With the official announcement of the Trespass America Festival this past week, this Summer has gotten even more crowded with touring festivals. It’s a Summer that will find Mayhem Fest, Summer Slaughter, All Stars Tour and others duking it out for the consumers’ money. But which Summer touring festival is giving the most bang for your buck?
There’s so many ways to determine that question, and there may not be just one answer. But in this week’s Headbangers’ Brawl, Bram, Kodi and Zach try to determine which touring festival has the most interesting lineup this Summer.
Zach: My initial response would be Mayhem Fest. I mean seriously, Slipknot, Slayer, Motörhead, Anthrax AND High On Fire all on the same bill?! That’s a hard package to beat. At the same time, though, let’s give a little credit to this year’s Summer Slaughter bill. I was already going gaga when I saw Cannibal Corpse and Between The Buried & Me’s name next to each other. And the additions of bands like Goatwhore, Periphery, Job For A Cowboy and The Faceless make the package even sweeter. With that said, I’ve also been raving about Killswitch Engage’s NEMHF performance to anyone who’ll listen (and sometimes even to people who won’t). Add bands like Trivium and God Forbid, and Trespass America definitely looks enticing. Plus, Five Finger Death Punch and Emmure will surely attract an even broader audience.
So with that said, who has the strongest lineup this Summer? Well… I still have to go with Mayhem Fest. I’m sorry, but did I mention who is on that bill?!
Kodi: After seeing Periphery’s awe-inspiring set at NEMHF, I’m already taking a second look at any festival package they’re on. The thing about Summer Slaughter that leaves me cold, however, is that there really isn’t a band on it that I’d travel to see. BTBAM are constantly touring, and while Cannibal Corpse are certainly legends, they’ve just never been a band I freak out over the way a lot of people seem to. It would be cool to see Goatwhore and The Faceless, but would I drive a couple of hours for them if I didn’t live in NYC? That, I’m not so sure about. Trespass America seems more exciting to me, if only based on a Jesse Leach-equipped Killswitch alone.
But Mayhem…that lineup is just stacked beyond stacked. Half of the Big Four! Motörhead! High On Fire! And I’m not a gigantic Slipknot fan, but seeing them live would probably blow my mind. I would get on a plane for this thing if it were one date only. For it to be a summer-long tour is just going to spoil us metal fans, and I love it. This year, it’s all about Mayhem Fest, hands-down.
Bram: I think that the Summer Slaughter is definitely a strong lineup, especially for musicians. There’s a lot of progginess and technical proficiency happening there. I know which festival the Guitar Center contingency will be creaming their G strings about. That being said, band for band, I’m all about Mayhem Fest. I mean, half of the big 4? Plus Motörhead and High on Fire? The Devil Wears Prada is a band that will surprise people, and the Sumerian stage is a mini Summer Slaughter. I’d imagine getting a chance to see Jesse with Killswitch will be a big draw for the Trespass America Festival. Really, all of the touring fests sound great, and when you add in stationary fests like Orion Music & More and Black Sabbath playing Lollapaloooza, it’s shaping up to be a pretty amazing summer for metal.
