For what started out as a warm day quickly turned into an explosive one with the Atlanta, US stop of the 2015 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival! Sadly, this was the touring festival's final year, but it went out with a bang with SLAYER headlining and support acts such as KING DIAMOND, HELLYEAH, WHITECHAPEL, and THY ART IS MURDER.

In the middle of the tour, SLAYER guitarist KERRY KING went on record as calling the Victory Records label inferior, causing a bit of tension and casting a shadow on an already struggling festival. Regardless, each band played with the ferocity as though they were focused on the fans that came out to see them.

I first caught SHATTERED SUN, touring in support of their debut album "Hope Within Hatred." I caught these guys on tour with TESTAMENT and EXODUS at an indoor venue, so the sound dynamics were different being that Mayhem Fest is an outdoor-style event. Regardless that SHATTERED SUN were the second band that afternoon, there was already a big crowd growing and it is my belief that this band's break-out hype drew the early crowd.
 

Next up was SWORN IN from Chicago, US. I was not really sure what to expect from these guys, having never heard their music beforehand. I got a Hardcore/Emo kind of vibe from them, and Tyler Denner's vocal style and stage presence were a little lackluster and I had a hard time absorbing the music that was coming from his bandmates.
 

I took a break from the heat during the SISTER SIN set to regroup and reset in preparation for the upcoming JUNGLE ROT performance. These guys were touring in support of their own new album, "Order Shall Prevail." Representing the Death Metal outlet from California, I was definitely anticipating hearing their brand of mosh-inducing heavy music and I was absolutely delighted. They were a commanding presence on stage and it was obvious they enjoyed being there, doing what they do best.
 

Immediately following was the Australian Deathcore powerhouse THY ART IS MURDER, touring to promote "Holy War." By now the crowd was filling in all the spaces around the stage and there seemed to be electricity in the air in anticipation. As soon as they took the stage, the crowd burst into cheers, ready for the metal offensive that was about to be launched on them. CJ McMahon brought the energy throughout the set, stopping at points to thank the crowd and give an Atlanta shoutout to "Trap Music" star Gucci Mane. I'm not much for crossovers, but the Atlanta recognition got the crowd's attention and applauded in quite a vigorous manner. Side note: THY ART IS MURDER's set was only twenty-five minutes.
 

Next on stage was the legendary Phil Bozeman and his bandmates in WHITECHAPEL, touring with their new record out, "Our Endless War." The weather at this point was turning sour and the threat of heavy storms looming provided an appropriate backdrop for the Knoxville, Tennessee Deathcore ensemble's performance. The band played their forty-minute set, stopping only to say a few encouraging words and coerce the crowd to forming up the infamous wall of death (during "This Is Exile"). I was finished with the photography portion of the set, so being that I was already in the crowd, I was more than happy to join in the pandemonium.
 

I sat out the next two bands KISSING CANDICE and FEED HER TO THE SHARKS to get some nourishment and to ready my equipment for the main stage acts set to perform shortly after.

So on came THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, opening act for the main stage. I have never really been sure what to make of this band, so I was interested to see them in concert. I discovered that they have a pretty extreme sound and seemed to have no trouble drawing the crowd over from the second stage. That being said, I don't really know how else to describe them, but they were very animated on stage and that was fun to watch on its own.
 

Oh, and HELLYEAH. This band was pretty much the only Hard Rock-infused Metal acts to jump on the Mayhem Fest tour for 2015, and they brought with them the widely-known name that they have built over the years with plenty of radio play and members from several other well-known bands including, of course, Vinnie Paul on the drums and MUDVAYNE's Chad Gray on vocals. Without hesitation, they opened up their set with Chad completely covering his face with stage blood, adding to the chaotic feel of their music and stage backdrop and maintaining the energy through the remainder of their set. One of my favorite things of this portion of Mayhem Fest was that Vinnie kept tossing drumsticks at random into the crowd, giving some eager fans some valuable keepsakes!
 

The second headlining act was the infamous KING DIAMOND. I was definitely looking forward to his performance since I was familiar with his work in the band MERCYFUL FATE. The props on stage during his set were complicated and gothic in appearance, with a double staircase lined with gargoyles leading to a top deck, shadowed by a lighted pentagram in the center. The voice and instruments were flawless in comparison to the recorded songs that they performed live. King Diamond himself was extremely animated, singing and putting on a stage show, almost as if he was the lead act in a morbid musical. The audio quality of his performance was exceptional and led the entire event as the best-sounding, and I was left breathless and extremely impressed after his hour-long set.
 

But then there was SLAYER. Their new album "Repentless" has been making waves in the Metal community since confirmation of its creation reached media outlets, so getting to hear some of their latest music was an opportunity I was jumping at.

The very stage upon which they performed was veiled during setup before they came on. All it did for me and pretty much everyone else in the crowd was get them amped for what horrors may come! So when the lights dimmed and a laser-lit display showed on the white veil blocking the view of the stage, I understood what it was there for and it all made sense. Then Tom, Gary, Paul, and Kerry started playing and the insanity cranked up full-force. Their setlist was a full seventy-five minutes, leaving me euphoric to hear such hits as "Mandatory Suicide," "Hell Awaits," "Raining Blood," and "Angel of Death" being played right before me.
 

Their stage set was a background of fiery projections on the fabric panels behind them, with blast torches arranged in a series to the left and right of center stage. These torches made an already steamy evening seem like the fourth layer of Hell, enough for Tom to comment between songs how hot those things were making the air on stage in conjunction with the late-July humidity of Atlanta. The audio during their set was kind of wonky, going out on the right side for a moment, then at other times going out on the left. No matter, the giant mosh pit/circle pit never really stopped the entire time and though the attendance was disappointing considering the lineup, everyone who stuck it out for the entire day was still going strong, all the way until Tom bid the crowd farewell until we meet again, concluding an epic day of Metal and shenanigans, and unfortunately the last Atlanta stop of the Mayhem Fest tour.