Mayhem Fest: Body Count, Ice-T, Suicide Silence, Veil of Maya, Mushroom Head

Written by Clarissa Fraser.

On Friday July 25, 2014, we had the awesome opportunity to hit up Rockstar Mayhem Fest at the Molson Amphitheatre. Walking in, I was surprised to find out that the show was actually divided into two separate parts- the festival portion and the main stage portion. With three stages alternating all the bands that played prior to 6pm, the show ran super smoothly and there was always someone to watch.

First we caught Mushroom Head. I’ve never seen or heard them before, and let me tell you that’s a band you should prepare yourself for. Especially if you scare easily. All 7 members wore incredibly graphic masks and you instantly felt bombarded with not only the sights, but with the fact there was 3 different vocalists and 3 drummers, two of which were banging on drums covered in water for the effect. The photographers weren’t kidding when they said they were a good band to shoot- pick any member of the band to watch and I guarantee you’ll be entertained.

Next up was Veil of Maya, a band a bit more up my alley. Their brand of deathcore was on point and right in your face- complete with the open mosh pit and high energy from the band. The next few bands up had a similar routine, metalcore acts Miss May I and Emmure, bringing huge mosh pits and circle pits and tons of fans trying to crowdsurf their way up to the front. With a more Warped Tour vibe, these bands were on point and kept the show moving.

Following this was Suicide Silence and their first appearance in Toronto since their last vocalist passed away. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen them last, but as they played through popular songs like “No Pity For a Coward” it was obvious that their crowd didn’t need anything to convince them to get off their feet. Since new vocalist Eddie was previously in All Shall Perish, you could see that a frontman is a frontman, and he delivered.

The last band that I caught during the festival portion was the odd man out – Ice T’s band Body Count. With the biggest crowd thus far that day, Ice T barely even had to move to make the crowd go nuts. That’s not to say he didn’t – the band played songs like “Talk Shit, Get Shot” and “There Goes The Neighborhood” and the crowd was either trying to get closer or just watching in fascination. The set was complete with Ice T shooting a cap gun next to the mic, police siren sound effects, and the lights straight of a cop car behind the band. And you can’t forget Ice T’s commentary between songs, including him saying that he’s the oldest guy on tour but his penis size makes up for it. Even if you don’t like Body Count, they were still a band worth watching.