During a recent interview with Revolver, Sumerian Records founder and CEO Ash Avildsen discussed his decision to resurrect the Mayhem Festival and retool it for a younger generation. According to him, “it’s a bit naïve to think that there’s not an urgent need to break new headlining bands.”
Avildsen said the following about Mayhem’s legacy:
“The way they curated the different colors of the heavy-metal rainbow, so to speak — a diverse group of bands from different subgenres and eras — just became the calling card for metalheads in the summer.”
He also discussed his new approach to the festival:
“I love all the older acts that headline a lot of the rock festivals in the U.S. But I think it’s a bit naïve to think that there’s not an urgent need to break new headlining bands. When I think back to when I was a teenager in the Nineties, the whole new wave of big bands like Korn and Slipknot were young guys.
It’s been a long time since we’ve had a wave of bands with singers that are in their twenties that can really headline festivals. I feel like we’re finally there with a number of bands, [and] I think Mayhem can really help elevate this era the same way that it had elevated bands 10-15 years ago.”
He also added the following about the decision to only do one date this year:
“We decided [to] bring it back for one day and reestablish that the brand is back, and that will give us a lot more lead time to assemble a full [2025] summer tour.”
As previously reported, Mayhem Fest will return on October 12 in San Bernardino, CA. Bad Omens, Parkway Drive, Architects, Jinjer, Poppy, Kittie, August Burns Red, and more are scheduled to perform.
Metal Anarchy 
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