The very first Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival kicked off in Seattle yesterday. It’s put on by the same team that founded some other well-known music festivals like the Vans Warped Tour (AWESOME videos of 2008 Warped Tour here!) & Taste of Chaos Tour so it best be good.

In addition to Slipknot and Disturbed, the main stage features DRAGONFORCE and MASTODON, as well as a JÄGERMEISTER second stage with MACHINE HEAD, AIRBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, WALLS OF JERICHO and the JÄGERMEISTER Battle of The Bands Winner. There will also be a HOT TOPIC STAGE featuring UNDEROATH, BLACK TIDE, SUICIDE SILENCE, THE RED CHORD and 36 CRAZYFISTS.

The World’s Greatest Freestyle Motocross team THE METAL MULISHA is also confirmed to perform on all dates.

07/09/2008 Seattle, WA- White River Amphitheatre

07/11/2008 Sacramento, CA- Sleep Train Amphitheatre

07/12/2008 San Francisco, CA- Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View

07/13/2008 San Bernardino, CA- Glen Helen Pavilion

07/15/2008 Fresno, CA- Save Mart Center

07/16/2008 San Diego, CA- Coors Amphitheater

07/18/2008 Phoenix, AZ- Cricket Wireless Pavilion

07/19/2008 Albuquerque, NM- Journal Pavilion

07/20/2008 Denver, CO- Coors Amphitheatre at Fiddler’s Green

07/22/2008 Kansas City, MO- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

07/23/2008 St. Louis, MO- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre St. Louis

07/25/2008 Dallas, TX- Smirnoff Music Centre

07/26/2008 San Antonio, TX - Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre

07/27/2008 Houston, TX- Sam Houston Race Park

07/29/2008 Tampa, FL- Ford Amphitheatre

07/30/2008 Miami, FL- Sound Advice Amphitheatre

08/01/2008 Virginia Beach, VA- Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheatre

08/02/2008 Pittsburg, PA- Post-Gazette Pavilion

08/03/2008 Scranton, PA- Toyota Pavilion

08/05/2008 Boston, MA- Tweeter Center for Performing Arts

08/06/2008 Uniondale, NY- Nassau Coliseum

08/08/2008 Toronto, ON- Downsview Park

08/09/2008 Detroit, MI- DTE Energy Music Theater

08/10/2008 Chicago, IL- First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

08/12/2008 Atlanta, GA- Lakewood Amphitheatre

08/13/2008 Indianapolis, IN- Verizon Wireless Music Center Indianapolis

08/15/2008 Camden, NJ- Tweeter Center at the Waterfront

08/16/2008 Hartford, CT- New England Dodge Music Center

08/17/2008 Washington, DC- Nissan Pavilion

08/19/2008 Buffalo, NY- Darien Lake Performing Arts Center

I don’t know if maybe I just have shitty taste in music but I’m fucking jazzed about this year’s Taste of Chaos tour, which is like Warped Tour but with bands that scream a lot more and don’t have as cool of haircuts. Actually most of the bands headlining this year’s tour are anything but scene-cut tight pants-ers: the Deftones are all mostly all tubby bastards by now but still bring some shit; Thrice who are also mostly just chilled out dudes hanging back; and Story of the Year who are also just kind of tubby ass regular dudes (but still do the occasional guitar spin jump kick thing but whatever). Also, weird ass bands that aren’t really even all that metal like Dredg and Pelican are playing that shit this year, so no one can even talk shit. If you want tour dates and all the other bullshit, those fuckers just put up the new site here or you can just wait for the next issue of Synthesis fucking Magazine which contains a special Taste of Chaos section, with interviews with Thrice, Silverstein, Dredg, Atreyu and tour founder Kevin Lyman and all kinds of other sweet shit, bro. DO IT