SEE? THIS IS WHY YOU PAY YOUR BANDS

So apparently Chimaira announced from the stage that they’ll be on this summer’s Sounds of the Underground festival; or, put another way, that they will not be playing Ozzfest ’07. This might not be remarkable news except that they join a growing list of bands rumored for this year’s edition of metal’s biggest summer tour who have decided to take instead a gig which will, y’know, actually make them some moolah: Hellyeah and Trivium are both doing Family Values, Slayer and Manson are doing their own tour, Killswitch Engage and Throwdown are doing the Vans Warped Tour, of all things, and if the rumors are true, Shadows Fall and Every Time I Die will soon join Chimaira and GWAR on Sounds of the Underground.

I’m not even talking about bands like Iron Maiden or Judas Priest or System of Down, bands that can headline their own arena gigs: I’m just talking about the working class members of the American New Wave. Ozzfest’s line-up this year is decidely lackluster, even if it is free; if I was Sharon Osbourne, I’d be calling in any favors the dudes from Machine Head and DevilDriver owe me right about now.

-AR