Mayhem hits the city Saturday

altCalling all metal heads. Are you looking for the perfect rock-n-roll party, just a short drive away from Tulsa, to make your weekend complete? Look no further than the Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheater this Saturday.

The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival invades the Sooner State, closing out the 2010 tour in Oklahoma City. Headliners include Rob Zombie, Korn, Lamb of God and Five Finger Death Punch. In all, twelve bands will be rocking into the night on three stages as the festival wraps up it’s 26 city tour that began in July.

The festival got it’s start in 2008 when Vans Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman and Taste of Chaos partner John Reese put it all together. The tour has been metal to the core since it’s inception, with Slipknot and Disturbed splitting headlining duties the first year. Marilyn Manson, Slayer, Killswitch Engage and Bullet for My Valentine were the star attractions in 2009.

The 2010 version of the day-long rock fest keeps with that theme and turns it up a notch with the additions of Zombie and Korn. As of 2009, Korn has sold 25 million albums in the United States and more than 35 million worldwide. Their song “Freak on a Leash” from the 1998 album Follow the Leader, is one of the band’s biggest hits to date. The song netted Korn a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.

If you’re a fan of the metal sound, chances are very good that you know Rob Zombie. In fact, even if you are not a metal fan, you may be familiar with some of his other work. Zombie has turned out hits over the course of the last 15 years, both on the radio and in movie theaters.

Aside from music, Zombie is well known as a big fan of horror films. He has even tried his hand at making horror films, writing and directing 2003’s House of 1000 Corpses and it’s 2005 sequel The Devil’s Rejects. In 2007 Zombie wrote, directed and produced a remake of the hit horror franchise, Halloween. The film grossed over $80 million worldwide.

Zombie broke into the spotlight in 1992 as the front man of the band White Zombie. The group’s big break came with their album La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 which included smash hits “Thunder Kiss ‘65” and “Black Sunshine.” Their name came from the 1932 independent horror film of the same name starring Bela Lugosi. Their lyrics are said to be heavily influenced by horror films.

Zombie released his first solo album, Hellbilly Deluxe, in 1998 just before White Zombie disbanded. The album was almost instantly successful, with the hard-charging singles “Dragula”, “Living Dead Girl” and “Superbeast” propelling it to number five on The Billboard 200.

Following a label change in late 2009, Zombie released Hellbilly Deluxe 2 in early 2010. While his new album is making it’s rounds, Zombie has stated in interviews that his shows will continue to be a mixture of all of his music, with the majority of his setlist coming from his more established hits.

Tickets are still on sale for Saturday’s show and are available online. Gates open at 1 p.m. For more information on the 2010 Mayhem Festival, including complete lineup and directions visit zooamp.com.