This year’s Mayhem Festival was different. It felt different. Gone was the dread of attending a faceless, corporate-sponsored event. As soon as I entered, I felt at ease. Why? Because I didn’t feel like a chump. Let’s face it, most of the time, festivals like this leave you drowned in a sea of bands you couldn’t care less about. With a lineup that included true metal legends like Slayer, Motorhead and Anthrax, that wasn’t the case Sunday.

Overall, the biggest stroke of genius was the traveling keg. Amongst the crowd of concert goers were wheeled carts with a kegs in them, filled with ice. A tall flag with the type of beer they were serving stuck up out of the back of the carts, so all you had to do was look for the flag. It was like a beer beacon.

Musically, there were some parallels to last year’s Mayhem Fest. Instead of questioning why Testament wasn’t on the main stage, the question was why wasn’t Anthrax on the main stage? No matter, though. Anthrax came out with more energy than guys half their age.  Running amuck and sounding incredible, Anthrax’s showmanship was unmatched that evening.

As the sun set, Motorhead took the main stage. Subtle yet effective, Lemmy is the epitome of cool. He doesn’t even have to try. He just is. Dirty, gritty and louder than a 747, Lemmy made it clear that night: “We are Motorhead, and we play rock and roll!” Who are any of us to disagree?

The power of Satan took over as soon as Slayer took the stage. As Scott Ian put it: “Slayer is the music you’re going to hear when you go to Hell.” They had their Marshall stacks set up to look like two upside down crosses –-with fire shooting out of them. They set a standard that night, making me feel sorry for whoever had to follow them.

Which brings us to Slipknot.

I’ve always respected Mick Thomson’s guitar work. The guy shreds, plain and simple. There’s also no denying Slipknot’s influence and ability to get the crowd moving. But headlining? Over bands that have paved the way for them? I don’t get it. There’s no accounting for taste, so take their music with a grain of salt. But they never fail to put on a good show, whether you like their music or not.

At concerts like this, it’s always a t-shirt contest. Who has the most obscure shirt from a band you’ve never heard of? Well, I guarantee I had a shirt no one was wearing: Mr. Bungle. Last year I wore an Eyesores shirt. So, I’m still the undisputed Mayhem t-shirt champion, two years running. 

How big is heavy metal in San Jose? Gigantor. Megadeath and Motorhead filled the San Jose Event Center with rabid metal fans last night. Our photographer caught the action from the pit.

Photos by Jennifer Anderson.

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By all accounts, Lemmy Kilmister should be dead. He drinks a fifth of Jack Daniel’s a day, been smoking since he was 11 and eats only meat and cheese. Anthrax’s Scott Ian put it best when he said Motorhead is one of those metal bands that’s cool for the punks to like. They’re fast, dirty, and louder than a 747. Lemmy, however, has always said Motorhead is not metal band, they’re a rock ‘n’ roll band. They’ll play Thursday at the San Jose State Event Center as part of Megadeth’s Gigantour.

With more than 30 years under their belt and over 20 albums, they show no signs of slowing down. After being fired from Hawkwind in 1975, for “doing the wrong drugs,” Lemmy formed Motorhead, a name derived from a slang term for speed freaks and a song he had written. Throughout their career, they’ve spawned numerous iconic songs, including “Bomber,” “Killed by Death,” “Overkill,” and, of course, their signature “Ace of Spades.”

Also performing at this Gigantour show is Megadeth, a band Dave Mustaine formed out of spite after being fired from Metallica. He wanted to be faster, heavier, and was out for their blood. Their second album, 1986’s Peace Sells…but Who’s Buying? is an essential thrash metal assault, and 1990’s Rust in Peace is the highlight of their career.

Danish rockers Volbeat and Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil start things off. – Beau Dowling

Megadeth has had a lot of ups and downs over the years, which is probably fitting for a band that started basically as a grudge after Dave Mustaine got thrown out of Metallica. It’s been one crazy story after the other, but the craziest yet may be that Megadeth is back in top form, a decade after Mustaine broke up the band to undergo a year of shock therapy and re-training on his arm for severe nerve damage that could have meant he’d never play again.

Instead, their latest, Thirteen, has been nominated for two Grammys and is easily their best album since 1990’s Rust in Peace. To support it, Mustaine is restarting his heavy metal festival Gigantour, with Motorhead, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil joining Megadeth for a tour that comes to the San Jose Event Center on Thursday, Feb. 23.

The first song off the latest record. “Sudden Death,” was released in 2010’s “Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock” game, and was nominated for a Best Metal Performance Grammy. Now the single “Public Enemy No. 1” (which features a pretty hilarious video starring an outlaw monkey) has been nominated in the category as well.

Tickets for the San Jose Event Center date are on sale now. The band is coming off its historic “Big 4” shows that saw the once bitter enemies Megadeth and Metallica joining up with Slayer and Anthrax, uniting the four biggest bands in thrash metal. Megadeth also toured with Slayer on the recent “Carnage” tours.

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