover “New Divide” which sounded just great.
Peyton Parrish
Back on the grassy field, It Dies Today was already kicking ass by the time I got back. I was thankfully right on time to hear “Severed Ties Yield Severed Heads”. I had to cut short my stay for Born Of Osiris to make sure I could catch as much of Seven Hours After Violet as possible. I spent most of my teenage years obsessed by System Of A Down (fun fact: I created their French Wikipedia page two decades ago) and have been a loyal fan whatever each member has been doing separately since then. I could not pass out on catching Shavo Odadjian’s first live show ever with his new project. The band had dropped their first album one day prior to the festival and I had given it a couple of spins already. The way Taylor Barber’s and Alejandro Aranda’s vocals matched was out of this world and sounded as good if not better than it does on the record. Taylor’s range from growling to singing and Alejandro angelic harmonies compliment each other to perfection, like on “Cry…” or “Gloom”. The bangers “Paradise” and “Alive” are also worth checking out. Although the project started as Shavo’s album, it eventually turned into something different and S.H.A.V. is now an actual band with members coming out of various horizons. The band as already a few plans in the books like Knotfest Brazil 2024 and Sick New World 2025, so I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for any potential tour announcement.
It Dies Today
Born Of Osiris
Seven Hours After Violet
Since the beginning of the day, we (the media people) were allowed to use a shortcut from the smaller stages to the main one. But without any explanation we were told at that point that we needed to use the regular pathways. It became more physically challenging at that point running from stage to stage on grassy hills with heavy gear on our backs and around our necks. But oh well, I did hit my 10K steps for the day. I still made it back on time for Unearth.
Unearth
The sun was still high and throwing its flames down at us when we started witnessing the first crowd surfers of the day. By that time, the crowd was large and dense enough to allow for it. Japanese band Hanabie was initially supposed to start at 4:05, but since they were behind schedule they ended up starting almost at the same time as Poppy. Since Poppy didn’t allow media and since I had seen her already, I stayed and took my time for Hanabie.
I had not really listened to their music before but knew it would be visually interesting per what I had researched before the event. Indeed, singer Yukina came running with an American flag on stage while each member came to introduce themselves one by one to the crowd, while wearing very colorful outfits. The band definitely had fans in the audience based on the excitement and reaction they got for each song. To make sure they kept the party going, the band had dozens of inflatable “Hanabie” beach balls thrown to the audience and the balls pretty much kept bouncing around for the remaining of the set. Some say they’re still bouncing.
Hanabie
DC metal band Darkest Hour took the Back To Black stage. The band’s energy was high, and the guitar solos were killers. That Saturday, festivalgoers were in for a treat as Throwdown performed their first show in California in thirteen years. The hardcore band delivered a brutal performance, which was memorable. Especially the closing “Forever” which got the whole crowd headbanging
Darkest Hour
A little before 5:30pm, from Donetsk, Ukraine Jinjer took the main stage for an amazing set. The opened with “Just Another” which let Tatiana Shmayluk demonstrate how easily she can go from a smooth and groovy singing part to insane growls. Jinjer had been on my list of bands I wanted to see live for a minute and I am thrilled that I was able to finally cross them off. Not only they are amazing performers, but their energy was contagious. “Vortex” which has become a personal favorite was also played that day.
Jinjer
Although it seemed that most people had decided to either stick around the main stage or by the smaller stages. I didn’t see too many people running back and forth in-between the two areas. However, I chose to keep running around. Especially because After The Burial was initially scheduled to start exactly at the same time 5:25pm, but they were behind enough that I was able to get there at the beginning of the set. The band delivered the most headbang-able set that day, they really made it hard to resist the urge with their groovy riffs. “Lost In The Static” and “Behold The Crown” particularly stood out in my opinion. Up Next was Suicide Silence who had actually performed at the original 2008 Mayhem Festival with their founding member and previous vocalist Mitch Lucker who passed away in 2012. The band from Riverside, CA dedicated their set to Mitch. If I said that this band knows how bring the energy out of a crowd would be an under-statement. Each member gave everything to the audience.
After The Burial
Suicide Silence
Another one of the main attractions that day for me was Architects from Brighton, England which seems to produce truckloads of great bands for some reason. Maybe something in the water. However, the band had great visuals which made the viewing experience top notch. Dan Searle (drums) and Ali Dean (Bass) were on an elevated platform at the back of the stage while the rest of the band was on the stage level. A huge screen covering the platform kept flashing and displaying cool designs. Due to the set times being pretty limited, the band played only eight songs but managed to showcase most of their discography. It definitely kept you wanting more. As I was going back towards the Back To Black stage, I realized We Come As Romans was still on (late start) and I had enough time to snap a few pictures before being kicked out of the photo pit since they were finishing their third song already. I listened to the rest of the show from a distance, and it sounded really good. I even saw Mark Myatt jumping in the crowd to sing “Daggers”, their closing song.
Architects
We Come As Romans
Growing up during the Nu Metal era when anything heavy was labelled “nu metal”, I remember Kittie’s album “Spit” being such a great discovery when I first laid ears on it. “Charlotte” played on repeat on my mp3 player for a while. I had never seen them live before, so they were another band I was absolutely looking forward to see. Although only the Lander sisters (Morgan on vocals/guitar and Mercedes on drums) remain from the original line up, the other members have been a part of Kittie for quite some time now. Half of the setlist was out of their new album Fire (2024), and the other half was a mix of older material. No “Charlotte” for me, but they played “Brackish” which made up for it. Kittie is a band I will absolutely go back to see live to get a full set experience.
Kittie
Then it was time to make a decision as August Burns Red started almost at the same time as Parkway Drive although they were initially scheduled to start thirty-five minutes apart. So, I decided to stay for the first song of August Burns Red. The only thing that I can say is that these guys came ready to put on a great show and I’m a bit disappointed I missed out. I guess it gives me a good excuse to catch them on their next run.
August Burns Red
I then rushed to the main stage for the last time to make sure I would make it on-time for the Australian powerhouse Parkway Drive. The band opened with “Glitch” but the sound system shut off mid-song which caught everybody by surprise, including the band. Since everybody was running on such a tight schedule, they did not restart or finish the band and just moved on to “Prey”. Alike most people in attendance I was kind of a bummed since this is such a fan favorite. The band proceeded to play a handful of songs from their most popular album Ire (2015). At that point the amphitheater seemed pretty much full as I could see an ocean of bodies when I was looking around. The band closed with “Wild Eyes” and ended their set with about half an hour left before the main attraction of the day Bad Omens.
Parkway Drive
I already knew that Bad Omens didn’t allow press, and I wouldn’t be able to shoot them, so I took the decision to skip the show altogether as I was not going to enjoy the show from the grass area that was really far from the stage. I will jump on the next occasion to catch them in a more intimate set up where I won’t be standing one mile away from the stage. Plus, I was still haunted by those Glen Helen parking lot urban legends and didn’t want to risk being caught in the madness of that ocean of bodies trying to leave at the same time.
It was all in all a fantastic day and I had a lot of fun shooting all these bands. I still can’t get over how good Seven Hours After Violet sounded and I’m looking forward to occasions to see Brutus or Kittie again playing longer sets. Mayhem Festival 2024 was a real success so hopefully the plan to resume touring next year will stand and people across the country will be able to experience this well-organized-mayhem.
