On a warm, humid day in July, metaldom descended just outside Chicago as the Mayhem Fest landed at First Midwest Amphitheater in Tinley Park, Illinois. Two things were in store for the day: a very different lineup than the previous year, and a huge metal contingent of fans who were ready to throw down from the word "go".

Admittedly, I arrived at the fest a bit late (plight of a "working man" trying to catch all of a Friday daytime metal show), but fortunately, it seemed I was able to catch most of the best of what the day had to offer. Upon arriving, however, I was a bit nervous, as coming through the gate, I caught Alex Varkatzas, vocalist for Atreyu scream out, "Are you ready to rock Chicago?!?" Since I'm not a big fan of Atreyu….at all, I was hopeful for three things: First, that I wasn't catching the beginning of their set in some cruel twist of fate. Second, that I didn't just get rickrolled into a Spinal Tap "Hello Cleveland" moment that would stick with me throughout the rest of the day, and finally, that it wouldn't be indicative of what would be experienced with the many remaining bands during the fest. Fortunately, none of that was the case.

The fest was well set up in basically 3 different sections. The Jagermeister and Silver Star Casting Company stages sat side by side, making it easy for concert-goers to bounce between stages as they alternated back and forth throughout the day. This made for a very smooth transition between bands, as there was little time wasted between sets, but fans had ample opportunity to get a good spot for the next set before it kicked off.

Nearby was also the festival village, where plenty of merch and vendor tents could be found, with a variety of offerings for the fans. Finally, the mainstage area, under the main pavilion at the site, which was nearly not enough space for the crowd that showed up, even for the first mainstage bands. By the time the festivities had switched from the side stages to the main stage, capacity seemed to be nearly reached, with hundreds more fans in the lawn area. Honestly, I was a bit surprised, as my last metal experience at First Midwest was for the Sounds of the Underground just a few years prior, which actually held what was, in my opinion, a better lineup than the Mayhem fest, even without the bigger names on the ticket.

As I arrived inside, I was able to snag a good spot, just after Atreyu ended their set, for Hatebreed. Buzz around the fest was that the bands that preceded Atreyu, Shadows Fall, In This Moment, and Chimaira, absolutely destroyed their respective sets. Having seen Shadows Fall a few years back on the SOTU tour, I can certainly see that being the case.

Hatebreed threw down some amazingly intense hardcore metal from the word go. They are probably hands down one of the most hype bands live in the metal scene today, and they didn't disappoint. One thing Hatebreed does at every show they play is succeed in whipping the crowd into a fist-pumping, stage-diving frenzy. I'm not sure I've been at a metal or hardcore show where I saw more crowd participation or movement. Hatebreed brought the ruckus.

Up next was Norma Jean. Outside the headlining bands, Norma Jean was probably the band on the side stages I was most familiar with, and the biggest fan of. Like Hatebreed before them, they got the crowd way into the show, playing songs from their new album "Meridional" as well as songs dating back to "Bless The Martyr, Kiss The Child". They closed out the side stages with a bang, and it seemed they even gained a few new fans along the way.

The crowd now moved over to the main stage for the homestretch, and a bigger lineup of bands. Five Finger Death Punch was the first band up. FFDP was one of the only bands on the day's bill I had heard nothing from previously, but they were decent live. Not necessarily my "thing", but it was apparent that they had a good size following there to see them at the fest, and they brought the fans what they wanted. They put on a decent set, and got the crowd worked up and moving, even for a seated venue.

Next up was Lamb of God. Sonically, they sounded better than probably any band before them. For as many fans as FFDP seemed to have present, Lamb of God had even more (and likely a few of the same), as each band that came up as the night progressed seemed to get more and more fans into the show. Lamb of God played a great set, although live they don't put off a great deal of energy or movement. Still, they played a flawless set, and definitely held their own on the big stage before the bigger name bands to come.

After an extended break post-Lamb of God to facilitate the next two stage setups, it was time for Rob Zombie to hit the stage. I was a bit apprehensive about seeing Zombie again. I was never a huge fan of his solo work, although I was a big fan during the White Zombie days of the 90's. I had seen White Zombie a few times back in the mid-90's though, so I knew if nothing else, an amazing stage show was in store. Rob Zombie absolutely tore down. Not only did he play new material, but also older material that spanned both his solo career, as well as his days fronting White Zombie. He put on an amazing hour-long set, and had the crowd so hyped up they were asking for an encore. The pyrotechnics were on point, and his use of video screens and classic black-and-white horror clips was as good as ever. Numerous times throughout the set I found myself getting lost in the amazing mix of music and visuals, and it was apparent by the crowd's response that I wasn't alone.

Finishing up the night was Korn. My first experience seeing Korn was 1995, when they opened for NYC hardcore giants Sick Of It All in a small club in Chicago. Back then they were brash, young, and had attitude as they tried to establish themselves and set them on a course to make a big impact on metal, especially "nu metal" as it was beginning to take shape. It's apparent that, even though I stopped being a fan of them years ago, they've obviously made an impact and stood the test of time to some degree. I didn't walk away from their show as a renewed fan, by any stretch, however they held a commanding presence from the stage, from their larger-than-life oil-derrick/industrial themed setup, to their energy throughout the set. They rolled through fan favorites like, "Freak on a Leash", "Blind", "Chutes & Ladders" (including Jonathan Davis' bagpipe intro), and even a guitar solo tag-on into a partial rendition of Metallica's "One". It's pretty safe to say, if you're a fan of Korn, you didn't walk away disappointed.