Other confirmed acts include Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Mastodon, Papa Roach, Three Days Grace, Seether, Killswitch Engage, Drowning Pool, and Sevendust.

This will be festival-headliner Godsmack’s first announced show of 2010 and they are pumped. “Fasten your seatbelts baby, here comes Godsmack! I can’t WAIT to get to Columbus for what will be the best Rock On The Range yet! Godsmack is gonna kick some major *@%*!” said frontman Sully Erna.

Two-day passes, starting at $99.50, will go on sale beginning Saturday February 20th at 10:00 AM (ET) via Ticketmaster.com.

The festival will be spread across three stages fittingly sponsored by Monster energy drink, Kicker Audio and Jägermeister. In case that sounds like a bad recipe for a testosterone overload and oddly-colored vomit, the event is being hosted by the “Mistress of Ceremonies”, aka Mistress Juliya of Fuse TV. Grrrr indeed.

Two new improvements this year will be an increased viewing area for the Jägermeister Stage and variable ticket pricing plans including layaway. At $99.50 though, tickets are already on the low side for most two day festivals.

Head on over to our Festival Outlook page for the complete lineup.

Alicia Keys:

What: Tour dates for North America

When: February – April

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM EST

“Experience Hendrix”:

What: North American tribute tour featuring Joe Satriani, Jonny Lang, Eric Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford, and more

When: March

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM EST

Julian Casablancas:

What: Tour dates for Boston, MA and Philadelphia, PA

When: January

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com and Livenation.com 12:00 PM EST

Killswitch Engage:

What: Tour dates for North America

When: February – March

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM CST

Mariah Carey:

What: Tour dates for North America

When: January – February

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM EST

Muse:

What: Tour dates for North America

When: March

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at at 10:00 AM EST

STS9:

What: Tour date for Las Vegas, NV

When: February 26, 2010

Tixs: $18.00

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM PST

Umphrey’s McGee:

What: Tour dates for North America

When: January – February

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM EST

The Used (w/ Atreyu):

What: Tour date for North America

When: January – February

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM EST

There are certain things one expects at a rock show, including dedicated fans from every background in full gear, as if suited for war. From the wet grass to the muddy hillsides, young rockers and veteran metal-heads, boiling in the humidity of a typical August afternoon, banded together and waited. Most were dressed in black mascara, chains, and red Tripp denim, though what differentiated one from another were their favorite band t-shirts. Bad Brains…Smashing Pumpkins…ICP, and then some….whilst dirt merchants of every sort sold overpriced novelties and drinks by the truckload. All part of the experience, though not by any means the primary one.

We came to rock, and that’s exactly what we did.

All That Remains
4:35-5:05 p.m.

Hailing from Springfield, MA, All That Remains has continued to seamlessly thrive through a constantly changing line up, reflected well in a four album discography. The band’s former drummer, Shannon Lucas, left to join Mayhem tour mate The Black Dahlia Murder in 2007, while the band’s current drummer, Jason Costa, is on hiatus due to a broken hand — Nile’s Tony Laureano filled in back around June. If that weren’t enough, bassist Matt Deis (currently of CKY) was replaced by The Acacia Strain’s Jeanne Sagan around the time of 2006′s The Fall Of Ideals. Despite all of this, All That Remains treks on, supporting their latest release, Overcome.

They might be inconsistent with their line ups, but their set is anything but that, as the band made great use of their Jagermeister Stage slot. The melodic hardcore northerners brought forth a slew of crowd surfers over the barricade, never missing a beat as the band began performing its current single, “Two Weeks”. Laureano shined spectacularly on double bass by this point, showing off the Nile chops on a slower scale. Ex-Shadows Fall vocalist Phillip Labonte utilized his typical stage bravado — especially during “Air That I Breathe” and “Undone” — and continued playing to the crowd a la Fred Durst, never letting up with each song, as Sagan presented every complementary low-key thud cool and calmly in pure Paz Lenchantin fashion. There is something to be said about a band that changes members like Manson changes costumes, but no one that day seemed to care. They were having too much fun within the half hour to bother.

The Black Dahlia Murder
5:05-5:35 p.m

With an even longer list of former members than All That Remains, and a catalytic charisma for the death and thrash metal scenes, The Black Dahlia Murder added a taste of Swedish speed and American ground pounding to Mayhem this year. There were hardly any breathers between songs, and everyone at stage side was completely engulfed in energy, regardless of who they originally came to see. Doses of every album made a presence here, with the haunting “What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse” from Nocturnal and the freshly constructed “Necropolis” to ever-popular show closing “Funeral Thirst” from Unhallowed.

However, the issues with this band’s performance lay in imprinting, as this set did not feel so memorable compared to similar acts on the tour. The Hot Topic stage, where the band was assigned, bears the title of “extreme metal” stage, and frankly, The Black Dahlia Murder did not stand out next to the more abrasive punishing like Job For A Cowboy or Behemoth. This is unfortunate, as the band has a significant following, and is probably better known in its respective circles than the aforementioned groups. While this band’s set list was hyped, diverse, and could have made for an excellent prelude to Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder felt ego-stamped and reactive like its presence was obligatory at best.

Trivium
5:35-6:05 p.m.

Here’s a heavy metal band that never seems to stop. After touring with label mates Slipknot and Coheed & Cambria during this year’s All Hope Is Gone tour, Trivium now travels with Mayhem to continue supporting its newest release, 2008′s Shogun. During its live sets, fans of all sorts did not feel at all disappointed as the group blasted forth with a five-song set that included crowd favorites “Rain”, “When All Light Dies”, “Throes Of Perdition”, “Down From The Sky” and “Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr”. The dedication and fan service one gets during a Trivium show was prevalent during both tours this year, though Mayhem’s lack of a larger stage provided less room for theatrics and flair.

This did not stop our staple Florida metal act from delivering a knock-out performance, with vocalist Matt Heafy asking the crowd to “fucking explode” during the onset of “Throes Of Perdition”.  Guitarist Corey Beaulieu thrives on audience feedback as readily as an acoustic wall, nailing every riff like a champ as he remained cohesive with band mates through to the end of “Pull Harder…”.  All things considered, Trivium was yet again thrilling live, and we hope to catch a headline tour soon.

Killswitch Engage
7:25-8:05 p.m.

As of late, Killswitch Engage (or KsE) has been riding the on coattails of their Dio cover “Holy Diver”, but this metalcore band does have its share of unbridled passion and humor. Playing before Slayer is not an easy task, but these boys did it without a single shred of hesitation, actually bringing the entire main stage audience to its feet in no time with little effort. Kicking their set off with a literal explosion, KsE came on stage wearing tuxedo shirts and self-aware machismo before cracking open “Rose Of Sharyn” and “Starting Over”.

The most notable trait of KsE during the Mayhem show was vocalist Howard Jones and guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz’s intermittent shout-outs. There was hardly a moment between songs where either member did not antagonize or motivate the audience, specifically Dutkiewicz’s claim of “sniffing every 18-year-old chick’s panties” by the end of the night or demands for a “wall of death” from fans and gazers. Sadly, the crowd was hungry for Slayer by then, and energy for moshing was stored up for the next set. Our Massachusetts metallurgists hammered out a stellar set list — despite a “Holy Diver” finale — throwing in personal favorites “My Last Serenade” and “Fixation On The Darkness”. Killswitch Engage couldn’t compete with the many Slayer fans present, but they certainly warmed the people up at the start, keeping up a steady one-two-punch for the duration of its time slot.

Slayer
8:30-9:30 p.m.

This American thrash metal powerhouse is from a school of rock shared by bands like Anthrax and Metallica, and has stuck around just as long to bring new generations into the fold.  Mayhem Festival 2009 gave Slayer one hour to melt our minds, and the performance did not disappoint by any means. Between unleashing the newest single “Psychopathy Red” and doling out classics like “Angel Of Death” and “War Ensemble”, Slayer knew exactly what the crowd wanted at every turn, delivering blow after blow of heart-pounding drums and monstrous guitars.

Virtuosos Kerry King (guitar) and Dave Lombardo (drums) were in peak form during the set, the former brutally dealing out face-melters galore as the latter displayed true expertise, sans two toms traded in for extra cymbals. King collaborated phenomenally with Hanneman on “Mandatory Suicide”, alternating solos that could make anyone simply say, “How the hell did he do that?  What just happened?”. Trading up signature guitars between songs, Hanneman was a star on strings with every chord, while Araya thudded and screamed alongside Lombardo for enough bass to quake the foundations.

Obviously Slayer has been around long enough to accumulate a slew of dedicated listeners (there is no such thing as a “casual Slayer fan”). There was moshing, there was thrashing about, there was sweat and profanity galore, and all for the sake of entertainment, because we were excited to be there watching history before our eyes. With too many significant moments to list, and too many pains in my neck to account for the headbanging, Slayer takes the cake for best performance of the evening overall.

Marilyn Manson
9:55-10:55 p.m.

As a single band entity and as a front man, Marilyn Manson has been through numerous incarnations in terms of theme and sound. From humble horror beginnings to modern goth pop-metal, the controversial icon has influenced fans in their musical taste for over 15 years — so what the hell happened besides heartbreak, “et cetera”?  Earlier that afternoon, Manson fans were everywhere, all adorned in accoutrement befitting the luckiest of brooding and madness in adolescence. During his set? A veritable mass disappearance (or trampling, given Manson’s opener).

I want to be the guy that tells you all was well, but none can deny the sub-par quality of this full performance. “We’re From America” was plagued with intermittent sound loss and a rather spastic lead vocalist; Twiggy had returned as the band’s guitarist, and against fair playing, he seemed alive enough to register as a cadaver docketed for organ surgery. All of the die-hard fans were in the pit, save maybe 10; the audience elsewhere glistened corpse-like, whereas Manson himself never stopped moving, playing to anyone who would have him. You want to feel bad for this otherwise amazing individual, who continually altered wardrobes and practically wheezed toward his finale…and that is fucking depressing.

I blame Manson’s lackluster musicians, in tandem with some annoying stagehand who kept cleaning the set like an OCD Tanner child. Staple popular inclusions like “The Beautiful People” and “The Dope Show” had some crowd members singing along; “Irresponsible Hate Anthem” did rouse the middle fingers in us all; during “Four Rusted Horses” and “Sweet Dreams”, it seemed half the set was strictly Manson’s various outfits and antics, which barely held it all together. Sorry to say, but to support crew and allegedly fatigued spectators, letting your front man do all the work is not a show, it’s an unreachable pedestal.

Photography by Sabrina Roman.

That being said, the upcoming album will be quite different from the other Killswitch Engage; the band both has a new singer (Howard Jones) and approach to both the music and lyrical content.

“It was time for us to step outside of our comfort zone and try something a little different with this record,” explained singer Howard Jones, via the official press release. ”It definitely still sounds like us, but we needed to be refreshed and take things a little further.”  Probably the most notable change from their debut is Jones, who replaced original member Jesse Leach in 2002. Bringing a powerful baritone and a deeper, more guttural growl to the mix, Jones’s contribution has considerably beefed up the band’s sonic aggression and popularity.

Another significant change from their first album is contributions by uber-producer, Brendan O’Brien, who has worked with everyone from AC/DC and Rage Against the Machine to Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. Most recently, O’Brien finished Mastodon’s critically acclaimed, Crack the Skye. While guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz continues his involvement in the production of their albums, O’Brien will bring a certain ‘cache’ to the mix, as he’s known for producing clean, velvety guitar and vocal tones.

The summer of 2009 also promises to be extremely busy for the band, with an appearance on the main stage at the Mayhem Festival, which sports acts Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Marilyn Manson and The Black Dahlia Murder.

Mayhem Festival 2009 Tour Dates:
07/10 – Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre
07/11 – San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
07/12 – San Bernardino, CA @ Glen Helen Pavilion
07/14 – Seattle, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
07/17 – Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
07/18 – Albuquerque, NM @ Journal Pavilion
07/19 – Denver, CO @ Coors Amphitheatre at Fiddler’s Green
07/21 – Kansas City, MO @ Sandstone Amphitheater
07/22 – St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
07/24 – Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
07/25 – Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
07/26 – Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
07/28 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheater
07/29 – Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion
07/31 – Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center
08/01 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
08/02 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
08/04 – Boston, MA @ Tweeter Center for Performing Arts
08/06 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
08/07 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
08/08 – Hartford, CT @ New England Dodge Music Center
08/09 – Washington, DC @ Nissan Pavilion
08/11 – Tampa, FL @ Ford Amphitheatre
08/12 – West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheater
08/14 – Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
08/15 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
08/16 – San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

This year’s trek will visit 38 cities, with festivities setting off March 20th in Madison, Wisconsin before coming to a close May 16th in Chicago, Illinois. Music As A Weapon IV will also feature a number of added benefits, including the loyal inkers of Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company as well as Oliver Peck from Miami Ink to provide tattoos galore. And what’s a traveling festival without freestyle BMX and skate teams for additional entertainment? Tickets for many upcoming dates beginning January 30th via Ticketmaster.com.

As mentioned, MAAIV’s only hardcore music competitors lie within Slipknot’s All Hope Is Gone US Tour (featuring Coheed & Cambria and Trivium) and the Slave To The Metal Festival hosted by Juliya Chernetsky of Fuze’s Rock Countdown (we all remember that mistress), both of which run through late spring. Needless to say, metal heads will have plenty of opportunity to mosh and bang heads in the coming months.

Music As A Weapon IV Tour Dates:
03/20 – Madison, WI @ Alliant Energy Center
03/21 – Waterloo, IO @ McCelroy Arena
03/23 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Ford Center
03/25 – Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
03/28 – Glendale, AZ @ Jobing.com Arena
03/29 – Albuquerque, NM @ Tingley Auditorium
03/31- Dallas, TX @ Nokia Theatre
04/1 – Wichita, KS @ Hartman Arena
04/03 – Bossier City, LA @ Centurytel Center
04/04 – Little Rock, AK @ Riverfest Amphitheatre
04/05 – New Orleans, LA @ Uno Lakefront Arena
04/07 – Pensacola, FL @ Pensacola Civic Center
04/08 – Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena
04/11 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Arena
04/13 – Charlotte, NC @ Bojangles Coliseum
04/14 – Baltimore, MD @ 1st Mariner Arena
04/15 – Lowell, Mass. @ Tsongas Arena
04/17 – State College, PA @ Bryce Jordan Arena
04/18 – Portland, Maine @ Cumberland County Civic Center
04/20 – Erie, PA @ Erie Civic Center
04/21 – Bridgeport, Conn. @ Arena at Harbor Yard
04/22 – East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center
04/24 – Fayetteville, NC @ Crown Coliseum
04/25 – Reading, PA @ Sovereign Center
04/27 – Glens Falls, NY @ Glens Falls Civic Center
04/28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Petersen Center
04/30 – Battle Creek, MI @ Kellogg Arena
05/02 – Detroit, MI @ Cobo Arena
05/03 – Cleveland, OH @ The Wolstein Center
05/05 – Columbus, OH @ Value City Arena
05/06 – Peoria, Il @ Peoria Civic Center
05/08 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
05/09 – Des Moines, IO @ Balloon Classic Field
05/10 – Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center
05/12 – Lacrosse, WI @ Lacrosse Center
05/13 – Evansville, Il @ Roberts Stadium
05/15 – Council Bluffs, IO @ Mid America Center
05/16 – Chicago, Il @ Charter One Pavilion