First and most importantly, we wish James Hetfield the best of luck with his recovery and will continue to support him, his bandmates, family and crew. We are still getting two kick ass Metallica sets at Epicenter, Welcome to Rockville and Aftershock festival.

Sonic Temple still continues to kill it with this all-star lineup having The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tool as the replacement headliners. Before we get into that, we need to go over why this festival is going to be a stellar one for rock and metal history.

Metal is thriving through the veins at this festival with classic thrash metal acts such as Testament and Anthrax. With some classic thrash metal acts, we also get the new faces of thrash with Power Trip decimating the stages. Jinjer has been ruling the world the past few years, and now with their newest album Macro out, the anticipation to see this group is real. With so many subgenres in metal, it seems like Sonic Temple is covering all traces of it. You got metalcore machines such as Ice Nine Kills and Fire from the Gods who will bring you their unique sounds and live performances. After making a return at Louder than Life in 2019, Staind will be decimating the main stage at Mapfre Stadium this year. Ded will be delivering their signature brutality as well.

Hardcore is once again on the rise with classic hardcore acts such as Agnostic Front and Sick of it All bringing the classic sound of NYHC to the festival. They will be turning these massive stages into a small club with brutality and crowd interaction. What would hardcore and punk be with out Suicidal Tendencies also plowing through the crowd. With some classic hardcore acts, we also got the new faces of hardcore with Code Orange. Code Orange’s new album, Underneath is bearing lots of anticipation and this time we will be able to hear some new material in a great festival setting. Add Knocked Loose and Pennywise to the hardcore and punk vibes and you got a three brutal days of intensity. Last but not least, fucking Rancid!!!!! One of the most classic punk artists will also be making a return!

Rock was thriving in last year’s lineup with Foo Fighters, The Glorious Sons, The Struts and more. Rock is even crazier this year with Alter Bridge who will Walk the Sky above us all. After some time off, The Pretty Reckless is back and we are ready to see Taylor Momsen and the boys bring their badass groove and attitude. Dirty Honey is returning this year, and after selling out club after club on their Rolling 7s tour, they are ready to own the set once again. Add Sublime, Saint Asonia, Airbourne Crobot  Pop Evil and you got the ultimate bridge between modern and classic rock.

We have some down and dirty rock, intense metal, hardcore and punk that will remain in your face. There are also plenty of bands that have their own sounds that will make them stand out completely. You have The Hu brining their sound of Mongolian folk music with classic rock. You have 3teeth who have been flying the forefront of modern Industrial, and of course, some of the heaviest styles of hip hop making them as brutal as the metal bands with classics such as Ghostmane and Cypress Hill. 

Moving onto the headliners. Red Hot Chili Peppers have been around for ages, but how many young fans have had the privilege of seeing them with John Frusciante? The man behind Blood Sugar Sex Magic and Claiforniacation!!! Some deepcuts are to be expected for sure. Supporting them is Bring me the Horizon who have been slaying arena after arena. Slipknot will be headlining day 2 and what more do you need to say? Their live shows combined with their signature brutality is something that is not to be missed. Last year, they announced the title of their newest album, We are not your Kind. Now we are going to be hearing this new material live. Ending this festival on the highest possible of notes, we get none other than Tool. TOOL, playing some stuff on their first album in almost two decades, Fear Inoculum. Every headliner is going to pack the place and deliver a unique experience.

Again, we wish James the best of luck with recovery and we look forward to seeing them on other festivals. Sonic Temple is strong with a stacked lineup and a good time that awaits us all.