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Story on Riverside band Suicide Silence

Suicide Silence joins Mayhem Saturday

By Wes Woods II

DEVORE – Riverside’s death metal act Suicide Silence has previously performed at the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival as well as on the Vans Warped Tour, but it has something new planned for its set at this year’s Mayhem Festival, on Saturday at San Manuel Amphitheater.

“It will be different from any set we’ve done before,” said lead vocalist Mitch Lucker. “We tried out a new set for a European festival. It was a killer. The structure here is similar to what we did overseas.”

Their latest album, “The Black Crown,” will be released Tuesday but advance copies will be available at the festival.

Lucker said album sales are still important to bands. “It’s huge. That’s what you used, to get the bigger tours,” he said.

The group will play a selection of songs from the new album, including “Slaves to Substance.”

“We’re rehearsing nine songs into being 31 or 32 minutes,” Lucker said of the band’s set.

“We’ve all matured bigtime,” said Lucker, 26, who was born and raised in Riverside and calls Saturday’s performance a homecoming. “We’re excited.”

At the first Revolver Golden Gods Awards in 2009 the band won an award for best new talent and have toured with Slipknot and other metal acts.

Besides Suicide Silence, celebrated metal acts such as Disturbed and Godsmack will perform at the festival.

“I’m really looking forward to playing with Machine Head again,” Lucker said of the San Francisco-based


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heavy metal band.

Making a special appearance in San Bernardino are the animated virtual band Dethklok and thrash and heavy metal pioneers Testament.

wes.woods@inlandnewspapers.com 909-483-8549