Watch Slayer Confirm Rockstar Mayhem Festival Gig in New Video Full Line Up and Dates Below
Slayer frontman Tom Araya screams, “Live the Mayhem!!” after announcing that his band will be headlining this year’s Rockstar Mayhem Fest in the below teaser video. The thrashers will join headbangers King Diamond, Hellyeah, the Devil Wears Prada, Whitechapel, Thy Art Is Murder, Jungle Rot, Sister Sin, Sworn In, Shattered Sun, Feed Her To The Sharks, Code Orange and Kissing Candice on the trek, which kicks off June 26th in San Diego.
Tickets go on sale April 17th at 10 a.m. local time. For the first 72 hours, the fest is offering general admission tickets for $19.99 including fees. For more information, visit the fest’s website.
“I don’t know if the third time will be a charm, but it will definitely be hellish,” Slayer’s Kerry King said in a statement. “Slayer and King Diamond onstage for the first time together in the States — never has Mayhem been more evil. Don’t fuckin’ miss it!”
“This is going to be one hot and hellish summer,” King Diamond said. “Slayer and King Diamond on the same stage — it does not get more devilish than this! We will be putting on a one-hour set with the full King Diamond stage production. As for a set list, I’m not gonna reveal that here, but it will be built around Dreams of Horror. The Puppet Master will be there with Grandma, and we will even go as far back in time as to 1777 (hint). You’re all in for one hell of a show if you come to this Sabbath!”
Slayer are currently prepping their new album with the upcoming release of “When the Stillness Comes.” The track will be available on a special, picture-disc seven-inch – backed with a live version of “Black Magic” – on Record Store Day, April 18th.
The group gave away “Implode,” another song that will appear on their new album, as a free download last year. It’s the first tune the group has released since the death of founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who passed away from liver failure in 2013. With Hanneman out of commission before his death due an unrelated illness, Exodus guitarist Gary Holt has been filling in on second guitar duties.
Although King Diamond has not put out a record since 2007, his recent return to the stage is still noteworthy. The former Mercyful Fate shrieker underwent triple-bypass surgery in 2010 and has taken years to recover. He’d played a handful of gigs around Europe beginning in 2012, but it wasn’t until last year that he was able to return to North American stages in a big way, with a short tour that ended with a Fun Fun Fun Fest appearance. He told Rolling Stone last year that he’d been working on songs for a new album, which he hoped to begin recording once he’d completed construction on his home studio.
Rockstar Mayhem Fest Tour Dates:
June 26 – San Diego, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater
June 27 – San Bernardino, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheater
June 28 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
June 30 – Auburn, WA (Seattle) @ White River Amphitheater
July 1 – Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheater
July 3 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Amphitheater
July 4 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
July 5 – Denver, CO @ Red Rocks
July 7 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Harrah’s Council Bluffs
July 8 – Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
July 10 – Noblesville, IN (Indianapolis) @ Kilpsch Amphitheater
July 11 – Clarkston, MI (Detroit) @ DTE Energy Amphitheater
July 12 – Tinley Park, IL (Chicago) @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
July 15 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
July 17 – Camden, NJ (Philadelphia) @ Susquehanna Bank Arts Center
July 18 – Burgettstown, PA (Pittsburgh) @ First Niagara Pavilion
July 19 – Hartford, CT @ Xfinity Theatre
July 21 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
July 22 – Gilford, NH @ Meadowbrook (Bank of NH Pavilion)
July 24 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
July 25 – Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center
July 26 – Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach
July 29 – Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood
July 31 – San Antonio, TX @ Whitewater Amphitheater
August 1 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
August 2 – Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Amphitheater
