Mustaine has always held up a mirror to his own life and does so again on Whose Life (Is it Anyway?) which has a punk rock looseness to the rhythm as Mustaine growls catchy lyrics about those who criticize him and others while standing in the shadows.  The guitar leads are massive, the bass guttural and dangerous.  For the closing song 13, Mustaine gets a little soulful with the lyrics:

“At thirteen I started down this path
Fueled with anger, music was my wrath
Years of clawing at scars that never healed
Drowning my mind, the thoughts are too real.”

There’s a tasty acoustic guitar solo, a dark breakdown, a soaring solo that echoes the song’s chord progression, and an overall epic and dramatic feel to the arrangement.

There are three songs about bad women on Th1rt3en and regardless of how literate the lyrics are on two of them, the song that stands out is Wrecker, with its huge groove, fists in the air chorus and overall sense of fun. Deadly Nightshade has some incredible guitar lines and the band is in high form for the middle and second half of the song, Mustaine and Broderick performing melodic, thematic and shredding solos while Ellefson and Drover are as insistent as a freight train.

Perhaps the return of David Ellefson to the fold is the reason Megadeth sound more like their 90′s selves than they have in years.  Yet the album doesn’t take off like Endgame did, the songs are solid enough but only Mustaine and Broderick’s solos truly soar.  A good Megadeth album is still so much better than thousands of other bands out there, but here’s to hoping for their next album they write some songs that match the soulfulness of 13 or the manic energy of Never Dead and Whose Life (Is it Anyway?).

(Review by Bret Miller)

Rockstar Mayhem Fest

Now in it’s fourth mighty year of existence, headliners will include Disturbed, Godsmack, and Megadeth with Dethklok making a rare live appearance at the July 9th opening date.  Other bands on the bill are Machine Head, Trivium, In Flames, Suicide Silence, All Shall Perish,  Straight Line Stitch, Unearth, Kingdom of Sorrow, and Red Fang.

Highwire Daze decided to check in with the bands of Rockstar Mayhem Fest to find out more about their current recordings, songs they may be playing at the event, what we should all expect from a day of heavy metal in the sun, and other interesting stories from the road.  Read on to learn more about what is sure to be the metal event of the summer…

ALL SHALL PERISH

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band, and where your band is based out of?
Hello, my name is Ben Orum and I play guitar for All Shall Perish. We are based out of Oakland, CA.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
I’m looking forward to loud music and cold beer all summer long. It’s going to be like metal summer camp, I can’t wait!

What has been your most memorable concert experience that you have attended?
We were playing Grasspop fest overseas and we opened up for Journey! Talk about an awesome experience. It was especially cool because both of our bands are from the Bay Area.

What is the name of your current/upcoming album and is there any concept behind the album title?
The name of our new record is THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS. It’s a very dark introspective record, delving into the idea that nothing is permanent and that life, and everything in our lives has an expiration date.

Please select two songs that you may be playing at Rockstar Mayhem Fest and what inspired the lyrics.
Royalty Into Exile – this song mainly focuses on how the government has run wild in our lives. Those that run the system are not afraid to rape, lie and cheat to get what they want.

There Is Nothing Left – this song is about suicide, and trying to be strong while dealing it thrown in your face by someone you love. It is a very personal song, and you can hear it in the lyrics.

What could one expect from your live show at Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
Expect a crazy pit, insane double bass and some monster riffs to pulverize your face in! We have a lot of fun on stage, and so do our fans.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to your band while out on the road?
I accidently drank our drummers piss! He had pee’ed in a half full coke bottle, and put the lid on it and left it on the bus. I saw it after our set and my brain said “sweet! A coke!”. About 4 chugs in, I knew I had made a terrible mistake.

What is the most unusual or surprising artist you will be playing on your tour bus while out on the road this summer?
ASP is know for our epic Weird Al polka sing-a-longs. We will also be bumping the Macho man rap CD, RIP.

Do you have any messages for fans who are planning on attending the Rockstar Mayhem Fest this year?
Get ready to hear some new material, we have three new one’s for you! Also, be sure to pick up our new CD at the All Shall Perish tent! See you at the shows!

All Shall Perish on Facebook

DISTURBED

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band, and where your band is based out of?
I am John Moyer the bassist for Disturbed. We are based out of Chicago although I currently live in Austin TX.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
The fans! The best fans in the world are Heavy Metal fans and they all come out for the Mayhem fest. Also I enjoy checking out the bands throughout the day. We have never toured with Megadeth or Godsmack so it will be cool to see those guys night after night. and then there are the bands that we know and love from touring like Machine Head and Trivium.

What has been your most memorable concert experience that you have attended?
There is a festival in Austria called NovaRock that we had the pleasure of performing at in 2009 and 2010. As a fan I was blown away by the headliners both years. the first year was a reunited Rage Against the Machine. They completely owned the crowd and were amazing that night. When I thought could not be better I had the privilege of watching Metallca from 4 feet behind Lars Ulrich’s drum kit the following year. Truly awesome experiences.

What is the name of your current/upcoming album and is there any concept behind the album title?
Our latest album is called Asylum. The title track has 2 meanings. One is obviously where insane people go and the other is a place of refuge. The song is about the loss of a loved one driving you insane but its the memory of that loved one that gives you the strength to move on.

Please select two songs that you may be playing at Rockstar Mayhem Fest and what inspired the lyrics.
Ten thousand fists (the title track of our 2005 release of the same name) is about the power of the heavy metal audience coming together and sharing a concert experience like Mayhem. Indestructible (off the 2008 release of the same name) is a tribute to the men and women in uniform who defend our country.

What could one expect from your live show at Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
You can expect to hear all of your favorite older Disturbed songs plus a handful of new ones off of Asylum. In addition to that we have a video and a pyrotechnic stage show that is above and beyond anything we have ever done before. basically an all out assault of heavy metal power both sonically and visually.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to your band while out on the road?
I once saw a woman fall out of a portapotty the morning after a festival show. she spent the night inside it and then stumbled off into the woods while CJ Pierce (guitar player for Drowning Pool) and I watched dumbfounded.

What is the most unusual or surprising artist you will be playing on your tour bus while out on the road this summer?
Some people are surprised that I am such a big Johnny Cash fan but to me it makes perfect sense. He has a unique and powerful way of telling stories from the darker side of life and I have always been attracted to that whether it is art, literature, heavy music, or even country music.

Do you have any messages for fans who are planning on attending the Rockstar Mayhem Fest this year?
There are so many great bands on the bill this year and it’s an all day event so I would suggest getting there early and staying late!! it’s going to be on hell of a party!

Disturbed on Facebook

GODSMACK

Introduce youself, tell me what you do in your band and where your band is based out of.
I’m Shannon Larkin, I am the drummer for Godsmack, and we are from Boston, Massachusetts.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing the Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
I am looking forward to seeing all the other drummers on the tour.  It’s a big metal tour – there will be lots of double bass shredding and that’s always exciting.

What has been your most memorable concert experience that you have attended?
I would have to say that my most memorable one was probably my first one – just because it was such an experience walking into an arena.  It was Judas Priest with Iron Maiden opening – and it sealed the deal – “Alright, that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

The current album The Oracle – was there any theory behind the concept of the album title?
Absolutely – and it’s a funny thing – when we started getting all the songs together – the body of work which was like 20-25 songs – we started to notice that almost everything was in the tuning of D.  It kind of started as a joke – we started calling the record The Oracle Of D.  But then we really liked the way The Oracle sounded on a serious note, so we changed the whole joke The Oracle Of D and just called it The Oracle.

Pick two songs you may be playing at Rockstar Mayhem Fest and what inspired the lyrics.
We’re going to be playing Forever Shamed, which is my favorite song on The Oracle.  As far as the lyrics go, that’s a Sully questions because he writes all the lyrics for the band.  I don’t really know what inspired him on that lyrically.  And then another song we’ll be playing is Love-Hate-Sex-Pain – that’s like a majestic sounding metal riff.  And again lyrically I can’t tell you because it comes from the mind of Sully Erna.

What could one expect from Godsmack’s live show at Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
You can definitely expect all the hits.  Then we’re going to do some deep cuts from the new record – the heavier deep cuts.  And you definitely will get the double drum solo, which we haven’t been able to do for a while, so we’re very excited.  We’re going to do a quick rewrite on it and freshen it up for everybody.  That’s pretty much a staple of our live set.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to Godsmack while out on the road?
One time, this guy threw his leg up on stage and wanted us to sign it.  It was a prosthetic leg obviously.  That was pretty strange.  We signed it and threw it back in the crowd.  He was in the mosh pit with one leg, and it was pretty bizarre.  That’s one of those questions that’s is kind of hard to answer too, because so much crazy stuff goes on out there, and it’s hard to remember it all when you’re in a blur.

Do you any final words for anyone planning to attend Mayhem Fest this summer?
Yeah!  Don’t get sunstroke!  For every beer you drink, slam a water down in between it, and you’ll be alright…

Godsmack Official Home Page

IN FLAMES

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band, and where your band is based out of?
My name’s Peter, I’m the bass player of In Flames and we’re from Sweden.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
I guess the whole thing—not just the show because it’s very short, but the whole vibe in doing these traveling festivals is always so good. There’s a lot of hanging out, a lot of barbequing, a lot of partying, a lot of card playing—I just love it. I mean, we’ve done Sounds Of The Underground, Ozzfest, and those types of festivals before, and we always had such a good time, so I’m hoping this will be the same.

What has been your most memorable concert experience that you have attended?
Probably what actually got me into this whole thing was when I was 13 and I saw Iron Maiden at a venue in my town. It was just the coolest show I’ve ever seen…Helloween was opening up—they just released “Keeper Of The Seven Keys, Pt. 2”, I believe—and Maiden just released “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son”, so it was like two fantastic concept albums in my face. I decided then that this is what I’m going to do—I’m going to play music, I’m going to be a rockstar.

What is the name of your current/upcoming album and is there any concept behind the album title?
It’s called “Sounds Of A Playground Fading”. It’s not really a concept album…Basically, we just went into the studio and made the best album that we could.

Please select two songs that you may be playing at Rockstar Mayhem Fest and what inspired the lyrics.
The lyrics are not for me to talk about. Our singer writes them all and I never really comment on them…But two songs we probably will play are “Deliver Us” and “Take This Life”.

What could one expect from your live show at Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
A fantastically energetic show where we just go nuts! I don’t know, we’re just going to have a good time and try to interact as much as possible with the audience. As you know, a show is equally about the audio and the visual—everything is important. What to expect is hard to say because it always sounds so cliché, but we’re going to try to put on the best show that we possibly can.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to your band while out on the road?
I guess a lot of strange stuff has happened…Someone gave us their baby to sign awhile back, that was a bit weird. They got it back obviously, but it was a bit weird.

What is the most unusual or surprising artist you will be playing on your tour bus while out on the road this summer?
Tom Jones.

Do you have any messages for fans who are planning on attending the Rockstar Mayhem Fest this year?
Yes! I can’t wait to meet you all at our signings, and I want to thank you so much for supporting In Flames throughout all these years. I’m really looking forward to playing in front of you all this summer, and I hope I get to meet you and hangout with you!

In Flames Official Home Page

MACHINE HEAD

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band, and where your band is based out of?
Phil Demmel, lead guitarist for Machine Head from the San Francisco East Bay Area.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
Playing to huge, energetic crowds everyday and hangin’ watching the other bands.

What has been your most memorable concert experience that you have attended?
Watching MUSE last year. Unbelievable musicianship coupled with one of the best light shows I’ve seen. Completely captivating.

What is the name of your current/upcoming album and is there any concept behind the album title?
Still working on a title so talking about the concept would spoil that. TBD.

Please select two songs that you may be playing at Rockstar Mayhem Fest and what inspired the lyrics.
Halo. It’s about the extreme Religious Right and it’s influence on politics and it’s deep-rooted contradictory methods within society.

Locust. It’s about the duality of the insect’s behaviors and human behaviors are similar. Some people sweep into your life, consume every resource and when it’s gone, move on to the next. Leaving destruction and devastation behind.

What could one expect from your live show at Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
100% out of all 4 of us. We adore playing live and interacting with our fans, as well as busting our asses to win over new ones. Our shows are our release and we get it out every night.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to your band while out on the road?
When we opened for Metallica, a bunch of the players for my favorite NHL team were there. I got to hang out with them, get hammered go to the strips joints. Getting to hang with my heroes was awesome.

What is the most unusual or surprising artist you will be playing on your tour bus while out on the road this summer?
Nothing too crazy, maybe Elton John or Wham!. “Careless Whisper” is my karaoke jam!

Do you have any messages for fans who are planning on attending the Rockstar Mayhem Fest this year?
Get a good night’s sleep the night before. It’s a long day of metal and shenanigans. Drink a lot of water, too.

Machine Head Official Home Page

MEGADETH

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band, and where your band is based out of?
David Ellefson, Megadeth bassist. Band based out of Southern California.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
I love the all-day festival environment of the Mayhem concerts. It’s more like an event than just a concert.

What has been your most memorable concert experience that you have attended?
I’ve played a gazillion of them, from the biggest to the smallest. But, as far as a concert-goer I’d say that Iron Maiden’s “Somewhere Back In Time” show and Judas Priest’s reunion on Ozzfest a few years back were among a couple of the greatest.

What is the name of your current/upcoming album and is there any concept behind the album title?
We are working on the recording right now and hope to have it completed before we head over to Europe just before the Mayhem tour. We have two of the songs finished at this point and the album is yet untitled.

Please select two songs that you may be playing at Rockstar Mayhem Fest and what inspired the lyrics.
Our set list changes from night to night to give our fans an ever-changing show from us so it’s hard to say which two we will absolutely play for sure. I’d say “Symphony of Destruction” and “Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying” are likely contenders most nights, if not every night. Both are politically inspired. “Peace Sells…” being pretty self-explanatory and “Symphony of Destruction” is inspired by ALL politicians who fail the test we elected them to pass.

What could one expect from your live show at Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
Our stage set will be fairly simple and straight ahead as we plan on coming out like a sledgehammer Thrash band for our one hour set. Hit em hard and leave ‘em stunned is our way of doing things.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to your band while out on the road?
I’d say getting caught in a snow storm on the road from Lake Tahoe down to San Francisco, CA. A couple of us even got out to help put chains on the bus. Hopefully that won’t happen with a summer tour!

What is the most unusual or surprising artist you will be playing on your tour bus while out on the road this summer?
We actually listen to CDs our fans give us from bands they are in. Some are actually quite good!

Do you have any messages for fans who are planning on attending the Rockstar Mayhem Fest this year?
If you only get to one show this summer….this is the one to go to!

Megadeth Official Home Page
Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band, and where your band is based out of?

STRAIGHT LINE STITCH

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band, and where your band is based out of?
LEX: My name is Lex, I’m vocals in Straight Line Stitch. We are based out of Knoxville, TN

SETH: My name is Seth, I play guitar in Straight Line Stitch. We are based out of Knoxville, TN.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
LEX: I’m looking most forward to meeting and hanging out with the fans!! I can’t wait to experience all the craziness of The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival in all its glory. I think this year will be pretty insane and I cannot wait!!!

SETH: EVERYTHING! The bands, the fans, making new friends. Just getting to be a part of the whole touring festival vibe has me extremely excited!

What has been your most memorable concert experience that you have attended?
LEX: Korn Family Values Tour was my most memorable concert experience because it was my first concert ever and it inspired me to do what I’m doing right now. I remember looking out into the sea of people at The Municipal Auditorium in Nashville and saying to myself that this was my future, I felt destined to be an entertainer.

SETH: Deftones back in 1998 when they were touring on their release Around The Fur. I remember seeing them in Panama City, FL at this venue that had a swimming pool about 10 rows back from the stage. It was crazy because people were going nuts, jumping in then pool. There were these balconies around the entire place too, so it had some a Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome feeling to it. People were completely losing their minds!

What is the name of your current/upcoming album and is there any concept behind the album title?
LEX: “The Fight Of Our Lives” is the title of our new record and it’s about the battles in life we all have to fight. Its about the struggle and its also a statement album letting everyone know that even though we are a smaller band now and even though no one really knows who we are, we’re here and we fought to get here and we are fighting to stay!! The album represents not only us as a band but all of us as a people, life is hard but it’s definitely worth fighting for.

SETH: Our new record is entitled “The Fight Of Our Lives.” The concept is about the aches and pains of everyday life and the struggle you have to fight through just to make it out alive. Everyone in life has something worth fighting for; for us it’s just trying to survive in a very competitive genre of music. We are here to fight for what we have and we are gonna keep on fighting no matter what!

Please select two songs that you may be playing at Rockstar Mayhem Fest and what inspired the lyrics.
LEX: We’ll be playing a song called “Laughing In The Rearview” which is about looking back on past hardships and laughing your ass off because you actually made it through when you thought you wouldn’t and laughing on how silly it seems now. Another tune we’ll be playing at the festival is entitled “Tear Down The Sky” which is actually our opening song because it’s so aggressive. That song is about being so livid with everything that you just want to destroy any and everything that comes in your path, it’s about being so pissed that you feel like tearing down the fucking sky!!

What could one expect from your live show at Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
LEX: They can expect that we will give them what they paid to come see…a show!! We will do everything in our power to give the people what they want…Mayhem!

SETH: Energy! As a band we feel that if people come to see us play they need to be able to see and feel something to. So we try to produce as much energy back to the fans. Hell if you just want to just hear the music, put in a CD.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to your band while out on the road?
LEX: While out on tour with Times Of Grace we were scheduled to play Dallas, TX and they got hit with really bad weather and pretty much all the roads were getting shut down due to snow and we spent like 22 hours on the interstate!! At one point we all got out of the van and started skating in our shoes on the ice and just acting stupid. We finally made it to the venue by the time Times of Grace was in the middle of their set and they were cool enough to let us go on after them so it was very interesting to say the least. Good times!!!

SETH: We were kicked off our first US tour with Devildriver, Napalm Death and 36 Crazyfists. When we showed up to the venue one day about half way through the tour…Devildriver’s TM came up to us and said you guys are off the tour. We were heartbroken, because we thought they hated us or something. See, we had missed the date before because Alexis had caught a nasty cold, so their excuse was that no body misses a date – no excuses!! But come to find out, it was April Fool’s Day. One of the shittiest tricks ever played on us, but super funny when it was all over because it completely devastated us. Needless to say, we were allowed to finish the tour. [laughs]

What is the most unusual or surprising artist you will be playing on your tour bus while out on the road this summer?
LEX: I’ll be playing Dirty Money with some 50′s and 60′s Oldies thrown in.

SETH: For me, I would say Hank Williams…well for that matter all the Hank’s. I love me some Honky Tonk country!!

Do you have any messages for fans who are planning on attending the Rockstar Mayhem Fest this year?
LEX: I encourage fans to come out and say hello because we’d love to meet you and say thanks

SETH: By all means, do not hesitate to come say hello to us. Anyone that has met us in the past knows there are no rock star attitudes in the SLS camp. We freaking love our fans and we want to meet every last one of you!!!!!!!

Straight Line Stitch Official Home Page

SUICIDE SILENCE

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band, and where your band is based out of?
My name is Mark Heylmun and I play guitar in Suicide Silence from Riverside California.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
Seeing Machine Head every night and being around a ton of bad ass metal heads.

What has been your most memorable concert experience that you have attended?
Yesterday I literally stood on stage during Down’s set in France and they didn’t even care, they were all about it and Phil hugged me. Pretty memorable…

What is the name of your current/upcoming album and is there any concept behind the album title?
It’s called The Black Crown it really doesn’t have specific concept except we are drowning ourselves as a heavy metal entity and not just a band with hype or in a scene.

Please select two songs that you may be playing at Rockstar Mayhem Fest and what inspired the lyrics.
Fuck Everything and You Only Live Once… Both are inspired by enjoying your short time here in earth.

What could one expect from your live show at Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
Lots of headbanging and lots and lots of groove.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to your band while out on the road?
Getting kicked off of a tour for sneaking girlfriends backstage.

What is the most unusual or surprising artist you will be playing on your tour bus while out on the road this summer?
Blink 182

Do you have any messages for fans who are planning on attending the Rockstar Mayhem Fest this year?
Go fucking nuts and have a blast!

Suicide Silence on Facebook

TRIVIUM

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band, and where your band is based out of?
Matthew K. Heafy; guitarist and vocalist of Trivium. Trivium was founded in 1999 in Altamonte Springs, FL (Orlando), and still resides there.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
Finally debuting our new album’s material live, in the most fitting of settings. Mayhem is the best USA touring festival that we’ve ever been on.

What has been your most memorable concert experience that you have attended?
Download 2005. We were slated to open the main stage at 11am. Thinking that only a few hundred people would show, our nerves were at ease. However, at 11am about 40,000 people showed up simultaneously and helped create one of the greatest times of our lives.

What is the name of your current/upcoming album and is there any concept behind the album title?
All will be revealed soon. Nothing is announced or to be announced yet.

Please select two songs that you may be playing at Rockstar Mayhem Fest and what inspired the lyrics.
New song 2, which all of the lyrics to New Album 5 will purely be up for the interpretation of the listener. There won’t be any definitions or explanations on any of the lyrics on the new album.

New song 5 or 6, same half answer as above.

What could one expect from your live show at Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
Metal.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to your band while out on the road?
People started showing up to see us.

What is the most unusual or surprising artist you will be playing on your tour bus while out on the road this summer?
Tobacco “Super Gum.” (watch the video.)

Do you have any messages for fans who are planning on attending the Rockstar Mayhem Fest this year?
Learn the words.

Trivium Official Home Page

UNEARTH

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band, and where your band is based out of?
Trevor Phipps. When we started the band in 1998 we were all from the North Shore of Massachusetts, but 13 years later we’re now all scattered around the state.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
Playing our tunes in front of thousands of people on a daily basis. Playing festivals is usually a great gig because people are generally there to have a good time all day and night. We’ll have our fans there to support us and we’ll have other people that might not be too familiar with us that we’ll need to win over. All around it is a cool experience.

What has been your most memorable concert experience that you have attended?
As a fan it would probably be my first concert back in 1991. I was in Junior High and I went to see Clash of the Titans with my best friend, girlfriend and father. I think that show really helped me decide to pursue being in a metal band. During Megadeth’s The Conjuring I remember letting loose, headbanging and moshing with my buddies and the rest of the night was just a sick experience. Every band just killed it.

As a touring musician, my favorite gig on the brain right now is last years Download. We played in front of at least 50,000 people and they were all losing their minds during our entire set. It is something I’ll never forget.

What is the name of your current/upcoming album and is there any concept behind the album title?
Darkness in the Light is the name of the album. There are recurring themes within the lyrics, but I wouldn’t call it a “concept” record. The record touches on the darker points of life hitting you hard and the reality of life not always being as positive as you would want it to be. There is always an underlying message of hope though, as we all need to overcome the negative to continue moving forward.

Please select two songs that you may be playing at Rockstar Mayhem Fest and what inspired the lyrics.
Watch it Burn- This song is pretty much about my distaste of politicians, religious extremists, trend followers and mankind as a whole. As I grow older I continue to realize there are more people working against the advancement of human life and our planet for their own political or financial gain. The song is pretty much a big middle finger to everything and everyone that has burned a hole in my eyes in my 33 years on this planet.

Shadows in the Light is about getting knocked down, but never giving up. It is about standing eye to eye with your worst enemy, taking on a challenge and promising yourself you’ll never give up no matter how inevitable defeat may seem.

What could one expect from your live show at Rockstar Mayhem Fest?
High energy, band and crowd interaction, a party atmosphere and lots of beer and whiskey. Our music is serious, but we also like to have fun at our shows.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to your band while out on the road?
Back when we first started touring in 2001, a dude with full blown Aids broke into our van and bled all over the interior and our bags. We had to throw out a ton of stuff and clean the entire van with bleach.

What is the most unusual or surprising artist you will be playing on your tour bus while out on the road this summer?
My favorite non-metal artist right now is a singer-songwriter called “The White Buffalo”. The music and lyrics tend to be dark and reminiscent of some metal songs, but in a folk format. I highly recommend his songs “The Woods” and “Black & Blue”

Do you have any messages for fans who are planning on attending the Rockstar Mayhem Fest this year?
Come out and party. We’ll be doing a couple signing sessions as well, so check out our set and come hang at our merch tent. We’ll be sipping on Miller Lite and pushing out new cd all summer long.

Unearth on Facebook

See you in the pit at Mayhem!!!

Rockstar Mayhem Festival Official Homepage

“The members of Megadeth are speed-metal music pioneers with a world renowned reputation for producing song catalogs with original and progressive lyrics,” said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “The NeverDead soundtrack is an example of pure imagination and it fully captures the essence of our game. We’re proud to have such a distinctive band associated with our title.”

Megadeth have sold over 25 million albums worldwide, with five consecutive albums being certified Platinum or multi-Platinum in the United States and have nine Grammy nominations under their belt.

“‘Never Dead’ was written specifically for the game, and the song’s lyrics and concept fit perfectly with its transcendental nature,” said Madelyn Scarpulla, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Creative Services for Roadrunner Records. “Megadeth and Roadrunner are both looking forward to the mutually beneficial marketing partnership we have established with KONAMI with the launch of NeverDead and Megadeth’s new album coming this fall.”

NeverDead, currently in production, is a third-person action game set in a futuristic world where humans are battling supernatural enemies across a dark post-apocalyptic metropolis. In the game, players will assume the role of a demonic hero agent named Bryce who, assisted by his female lead Arcadia, must undertake a series of missions to combat a demonic plague. NeverDead is expected to release later this year for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

THE 4TH ANNUAL ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2011 TOUR LINE-UP FEATURING DISTURBED, GODSMACK, MEGADETH, MACHINE HEAD, IN FLAMES, TRIVIUM and MANY MORE

The Hard Rock & Metal Tour Event of the Summer Kicks Off on July 9th with Pre-Sale Tickets Slotted for Friday April 8th

Tour Co-Producer John Reese to Appear on Sirius XM Liquid Metal with Host Jose Mangin, Today at 12pm PST

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL, the heralded hard rock and metal event of the summer, is swiftly becoming the heavy music fans’ summertime rite of passage. Today, the 4th annual summertime juggernaut announces the 2011 line-up with DISTURBED, GODSMACK and MEGADETH, joined by MACHINE HEAD, IN FLAMES, TRIVIUM, and many more of today’s most electrifying artists. The tour will make a 26 date trek across the country beginning on July 9th at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, California. Tune in to www.rockstarmayhemfest.com and www.livenation.com for up-to-date ticketing information.

This summer’s mainstage artists, DISTURBED, GODSMACK, and MEGADETH, will be joined by a ferocious mix of the best hard rock and metal artists of today. For the first time in festival history, through their success, IN FLAMES, MACHINE HEAD and TRIVIUM have grown through the ranks to now perform on the mainstage in rotating slots throughout the tour.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL is thrilled to see the return of festival veterans DISTURBED, MACHINE HEAD, TRIVIUM, and SUICIDE SILENCE.

The JAGERMEISTER stage will feature UNEARTH, KINGDOM OF SORROW, RED FANG, and the winners of JAGERMEISTER Battle of the Bands. The Extreme Stage will spotlight SUICIDE SILENCE, ALL SHALL PERISH and STRAIGHT LINE STITCH.

The 4th annual ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL will also feature ROCKSTAR METAL MULISHA JUMP TEAM, the World’s Greatest Freestyle Motocross team.

“Strap yourself in and hold on tight, cuz this ride goes reeeeeal fassst this summer,” exclaims GODSMACK vocalist Sully Erna. “Godsmack/Disturbed, Mayhem Festival!! Can’t Fu@?kin’ wait!!!”

Mainstage guitarist Dan Donnegan of DISTURBED emotes, “DISTURBED is looking forward to being part of the biggest summer tour in the U.S. this year. It’s been years since we shared the stage with GODSMACK and we’ve been wanting to team up with them and join forces for a longtime. MEGADETH has been a big inspiration to us and we are looking forward to the other bands rounding out what seems to be a solid bill.”
Also, mainstage performer MEGADETH’s lead guitarist and frontman Dave Mustaine adds, “This is going to be a helluva hot summer, and you can get ready for true Mayhem this year.”

“MACHINE HEAD are thrilled to once again be a part of what has become the undisputed king of metal and rock festivals in the U.S., MAYHEM,” states MACHINE HEAD frontman and guitarist Robb Flynn. “Our run headlining the JAGERMEISTER stage in 2008 was one of the wildest and most inspiring tours we have ever been a part of. We became friends with so many great bands and Mulisha dudes. We all partied, and rode what would become an incredible wave of momentum for MACHINE HEAD. The vibe on the tour was filled with an impressive amount of goodwill due to the attention to detail and hard work of John Reese and Kevin Lyman. MACHINE HEAD will do everything in our power to make this f*&#ing huge!! Bring on the summer!”

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL attendees can enjoy a plethora of festival activities, including perusing vendors, attending autograph signing sessions and a slew of other interactive activities that enhance the concert experience. It’s a 10 hour trip to heavy nirvana.

Complete information on the 2011 ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL line-up is available at www.rockstarmayhemfest.com. There fans can also check out exclusive video clips of official ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL correspondent, radio personality, author and scene icon, Full Metal Jackie introducing this year’s tour, plus a special appearance by one of this year’s mainstage performers!

Be sure to tune in to Sirius XM Liquid Metal on Monday morning at 12pm PST to catch live, exclusive updates and information straight from the source! Famously extreme Sirius XM radio personality Jose Mangin will be sitting down with ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL tour co-producer John Reese, who will unveil the official 2011 ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL line-up. Sirius XM will be the first radio destination that fans can learn about the certified line-up and special insider information from one of the tour’s established organizers. Stay tuned into Liquid Metal after the interview for exclusive conversations with some of this year’s performers.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL is produced by Rockstar Taste of Chaos organizer John Reese, Vans Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman and Creative Artists Agency. The trio has made the ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL a standout on the summer concert circuit by following the proven model of utilizing sponsorship to deliver a lower ticket price and an enhanced concert experience. This year sees them joining forces once again with ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK as the title sponsor.

“Metal is ALIVE and WELL in 2011,” states tour producer John Reese. “Each year the tour gets bigger and better and 2011 is no exception. This group of artists this year are going to apply a big, bad, metal shellacking for the fans across the USA and Canada.”

“ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL 2011 is a true mix of molten veterans and smoldering up-and-comers, who are bringing their A games and giving the fans nothing less of an amazing day,” adds tour producer Kevin Lyman.

Live Nation is co-producer of the tour and will promote the festival nationally. Perry Lavoisne, SVP North American Touring for Live Nation, states, “The Mayhem team has delivered the best live metal line-up possible for four years in row, while creating a highly visible brand and value for fans of metal and hard rock. We anticipate another stellar run with DISTURBED, GODSMACK, MEGADETH and all the other bands uniting metal fans at every tour stop.”

In 2008, the ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL bulldozed onto the scene and quickly made itself known as the preeminent summer destination for the hard rock and metal community. ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL boasts the most powerful artist line-ups in heavy music. Artists who have performed in ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL’s past include hard music legends SLAYER, SLIPKNOT, MARILYN MANSON, KORN, ROB ZOMBIE, LAMB OF GOD, HATEBREED, CANNIBAL CORPSE, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, MASTODON, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and many more. All have pummeled the stage, while delivering the intensity and heaviness that fans have grown to expect year after year.

See below for all current tour dates. When viewing, fans should take notice of the line-up changes on the San Bernardino, Mountain View and Montreal dates. On July 9th in San Bernardino, CA, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim’s metal cartoon phenomenon DETHKLOK will perform in the place of MEGADETH, and colossal Bay Area thrash kings TESTAMENT will perform in the place of IN FLAMES. TESTAMENT will also perform in the place of IN FLAMES on the July 10th Mountain View, CA date. MEGADETH will not be appearing on the Montreal, QC Heavy MTL date. Other bands will be announced for Heavy MTL soon. Go to www.heavymtl.com for further information.

“DETHKLOK has decided to play one show this year,” boasts Metalocalypse co-creator and DETHKLOK lead musician Brendon Small. “And that show is the Mayhem fest on July 9th. There is nothing more brutal than horrible hot putrid disgusting summer why not make it just a little more brutal, right? We are super honored to be a part of this amazing lineup! I can’t wait!”

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL TOUR DATES:
7/9 – San Manuel Amphitheater – San Bernardino, CA (Los Angeles, CA)
7/10 – Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA (San Francisco, CA)
7/12 – White River Amphitheatre – Auburn, WA (Seattle, WA)
7/13 – Idaho Center Amphitheater – Nampa, ID (Boise, ID)
7/15 – Desert Sky Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ
7/16 – Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque Presents The Pavilion – Albuquerque, NM
7/17 – Comfort Dental Amphitheater – Englewood, CO (Denver, CO)
7/19 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – Maryland Heights, MO (St. Louis, MO)
7/20 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH
7/22 – Comcast Center – Mansfield, MA (Boston, MA)
7/23 – Parc Jean-Drapeau – (Heavy MTL) – Montreal, QC /www.heavymtl.com
7/24 – Comcast Theater – Hartford, CT
7/27 – PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ
7/29 – First Niagara Pavilion – Burgettstown, PA (Pittsburgh, PA)
7/30 – Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA (Washington DC)
7/31 – Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ
8/2 – Virginia Beach Amphitheater – Virginia Beach, VA
8/3 – Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek – Raleigh, NC
8/5 – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre – Tinley Park, IL (Chicago IL)
8/6 – DTE Energy Music Theatre – Clarkston, MI (Detroit, MI)
8/7 – Verizon Wireless Music Center – Noblesville, IN (Indianapolis, IN)
8/9 – Zoo Amphitheatre – Oklahoma City, OK
8/10 – Gexa Energy Pavilion – Dallas, TX
8/12 – Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood – Atlanta, GA
8/13 – 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre – Tampa, FL
8/14 – Cruzan Amphitheatre – West Palm Beach, FL

For more information on the ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL, visit www.rockstarmayhemfest.com.

Rust in Peace Live CD/DVD by Megadeth (Shout! Factory)

If you were one of the lucky few that got to experience Rust In Peace Live at the Hollywood Palladium on March 31, 2010 then you know how insane the night was. If not, here is your chance to crank up the volume and attempt to create your own mosh pit. I was there, and the night was memorable, with Testament and Exodus digging deep into their catalogs for some thrash metal classics before Megadeth took the stage.

The audio and video documents of that night are superb, if truncated and edited versions of what really went down, with Megadeth opening with a few songs before crashing into Rust, then treating us with six more songs full of metal mayhem then ending the night with a reprise to Holy Wars. Regardless, the DVD gets into the band’s faces and fingers so all the guitarists out there can better examine the lightning fast picking of Dave Mustaine and Chris Broderick. Just study the soulful solo from Broderick during Tornado of Souls for proof of how brilliant he is.

Drummer Shawn Drover keeps the beat hard and precise and original bassist and co-founder David Ellefson is back in the fold! Mustaine is burying the hatchet with his oldest Mega-partner and the audience couldn’t be happier to see and hear the two together after all these years.

Fans that weren’t even born when Rust came out in 1990 are given ample reason to bang their heads to Megadeth’s music. They’re one of the most accessible heavy metal bands around, with catchy lyrics and choruses and astounding solos that weave in and out of the songs’ overall melodies. Mustaine’s lyrics are topical, political, violent and angry, but he’s always championing the metal masses. The music on Rust In Peace is timeless and some subjects just as relevant today, and all the songs are suitable to bang your heads to like maniacs.

Also included on the DVD is before show footage of the band practicing, sound checking and hanging out in their room and of the early arriving fans showing their love for Megadeth. I’d advise you to watch this footage before thrashing out to the main live footage, you’ll be pumped just seeing the fans going crazy!

(Review by Bret Miller)

Megadeth Official Homepage

STAY TUNED FOR MORE UPDATES ON THE FOLLOW UP TO THE AWARD WINNING ALBUM ‘THE FORMATION OF DAMNATION’!

Bay Area heavy metal legends TESTAMENT have just wrapped up on the historical AMERICAN CARNAGE tour with Slayer and Megadeth! The band would like to thank all of their loyal and remarkable fans for supporting them on this recent run, and enjoyed meeting their biggest supporters at the exclusive VIP Meet & Greets! Now that TESTAMENT is back from tearing up the stage on the AMERICAN CARNAGE tour, they are ready to head into writing and recording mode for their upcoming follow up to their Golden Gods “Album of the Year”, The Formation of Damnation!

“The AMERICAN CARNAGE tour was great for us, but now is the time for us to hold off on performing and go full steam ahead on getting the record finished,” affirms vocalist Chuck Billy. “We currently have studio time booked at the end of this year, and we’re shooting for a mid-2011 release. The new album will most likely be a culmination of The Gathering and The Formation of Damnation, but we’re definitely not going to forget who we are or our roots. I think we’ve found a comfortable spot in our writing style.”

“I think the tour went really well for us. It’s the first time we had a stage set to our live performance, which was a lot of fun, and it brought the band to a whole new level in regards to performing. Playing with Megadeth and Slayer again was a lot of fun,” adds guitarist Eric Peterson. “We’re going to be home during the fall and winter working on new material. As we speak, I’m working on new music, and we’re shooting to record by the end of the year. That’s our plan, but we’re not going to just put out a record to put out a record. We have standards, and we’re picky as to what exactly we want to put out.”

Make sure to keep an eye out for more updated information and on the writing and recording of the new album! Stay tuned for in-studio updates later this fall and winter! You can keep up with all things TESTAMENT at www.myspace.com/testamentlegions!

Can’t wait until next year to get your TESTAMENT fix? Tune in to Australia’s ‘The Racket’ to hear Chuck and Eric host the Triple J show! The show will air on Tuesday, September 28th at 10pm ET Australia time/8am ET US time. Tune into the show at this link: http://triplej.net.au/racket

TESTAMENT’S highly successful and award-winning album The Formation of Damnation was recently reissued in a deluxe tour edition in celebration of their two amazing tours this year. See below for information on the album!

The Formation of Damnation (Deluxe Tour Edition)
2-disc deluxe tour edition of the band’s comeback album! Includes bonusbfootage of classic tracks + more:

Disc 1:
1. The Persecuted Won’t Forget
2. Killing Season
3. Afterlife
4. The Evil Has Landed
5. The Formation Of Damnation
6. Henchmen Ride
7. More Than Meets The Eye
8. Dangers Of The Faithless
9. False Evidence Appearing Real (F.E.A.R.)
10. Leave Me Forever

Disc 2
• The New Order *Audio and Video
• Practice What You Preach *Audio and Video
• Souls Of Black *Audio and Video
*Recorded in Alcatraz for their MTV “52/52” special
• More Than Meets The Eye music video

For more info on TESTAMENT be sure to visit:
http://www.myspace.com/testamentlegions

http://www.testamentlegions.com

ANTHRAX – WITH JOEY BELLADONNA ON VOCALS – TO TOUR THE U.S. THIS FALL

Band Will Join Slayer and Megadeth on Jagermeister Fall Music Tour While Preparing for First New Album with Belladonna in 21 Years

LOS ANGELES, CA (Monday, August 23, 2010) — Following seven historic shows as part of “The Big Four” European festival dates with Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth, Anthrax will join Slayer and Megadeth on the Jagermeister Fall Music Tour set to kick off September 24 at Superpages in Dallas, TX. The 20-date concert trek will mark the first U.S. tour Anthrax has done since vocalist Joey Belladonna rejoined the band earlier this year, and the first time the three bands have shared an American stage since the classic 1991 “Clash of the Titans” tour. Tickets are on sale now at www.ticketmaster.com (http://knoxvilletickets.com/ for the Knoxville date).

For this tour, Anthrax has teamed up with Artist Arena to offer fans the ultimate Anthrax VIP Package, which consists of a Meet & Greet pass to meet Anthrax, an autographed commemorative poster, a commemorative tour laminate, and an exclusive VIP-only Anthrax T-shirt. For more details, and to get your Anthrax VIP Package, log onto http://bit.ly/anthraxvip – Usermane: anthrax – Password: tickets

Media showered praise on the Belladonna-fronted Anthrax for the European “Big Four” festivals: “It’s been almost two decades since [Belladonna] initially parted with Anthrax, but he proved to be in raw, primal and fine form,” one European journalist wrote, while another noted, “Anthrax made their presence known with a raucous roar…you would never have known that they weren’t the headliners.”

“It’s great to see so many people getting excited about us being together again,” said Belladonna. “Even with just one day of rehearsal before the show in Poland, we played really well and really jelled together on stage. We had a great time in Europe, and are looking forward to seeing our U.S. fans this fall.”

“Everything has been going so great, just like we hoped it would,” said guitarist Scott Ian. “We wanted Joey to say yes to coming back to the band, we hoped all would go well, and everything couldn’t be going any better.”

For the Jagermeister Fall Music Tour, fans can expect an Anthrax set packed with some of their all-time favorite songs – “Caught In The Mosh,” “AntiSocial, “Madhouse,” and “Indians,” are just a few that the band knows HAVE to be played.

“There are a lot of songs to fit into 50-minutes,” laughed drummer Charlie Benante, “so we’ll probably change up the set list a little from night to night, and we might debut a new song from our upcoming album as well.”

Since returning from the European tour, the members of Anthrax have begun writing and rehearsing for their new album which is expected out in early 2011.

“We’ve got an unusual luxury of hindsight,” Ian explained. “We finished an album more than a year ago, we’ve lived with those 12 songs since then, and we can look back on them and see what we really love and what we can make even better, especially with Joey back in the fold. On these U.S. dates, we’ll have a portable rig with us so we can work on the songs during any down time, and get everything to the point where we’ll be ready to get into the studio as soon as possible.”

Added Benante, “There are five or six songs from a year ago that we don’t want to change, we love them the way they are, other than having Joey making them his own with his vocals. Then there’s another five or six that we may want to rework, and then there are a bunch of other tunes that are still in the early stages, that we want to finish.”

With worldwide sales in excess of 10-million, Anthrax is about to celebrate its 29th year as a band. Over its career, Anthrax has received multiple Gold and Platinum albums, multiple Grammy nominations, and a host of other accolades from the press, industry and fans. Belladonna, an essential part of Anthrax‘s lineup from 1985 to 1992, sang on some of the band’s most popular albums including Spreading the Disease, Among the Living and Persistence of Time. He had reunited with original members of Anthrax for the 2005 – 2007 “Among the Living Tour,” but is now permanently back in the fold.

“We’re super excited that Slayer and Megadeth asked us to be part of this tour,” said Ian, “especially coming off of the European shows. To tour with both of them again in the U.S. is an unbelievable high, and we can’t wait. This is why we love being in a band: it’s not work, it’s ‘let’s go out and have some fun with our friends.’”

Anthrax will also headline two shows while out on the Jagermeister tour. Complete dates for the Jagermeister Fall Music Tour and Anthrax’s headline shows are as follows:

SEPTEMBER
23 Diamond Ballroom, Oklahoma City, OK (headline show)
24 Superpages.com Center, Dallas, TX
25 AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
26 Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX
28 Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, LA
30 Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, TN

OCTOBER
1 Arena at Gwinnett Center, Atlanta, GA
2 Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL
3 Bayfront Park Amphitheatre, Miami, FL
5 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
6 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore, MD
8 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, Long Island, NY
9 Toyota Pavilion @ Montage Mountain, Scranton, PA
10 LC Pavilion, Columbus, OH
12 Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY
14 War Memorial Coliseum, Ft. Wayne, IN
15 DeltaPlex, Grand Rapids, MI
16 Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee, WI
18 Summit Music Hall, Denver, CO (headline show)
19 Maverik Center, Salt Lake City, UT
20 The Pearl, Las Vegas, NV
21 Gibson Amphitheatre, Hollywood, CA

JAGERMEISTER ANNOUNCES FALL MUSIC TOUR FEATURING SLAYER AND MEGADETH WITH SPECIAL GUEST ANTHRAX

LOS ANGELES, CA – August 17, 2010 — Jagermeister, the brand known for decades of involvement with rock and metals bands, continues to own the concert circuit with the announcement of the 2010 Fall Jagermeister Music Tour, North America’s biggest thrash tour in 20 years with the 1991 original “Clash of the Titans” lineup – Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. The brand’s 17th Music Tour will bring three of the hardest hitting metal bands in the world to one stage and will feature complete performances of Slayer‘s much lauded Seasons In The Abyss album from 1990, Megadeth‘s landmark 1990 album Rust In Peace, and the return of Anthrax‘s singer Joey Belladonna. The tour kicks off September 24 and will play 20 venues across the nation.

“I’ve been working with Jagermeister since 2004 to try to make the first Jagermeister Music Tour Trifecta happen,” said guitarist Kerry King of Slayer. “I always have such a killer time on the Jagermeister Music Tour, and this time we’re coming through with Megadeth and Anthrax so you know everyone will be on the top of their game for these shows.” Megadeth‘s Dave Mustaine adds, “It is a rush to finally be a part of the Jagermeister Music Tour!”

“Slayer has been a long time friend and supporter of the brand,” says Bill Henderson, Senior Vice President Marketing and Advertising at Sidney Frank Importing Company, Inc. “Jagermeister has been sponsoring them since 2001 and named them as headliner of both the 2003 and 2004 Fall Music Tours. It is great to work with them again and know that adding Megadeth and Anthrax to the program will make this a tour to remember.”

In the beginning, when there were no blueprints, no set paths, no boundaries or steps to follow, SLAYER assaulted the world with its new hybrid of metal and punk. Heavier, faster and darker than the rest, Slayer – guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, vocalist/bassist Tom Araya, and drummer Dave Lombardo – set the new standard that all others continue to follow. And that has continued through to 2010. Revolver, SPIN and Metal Hammer have all named Slayer “Best Live Band.” Esquire presented them with an Esky Award. They’ve got two Grammys, a Kerrang! Hall of Fame Award and multiple Revolver Readers’ Poll Awards. For this fall’s Jagermeister Music Tour, Slayer‘s Tom Araya promises “no ballads, no acoustic numbers, no slow tempos.”

For the past two decades, Megadeth‘s storied career, including more than 20-million worldwide sales and eight Grammy nods, has not only set standards in hard rock and metal, but defined them. Megadeth‘s signature shredding and rousing lyrics have drawn fans in since the band’s beginnings, and are the very things that keep them interested, excited, and of course, head-banging, at every turn. Founding vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine, a NY Times best selling author who was the recipient of the first annual Golden God Award at the inaugural Revolver Golden God Awards in 2009, is renowned for his ability to use the vehicle of music to shake things up, to make a point and to rattle your brain, literally, figuratively and sonically, which he did with 2009′s ENDGAME, which received some of the highest critical accolades of the band’s already impressive career. The band’s fourth album, Rust In Peace, saw the band cement their status as one of the most important metal bands with masterpieces like “Hanger 18” and “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due.”

With worldwide sales in excess of 10-million, Anthrax, who along with Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth, is credited with originating the thrash genre, is about to celebrate its 29th year as a band, and continues to be one of metal’s all-time great acts. Over the band’s career, Anthrax has received multiple Gold and Platinum albums, multiple Grammy nominations, and a host of other accolades from the press, industry and fans. Earlier this year, Anthrax announced that vocalist Joey Belladonna, an essential part of Anthrax’s lineup from 1985 to 1992, was rejoining the band, and has taken his place onstage this summer as Anthrax has joined Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth - The Big Four founding members of Thrash – as co-headliners of a series of Sonisphere Festivals in seven European cities. Plans are for the “classic era” Anthrax to write and record a new album for a 2011 release.

The Jagermeister Fall Music Tour will feature Jagermeister custom prizes from tour sponsors Schecter Guitars and Peavey Electronics. In addition, Jagermeister will be hosting nightly text-to-win giveaways including Tap machines and other branded POS. Giveaways are subject to state and local laws and participants must be of legal drinking age or older. The Jagermeister Fall MusicTour will be produced by Synergy Global Entertainment, Inc.

Register to win VIP tickets and backstage access, where legal at www.jagermeistermusictour.com

JAGERMEISTER IS DEDICATED TO MUSIC, NOT UNDERAGE DRINKING.

About Jägermeister
Jägermeister, which translates to “master hunter”, is the #1 selling imported liqueur in the United States and one of the top shot brands in the world. The liqueur is based on a secret recipe, combining 56 different natural ingredients, including select herbs, blossoms, roots and fruits from every corner of the globe. Jägermeister, with the distinctive square bottle, was developed in 1934 in Germany and the brand quickly gained global fame through its innovative marketing, unique taste profile and its association with good times. Jägermeister Liqueur is 35% Alc./Vol. and imported exclusively by Sidney Frank Importing Company, Inc., New Rochelle, NY www.jager.com. Jägermeister is available in the following sizes in the United States: 50ml, 100ml, 200ml, 375ml, 750ml, 1L, 1.75L.

About Synergy
Synergy Global Entertainment, Inc. is the United States premier traveling festival production company. SGE produces the Jägermeister Music Tours as well as the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival and co produces the Worldwide Rockstar Taste of Chaos as well as the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. In 2010 alone SGE will produce over 125 Large Music Festival Events in over 100 cities in 15 countries throughout the world with attendance in excess of 1 million people. Company principals John Reese and John Oakes have a combined 32 years of experience in artist management, large scale festival production and brand integration and have worked with artists as diverse as Guns N Roses and The Cure. SGE excels at integrating brands needs with large scale musical entertainment.” Jägermeister is our newest client and we have a strong three year relationship working with them on MAYHEM. They are a company that completely understands what their brand is all about and together we feel like we can present successful, fresh ideas in the integration of their product and fans of music.” John Reese, CEO of SGE.

JAGERMEISTER FALL MUSIC TOUR SCHEDULE

SEPTEMBER
24 Superpages.com Center, Dallas, TX
25 AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
26 Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX
28 Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, LA
30 Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, TN

OCTOBER
1 The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Atlanta, GA
2 Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL
3 Bayfront Park Amphitheatre, Miami, FL
5 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
6 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore, MD
8 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, Long Island, NY
9 Toyota Pavilion @ Montage Mountain, Scranton, PA
10 LC Pavilion, Columbus, OH
12 Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY
14 War Memorial Coliseum, Ft. Wayne, IN
15 DeltaPlex, Grand Rapids, MI
16 Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee, WI
19 Maverik Center, Salt Lake City, UT
20 The Pearl, Las Vegas, NV
21 Gibson Amphitheatre, Hollywood, CA

“We’re gearing up to start what will be known as the heaviest thrash event ever,” states TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson. “Slayer, Megadeth and Testament haven’t shared the stage since the original and first tour in 1990 of Clash of the Titans in Europe. New thrash fans that only heard rumors and never were able to witness Clash of the Titans will be delighted because all three bands are just as heavy and lethal as ever, if not more. Old school thrash fans, if you missed the line-up before, you don’t want to miss this!” Peterson added, “We’ve had great success during the two and a half year The Formation of Damnation campaign, and feel honored and excited to end the campaign with a tour like this. After the AMERICAN CARNAGE TOUR, we head straight into the studio to work on new material for our forthcoming record, releasing mid 2011 through Nuclear Blast Records.”

In celebration of this heralded event, TESTAMENT is offering an amazing opportunity with their VIP package. This is the fan’s chance to meet the band and get exclusive limited addition merchandise on this epic tour before Testament head into the studio to record the follow up to their Golden Gods “Album of the Year”, The Formation Of Damnation! Now, the Testament VIP package offers some great additions, including an exclusive TESTAMENT Affliction T-shirt!

Front man Chuck Billy reflected on the VIP experience that TESTAMENT fans can expect this summer:

“If there is one thing true about us, we love our fans so much that we want to hang out with them, give them special shit and then throw them INTO THE PIT! This tour is huge, with three of the greatest bands in metal reuniting after 20 years. We want to make you a part of this special event. So hook yourself up with a TESTAMENT AMERICAN CARNAGE TOUR VIP Pack today.”

The band is offering a limited number of VIP Packages for every United States date on the tour. Act now and make sure to take hold of this great opportunity to be a part of METAL HISTORY with TESTAMENT this summer!

The exclusive AMERICAN CARNAGE TOUR VIP package includes:
- One general admission ticket with early entry (where available)
- Exclusive Meet & Greet with the members of TESTAMENT
- Personal photograph with the band
- Autograph session (includes 8X10 photo)
- Exclusive TESTAMENT Affliction Shirt
- Collectible Tour Poster (limited, numbered)
- Exclusive TESTAMENT Music Skin
- Official VIP Meet and Greet Laminate
- Official set of TESTAMENT Guitar Picks

See below for all AMERICAN CARNAGE TOUR dates, as well as more recently announced international dates:

CATCH TESTAMENT ON THE 2010 AMERICAN CARNAGE TOUR
7/23 Quebec City, QC @ Pavillon de la Jenuesse
7/24 Montreal, QC @ Heavy MTL @ Parc Jean Drapeau
7/26 Halifax, NS @ Metro Centre
7/27 Moncton, NB @ Moncton Coliseum
7/29 Toronto, ONT @ Molson Amphitheatre
7/30 London, ONT @ John Labatte Center
8/11 Albany, NY @ Glen Falls Civic Center
8/12 East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center
8/14 Boston, MA @ Tsongas Center at UMASS Lowell
8/15 Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
8/16 Wallingford, CT @ Chevrolet Theater
8/18 Cleveland, OH @ Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre
8/19 Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena
8/20 Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion
8/21 Minneapolis, MN @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium
8/23 Kansas City, @ Cap Fed Park @ Sandstone Arena
8/24 Denver, CO @ Magness Arena
8/25 Albuquerque, NM @ Tingley Coliseum
8/27 Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
8/29 San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
8/30 Long Beach, CA @ Long Beach Arena
8/31 San Francisco, CA @ Cow Palace
9/1 Sacramento, CA @ Arco Arena
9/3 Seattle, WA @ Wamu Theatre
9/4 Portland, OR @ Washington County Fairgrounds

SEE TESTAMENT ON THEIR INTERNATIONAL TOUR DATES!
AUSTRALIA
8/6 Melbourne, AUS @ Billboard
8/7 Sydney, AUS @ The Manning Venue
8/8 Brisbane, AUS @ HiFi

TESTAMENT’S highly successful and award-winning album The Formation of Damnation was recently reissued in a deluxe tour edition in celebration of ‘Rust in Peace’ and AMERICAN CARNAGE. See below for information on the album!

The Formation of Damnation (Deluxe Tour Edition)
2-disc deluxe tour edition of the band’s comeback album! Includes bonus footage of classic tracks + more:

Disc 1:
1. The Persecuted Won’t Forget
2. Killing Season
3. Afterlife
4. The Evil Has Landed
5. The Formation Of Damnation
6. Henchmen Ride
7. More Than Meets The Eye
8. Dangers Of The Faithless
9. False Evidence Appearing Real (F.E.A.R.)
10. Leave Me Forever

Disc 2
• The New Order *Audio and Video
• Practice What You Preach *Audio and Video
• Souls Of Black *Audio and Video
*Recorded in Alcatraz for their MTV “52/52” special
• More Than Meets The Eye music video

For more info on TESTAMENT be sure to visit:
http://www.myspace.com/testamentlegions
http://www.testamentlegions.com

Rust In Peace Live features the entire Rust In Peace track listing, including all-time classics “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due” and “Hangar 18” along with bonus fan favorites from various other Megadeth releases such as “Symphony For Destruction,” “Peace Sells,” and “Skin O’ My Teeth.”

Megadeth founder/frontman/guitarist Dave Mustaine explains, “We are pumped to be able to share the RIP Live concert with you all around the world. The anniversary and David Ellefson coming back was better than a facelift and a bottle of Viagra for old Vic.”

The 80-minute Rust In Peace Live DVD (5.1 Dolby Surround 16:9 Widescreen) and Blu-ray (5.1 DTS Master Audio 1080p High Definition) were directed by Kerry Asmussen (Green Day, Jay-Z, Coachella). The DVD and Blu-ray will also include behind-the-scenes footage, including a rare glimpse of the band rehearsing in their dressing room as they prepare to take the stage.

Rust In Peace is considered one of the best metal albums of all time by fans and critics and debuted at #23 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart in the U.S. and #8 in the U.K. The album showcased a much tighter sound, with Mustaine’s writing style adopting a rhythmically complex progressive edge, prompting All Music Guide to cite Rust In Peace as “Megadeth‘s strongest musical effort.” The album received Grammy nominations in 1990 and 1991 for “Best Metal Performance.” Emphasizing the massive impact of Rust In Peace in the July 2010 issue of Guitar World, writer Richard Bienstock calls it “one of the pinnacles of the first wave of thrash metal.” He continues, “A defining quality of Megadeth’s sound—and the one that perhaps most sets them apart from their ‘Big Four’ thrash brethren, Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax—has always been the band’s fiery mix of speed-metal ferocity and progressive instrumental virtuosity…nowhere has this combination been displayed better than on Rust In Peace.”

The full track listing for the Rust In Peace Live CD, DVD and Blu-ray is as follows:

Rest In Peace Live:
Holy Wars…The Punishment Due
Hangar 18
Take No Prisoners
Five Magics
Poison Was The Cure
Lucretia
Tornado Of Souls
Dawn Patrol
Rust In Peace…Polaris

Bonus Content:
Skin O’ My Teeth (Countdown To Extinction)
In My Darkest Hour (So Far, So Good…So What!)
She-Wolf (Cryptic Writings)
Trust (Cryptic Writings)
Symphony Of Destruction (Countdown To Extinction)
Peace Sells (Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?)
Holy Wars – Reprise (Rust In Peace)

For more information, go to www.megadeth.com and www.shoutfactory.com.