A metal festival is more than just a full day of music, and Sonic Temple Festival in Columbus Ohio at Mapfre Stadium is a testament to that. With amazing bands headlining such as System of a Down, Disturbed and Foo Fighters, as well as great up and coming bands such as The Jacks, Black Coffee and more, you were getting a full on sonic experience of hard rock, heavy metal and so much more.

Before we talk about the bands and their performances, there was so much more to experience at this festival alone. While there were 3 huge stages that delivered the ultimate soundtrack to this experience, in between them was artwork that showed that rock N roll is just as important visually as it was sonically. The artwork of William K. Stidham had portraits that would stare you in the face just as much as the music would hit you there. Butch Lotskin bringing color in the air. Roadrunner Records had their booth showing the horrifying, yet beautiful retrospective of Slipknot and getting a great early experience of their new album, We are Not your Kind, and so much more. A booth full of musical gear from classic guitar brands that contribute just as much to the world of Rock and Heavy Metal such as ESP or PRS, all with gear available to try and demo almost felt like Sonic Temple was able to bring a chunk of Namm with them. While we go to a show to throw up horns and let out aggression in the pit, there is nothing like some great laughs to go along with it. At the Spoken Word Tent, we get to share an amazing and interactive experience with classic comedians such as Andrew Dice Clay, Craig Gass and Shepel Lacey. Once you entered the security gates, you were immersed into a full atmosphere of creativity and expression, even before the bands were playing. All forms of the arts regardless of what medium it was, was embraced and celebrated. This event showed the beauty of art and how creating something can result in an experience that one can share with people listening or seeing.

At this festival, there were so many bands and there weren’t two bands that sounded alike. There was a band for everyone to see. With bands as Heavy as Lamb of God, Meshuggah, Gojira and The Black Dahlia Murder, bands that were the perfect core sound that bridged heavy and melodic sounds such as Killswitch Engage, Parkway Drive, Beartooth and Architects, bands that reinforced the classic rock sound such as The Glorious Sons, The Struts, and The Jacks, bands that were able to create a stage presence and environment on stage like no other such Ghost, In this Moment or Avatar,  to bands we all know and love that bring their own signature sounds of rock and metal such as System of a Down, Papa Roach Disturbed, and Foo Fighters. Everyone who attended this show were able to see the bands they wanted to see, and discover so much more. Imagine if Shiprocked, Warped Tour, Summer Slaughter, Mayhem Fest and Uproar were all thrown in a blender, you got the ultimate metal festival.

It is impossible to recap on every bands performance but there is no doubt that with the bands talent collaborating with an excellent crew who knew how to enhance the sound at a festival, every band was able to bring their A Game.

On Day 1, with lines outside the security venues eagerly awaiting for acts such as System of a Down and Ghost, many fans came early to check out some amazing new bands and rock out to the opening acts on the Main Stage, Echo Stage and Wave Stage. First band we get on the Main Stage was Badflower. After kicking ass on their tour with Nothing More and Of Mice & Men, there was a lot of hype for them to open and it definitely started things off on a good note. With their sounds of modern hard rock with some indie elements as well, they were able to appeal to the rock audience and metal audience and were the perfect band to warm up the stage.

One thing that needs to be mentioned, was whether a band on this festival was opening or headlining, every band completely made the stage their own. Unlike a regular concert where the opening band would have the headliners drum rig as close to the front as the singer, every band was able to demonstrate the full experience of viewer of their performance would be bale to get to the fullest. The Echo Stage and the Wave Stage were just as amazing as the main stage. These two massive stages allowed for every band to bring their fullest game to their performance. With great opening acts such as The Jacks on the echo stage bringing their classic rock sound with new school charm, to a Columbus Ohio native band Radattack bringing their badass hard rock sound to the stage, they were able to warm the audience up perfectly to prepare for their favorite acts on stage. The Echo Stage brought bad ass artists we all know and love from Wage War with the classic metalcore sound, Zeal & Ardor that brought signature style of Avant Garde metal, Bad Wolves with their bad ass hard rock and hardcore sound, to Black Label Society bring grove, riffs and the signature soloing of Zakk Wylde that we all know and love, and last but not least, we get Meshuggah. With their lights following the double bass of Tomas Haake;s Drums, to Per Nielson bringing soloing and riffs that cut through the hearts of many, Meshuggah altered the reality around us to immerse us in a completely new one. The Wave Stage brought just as much diversity, with Hands Like Houses bringing tracks of hard metal core and tracks of tenderness, to a band like Ho9909 brining the aggressive sound of groove and Nu metal, all the way to Tom Morello who was able to turn back the clock with the classic Rage Against the Machine riffs that reminded us just how catchy that band was. We got to pay tribute to Chris Cornell when Serj of System of a Down came on stage to song Like a Stone with them. The crowd interaction during this set was truly remarkable. While the side stages were completely doing their own thing, the main stage was a force to be reckon with. After Badflower, Avatar came on the stage. Avatar with their signature circus like performance were able to haunt the audience as well as pull them in to their own environment with their catchy, yet aggressive sound. The audience was just as much a part of the show as the band was. Right after, we get Beartooth. Bearooth has come along way since seeing them at The Studio at Webster Hall back in 2016. Caleb did not let a single inch of the stage go away, and if you were on that floor during their set, you were not going to stand still. The crowd fed off the band and the band fed off the crowd. Parkway Drive would later follow. This was something that was interesting to see being that Parkway Drive was playing during the day at an outdoor stage. Even without their strobe lights and pyro, they were able full engage the audience and still create their own signature atmosphere with their aggressive sound. Starting with the chilling intro of Wishes Wells, all chills were shattered as soon as everything kicked in. Whether you were at the barricade or watching from the end of the stadium, you were able to feel and hear complete raw emotion. Halestorm would soon follow and if you want to talk about rock that pulls no punches, Halestorm is the perfect example. Lizzy Hale along with her bandmates deliver riffs that demonstrate bad ass rock vibes and are a band that is able to simply just have fun. Whether they are playing a song that is more aggressive like Love Bites or a slower song like I Get Off, they are a band that is going to put a smile on your face. Nothing but positive energy is demonstrated during a Halestorm set. After Halestorm steps off the stage, we get Ghost. You forgot at this point that you were at a show, because the stage completely transformed into the sanctuary Ghost creates at their concerts. Once the lights dimmed and they kicked in with Ashes, followed by Rats, you entered a beautiful version of the darkest depths of hell. The band that can sing you to sleep and scare you to death, where a performance is both a nightmare and a dream, a band for moments of victory and moments of despair, Ghost is a band that will leave you with both goosebumps and a smile on your face.

At last, we get the headliner of night 1, System of a Down. There is no way to describe this bands style and to write a full review on a System of a Down show will probably be longer than a novel, but as they come from the darkness on stage with their beautiful flashing triangle of light behind John’s drums, Serj, Daron and Shavo come on stage. Rather than going all out right from the start, they start off with Innervision to Prison Song to slowly give you a taste of what you were getting into, but once we get into I-E-A-I-A-I-O, all bets were off. Crowdsurfers, moshpits and headbanging for the rest of their blistering two hour set. Follow that up with BYOB, and you bet your ass that everyone was going to the party to have a good time. We were able to see all sides of System of a Down that night to remind us what makes them such a good band. Catchy, creepy, aggressive, beautiful and so much more. They were the perfect band to end Night 1 because System of a Down incorporates so much behind their music, it was the perfect representation of what Sonic Temple Festival is all about with their diversity. After they end with their classics known as Toxicity and Sugar, the audience marches out of the stadium with high spirits, looking forward to two more days of art.

Day 2 comes and everything was turned up past 11. Many Disturbed fans eagerly awaited their headliner for the night with so many awesome bands to keep them busy throughout the day. With bands like the Black Dahlia Murder and Killswitch Engage tearing up the echo stage with their relentless aggression and, and bands such as Movements and Don Broco serenating any listener at the Wave Stage, the Main Stage was a rollercoaster of different sounds and vibes. Black Coffee opening the stage with their humor and classic and edgy hardrock sound, followed by The Fever 333. I mentioned bands utilizing every inch of the stage during their performance but The Fever 333 took it one step further, not just utilizing every inch of the stage, but how about every inch of the stadium?! Vocalist Jason Aalon Butler became one with the crowd and jumped off the stage and interacted with everyone with in his radius. With their sound of hardcore punk, it was something familiar, yet fresh that hyped up the audience for the rest of the day. Next we get Gojira! We finally get some pyro and boy did they know how to use it. With their sound of groove, prog, and all out aggression, the flying wails delivered everything we all know and love with a short but sweet 7 song set. Add Randy Blythe of Lamb of God singing Backbone with them and you got the ultimate Gojira set. In This Moment later took over the stage, and like what Avatar was able to do by transforming it to their own atmosphere, In this Moment took that a step further. With vocalist Maria Brink with her signature scream that will horrify you to the core, but the beautiful stage presence and atmosphere is able to pull you in whether you want to or not. The brutality did not stop there because as the sun began to set, the Richmond Virginia legends, Lamb of God took the stage. Opening with classics such as Omerta, Ruin and Walk with Me in Hell, the circle pits and moshpits surged throughout the stadium floor. Nowhere was safe. As the fog rolled in from their backdrop, and the sun began to set, the darkness was locked in and the brutality was here to stay. Ending with Laid to Rest, and Redneck, Lamb of God furthers demonstrates that no matter how many times you have seen them, you will never know what to expect. Papa Roach would soon follow with a blistering 14 song set. Opening from one of the songs that pretty much defined Nu Metal, known as Last Resort, we got ever side we love from Papa Roach, from the tracks of aggression to their tracks of tenderness such as Scars. Add mesmerizing production to go along with their set, Papa Roach made sure that no matter what side of the stadium you were in, or how far you were, you were in their world and they welcomed you in it with open arms. From the lights, to the songs, to Jacoby’s stage presence, the engagement was on point for all 14 songs of their set. As the sky turned black, and we waited for disturbed, we get a quick performance from the one and only Andrew Dice Clay for some laughs to warm us up for Disturbed. After Clay left the stage, the lights dimmed, and Disturbed takes the stage. Opening with one of their new songs, Are you Ready, to classics such as Prayer or Stupify, there was way more than Ten Thousand Fists raised in the audience. We really were able to experience all sides of Disturbed with their groovy side with songs such as The Game, powerful side with a song like Ten Thousand Fists, to more sensitive side with songs such as A Reason to Fight, Hold on to Memories and The Sound of Silence. As mentioned in our review of Disturbed’s performance at Madison Square Garden this past winter, David was able to make a heart touching speech about those struggling with addiction and depression. It was very appropriate being that on this day, it was the two year anniversary of Chris Cornell’s death, as well as the day The Prodigy was supposed to play at Sonic Temple. Disturbed is a band that is not only able to give someone in the audience a sense of power, but the feeling of knowing that they are not alone in this crippling battle inside. Ending with the song we all know and love, Down with the Sickness, we ended day two with an intense pit and a high note as we walked off into the light of the full moon.

The Final Day at Sonic Temple we end things on a perfect note. Unlike the pervious two days, this night was more of a rock audience, but with that being said, there was all types of rock from shoegaze rock artists like Teenage Wrist, down and dirty rock with bands such as Dirty Honey, classic Rock acts such as Joan Jett and the Black Hearts and more. Opening the main stage we get Amigo the Devil. With his signature style of folk rock on the banjo and his hilarious sense of humor, he started the day off on the brightest possible note. Add the Glorious Sons and The Struts and it goes to show that Rock N Roll is anything but dead. As the sun began to set Foo Fighters comes on to conclude this badass weekend. Starting off going all out with a song like All my Life, followed by a tender and inspiring track such as Learn to Fly and bringing all sorts of fun and interaction with the crowd, it was the best sonic vibe to end such a great weekend. We get My Hero dedicated to Pauly Shore’s father and the audience singing along goes to show how powerful and emotional rock can get. Getting into their cover of Under Pressure featuring Luke of The Struts and ending with the classic known as Everlong, this was the ultimate conclusion to Sonic Temple Festival.

Sonic Temple Festival being sold out for three days straight goes to show that rock is anything but dead. There were fans from all over the country and even the world attending this to witness art and music. Anyone who feels pessimistic about the state of Rock N Roll needs to attend a festival like this one to show that rock legends will continue to rock until they drop and that there will always be bands that either utilize the classic rock sound or bring something new to the table. These three days represented the talent and creativity or the artists and dedication of the fans.