Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Mastodon + More Kick Off 2013 Mayhem Festival [Photos]

The 2013 Mayhem Festival is officially underway as the bands braved 100-plus degree temperatures in San Bernardino, Calif. to deliver their own scorching performances.

There was plenty to hear and see as some of the top bands on the bill got pretty elaborate with their stage set-ups. Excitement began to build early in the day as fans noticed the rather large Viking ship that main stage openers Amon Amarth had in store. Their set was one of the one's not to be missed as they made ample usage of the set piece during their brutal, hard-hitting performance.

Five Finger Death Punch lived up to their name, as they delivered a strong 10-song set. They opened with their current single 'Lift Me Up' and concluded with 'The Bleeding,' with plenty of solid tracks in between. Singer Ivan Moody also brought up a bunch of youngsters to the stage attempting to show the next generation of headbangers what metal is all about. He had them rocking out while having the audience start a massive circle pit during 'White Knuckles.' And while FFDP did have a pretty elaborate stage production, Moody made light of not being able to hold a candle to Rob Zombie's pyro by bringing out a candle lighter as their "pyro" for the night.

As for Zombie, the rocker's over the top theatrics were on full display as the curtain dropped to reveal Zombie high above the crowd singing from a shrine baring his name. Likewise, drummer Ginger Fish was elevated high above the stage below throughout the show and a row of video lighting at front gave Zombie, Piggy D and John 5 a place to step up and perform to the crowd. Highlights from the performance included the driving opening number 'Teenage Nosferatu Pussy,' past favorites like 'Living Dead Girl' 'More Human Than Human,' and 'Thunder Kiss '65 and newer songs like 'Ging Gang Gong De Do Gong De Laga Raga' and the current single 'Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown.' Zombie finished out the main portion of his show with the Grand Funk Railroad cover 'We're an American Band,' then returned for the encore 'Dragula.'

The other main stage act, Mastodon, went with the less-is-more adage, playing against a scrim of artwork from 'The Hunter' album. Even without the theatrics and stage banter, Mastodon delivered one of the top performances of the day with a full-on rock show that left audiences sufficiently pumped.

On the side stages, veteran acts like Machine Head, Job for a Cowboy and Children of Bodom held their own, while Butcher Babies, Battlecross, Huntress, Born of Osiris, Attika 7, Emmure, Motionless in White and Thrown Into Exile did a great job in winning over new fans and raising their profiles with solid sets.

Check out our photos for the 2013 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival's opening day in San Bernardino, Calif. in the gallery below.

2013 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival

Rob Zombie

Kathy Flynn, WickedGoddessPhotography.com

Charles Epting, Noisecreep