by Kenneth Smith of 2K7 Photography

Slayer, Killswitch Engage, and Marilyn Manson made a hot day feel even hotter.

DALLAS — Despite what seemed like 130 degree temperatures, thousands of north Texas metal fans packed Dallas's Superpages.com Center on Saturday for the 2nd annual Rockstar Mayhem Festival. The concert is the brainchild of Warped Tour and Taste of Chaos's founder Kevin Lyman.

In what seems to be the perfect replacement for the now-absent Ozzfest, Rockstar Mayhem Festival boasts three stages, countless vendors, Metal Mulisha motocross demonstrations, 13 bands, and sweaty metal fans galore.

Kicking off the day at just after 2 p.m., the Jager and Hot Topic/Extreme Metal stages (which were located out in the venue's parking lot) housed performances by bands such as Black Dahlia Murder, Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse, All That Remains, Trivium, and Dallas's own Adakain. Fans packed the open area from fence to fence to watch the alternating stages, motocross demonstrations, and check out the multiple vendor tents.

Main stage was opened by Wales' Bullet For My Valentine, and the amphitheater quickly filled with thousands of fans from the second stage area. Killswitch Engage played second and decided that the Texas heat just wasn't good enough and needed some pyrotechnics to add to the sweltering conditions. Though it made for an awesome visual show (not that Killswitch needs any help being amazing performers), I'd say it increased the temperature in front of the stage to a cool 190.

Tour headliners Slayer and Marilyn Manson were up next. Taking the stage at 8:30 p.m., Slayer's curtain dropped to reveal the band engulfed in smoke -- and they immediately tore into "God Hates Us All" as the crowd went nuts. That set the par for the rest of their set, and they delivered an awesome show that ended with the legendary "Raining Blood" from the band's 1986 Reign In Blood album.

Once the sun was completely gone, Marilyn Manson's set began shortly before 10 p.m. to deafening screams from the audience. The set included songs spanning his discography including "Sweet Dreams," "Rock Is Dead," "Dope Show," and "The Beautiful People." Manson's shows are known for being "out there," but he's toned it down considerably. Though you still get the stage-humping, (fake) Bible-burning, and thrashing-about antics, gone are the days when you could expect to see stilt-walking, indecent exposure, and self-mutilation. I still firmly believe he puts on a great show and is entertaining -- and despite what some have predicted would happen, the anticipated exodus of metal fans prior to his show just simply didn't happen. The venue stayed packed, and everyone seemed to be chanting along with every word that came out of his mouth.

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