The official lineup of the annual Rockstar Mayhem Festival is set to be officially released during April but it seems a fairly realistic looking tour poster has been leaked onto the internet. If it's to be believed, Slayer will be the headlining act, with metal icon King Diamond opening along with Hellyeah and The Devil Wears Prada on the main stage (from Metal Injection).
If that ends up being the final lineup-again, this could be a simple Photoshop job...creating images in the Mayhem Festival "style" doesn't exactly take professional chops-then it would be the first time Slayer has played the touring festival since 2012 and the band's third appearance overall. King Diamond has never appeared at Mayhem Festival, but is well-regarded in the metal scene for his influence on black metal during the '80s and his absurd falsetto.
The side stage will be headlined by deathcore standout Whitechapel, and another eight bands representing a variety of metal subcultures. The other acts reportedly included on the lineup include: Thy Art Is Murder, Jungle Rot, Sister Sin, Sworn In, Shattered Sun, Feed Her too The Snakes, Code Orange and Kissing Candic.
The promoters of Mayhem Fest haven't responded, and the official Twitter account of the event has been quiet since March 9. That might be a positive sign that the leaked lineup is legitimate and organizers are hoping things will quiet down if they ignore it.
This isn't a exactly new thing for Mayhem Fest. Last year, Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer revealed that his band and Avenged Sevenfold would be headlining the 2014 event, several months prior to the official announcement. Three weeks before the official reveal, the entire lineup leaked. No one seemed to mind.
One thing not included on the poster: dates. Even if this lineup is real, don't expect word on where it will be heading until the official announcement on April 13. Tickets will go on sale April 17.
