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Things are going to get loud and crunchy at Lakewood Amphitheatre next week. The Mayhem Festival will bring the noise to Atlanta with headliners Slipknot and Disturbed. For Atlanta, the real reason to care is the mighty, mighty Mastodon, but there are plenty of fine examples of modern metal on the fest's three stages. Here are a few notable performers.

• Mastodon: Atlanta's stomping metal masters make another triumphant return to town. Following this tour, they'll be headed back into the studio to finish work on the follow-up to 2006's "Blood Mountain," which was the quartet's major label debut.

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Candace Kucsulain and Walls of Jericho will contribute to the high decibel level of the Mayhem Fest. Walls of Jericho's new release, 'The American Dream,' might be their heaviest yet.
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CONCERT PREVIEW Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. With Disturbed, Underoath, Machine Head and others. 2 p.m. Aug. 12. $45-$56.50; $28.50 lawn. Lakewood Amphitheatre, 2002 Lakewood Way, Atlanta. 404-443-5090, 404-249-6400, www.livenation.com. RELATED LINKS: • Blog: Atlanta Music Scene • Map: Atlanta outdoor concert venues • CD reviews • Find a concert

The new one, expected to be released in early 2009, is being recorded with fellow Atlantan and recent Bruce Springsteen producer Brendan O'Brien.

• Slipknot: During the masked Midwestern marauders' very first set of the tour, DJ Sid Wilson (aka DJ Starscream, aka No. 0) took a flying leap from part of the band's stage set and broke both of his heels. He's doing the rest of the tour in a wheelchair.

That's dedication — and very rock 'n' roll. The Grammy-winning alt-metal band will release its fourth album, "All Hope Is Gone," on Aug. 26.

• Walls of Jericho: The ghoulish, throat-shredding shriek of Candace Kucsulain hovers over chunks of guitar, bass and drums as taut, unnerving and loud as Joan Rivers' latest face. The band's new album, the July 29 release "The American Dream," might be their heaviest set yet.

• DragonForce: Whammy bars, twin-guitar leads, loads of flowing hair and breakneck tempos are this band's stock in trade. The six-piece outfit's "Through the Fire and Flames" was featured in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legend of Rock, causing an upsurge in sales for the ferocious yet fanciful — and surprisingly melodic — British sextet. Like Slipknot, DragonForce has a new album coming in August. It's called "Ultra Beatdown."