Note: Corrected to reflect this will be Shiprock's fourth voyage. Also, according to the promoter: "Hot tubs."
Many moons ago, Rocks Off let you know about how the Mayhem Festival was taking their show to the high seas for a cruise this December. It seemed like the perfect vacation for the metal fan who wanted to get tropical as the weather here at home turns cooler less hot. We thought that would be the end of sea metal discussion for the year.
Come to find out we were wrong because last week we received a press release informing us that a challenger has appeared on the horizon to test Mayhem's sea supremacy. Approaching its fourth voyage, Shiprocked sets sail a week before Mayhem with its own collection of hard-rock superstars.
Looking to go aquatic but not sure which cruise to choose? We compared, we contrasted, and we're sharing the results with you.
Round One: The Headliners
Mayhem: Lamb of God, Machinehead, Anthrax, Hatebreed Shiprocked: Godsmack, Korn, Five Finger Death Punch
Some would say this is a battle of personal taste, but consider what Shiprocked is bringing to the table: Two bands that spent the last decade slowly wearing out their welcome and one band that's quickly becoming the Nickelback of loud rock.
Mayhem gives you two legends in Anthrax and Hatebreed along with two metal workhorses in Lamb of God and Machinehead. Unless Hatebreed goes dubstep between now and then, we're going to go with Mayhem on this one.
Mayhem 1, Shiprocked 0
Round Two: The Other Bands
Mayhem: Girl On Fire, Born Of Osiris, Periphery, Gojira Shiprocked: P.O.D., Sevendust, Filter, In This Moment, Helmet, Dead Sara
While we're sure the bands on Mayhem are really nice guys, there's just so few of them booked currently. Typically we go with quality over quantity, but Shiprocked has a nice balance of older acts we used to like with a pair of female-fronted modern bands (In This Moment, Dead Sara) that have really impressed us.
The good news is that if the Mayhem bands keep it up for another seven years, they can probably graduate to Shiprocked status.
Mayhem 1, Shiprocked 1