Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival took off for Day 3 on Saturday, May 18. After a rainy Day 2, today was a pleasant surprise with the sun blasting through the clouds, reminding festival goers of the unpredictability of Ohio weather.
Opening on the Temple Stage was Flat Black, created by the former Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Jason Hook. The set was pushed back an hour after Saint Asonia canceled their performance due to travel logistics issues coming to the festival. This was our first time seeing the band live and we were blown away by the new project and are anxiously awaiting the release of their first full album. Hook wore a Flat Black jersey and took advantage of his artistic freedom, shredding away on his guitar.
New York rock band Living Colour brought a pop of color to the Temple Stage with lead singer Corey Glover’s bright yellow tracksuit. The group has such a natural and spirited stage presence that comes to life through their musicianship every time they perform. The quartet finished off their set with a wonderful cover of “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash.
The iconic all women’s 90’s heavy metal band Kittie made the Cathedral Stage their own. The band played some of their first ever songs like “Spit” and “Charlotte” along with two newer singles: “Vultures” and “Eyes Wide Open.” It’s safe to say that many fans are happy that the Lander sisters have held the band together for so long.
On the Sanctuary Stage around 4pm we caught Lacuna Coil, an Italian gothic band from Milan. The band’s dueling vocalists Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro put on an incredible show in all black gothic attire. In our opinion, the duo has never sounded better. They seem to just get better and better with time. The guitarists and drummer all wore ghostly makeup as they played along to some of their more gothic tunes.
Lacey Sturm returned to the stage with Christian rock band Flyleaf last year after a lengthy break from the band. Sturm strut across the stage in a casual all black dress with torn black jeans. Guitarist Sameer Bhattacharya jammed out around the stage on his bright blue guitar, hitting every note and Lacey sang her signature vocals. The band ended with the prototypical “All Around Me” as fans sang along and waved their arms in the air.
Veterans of fest season, Breaking Benjamin, lit up the Temple Stage and filled the floor with fans. With each strum of their electric guitars, streams of fire flew into the air. The Pennsylvania natives had members of the crowd surfing up to the barriers and throwing up the “rock on” sign. During “Dear Agony,” Lacey Sturm joined Breaking Benjamin on stage for a surprise duet. Lacey has spoken to The Travel Addict before about how Ben is always a dream collaboration to perform and work with.
Around 6pm things started to get crazy at the Sanctuary Stage when Swedish heavy metal band In Flames encouraged the crowd to go crazy with circle pits. During their nine song setlist, In Flames kept the crowd ablaze with energy as they all furiously moshed and sang along to powerful songs like “Everything’s Gone” and ended with “Take This Life.”
At the halfway point of Day 3, we saw In This Moment performing on the Cathedral Stage. The theatrics were amazing in this set, as we watched while lead singer Maria Brink stood atop the stage, cloaked, and hands covered in her signature fake blood. Fog and wind engulfed her as flames filled the LED screen behind her, screaming the lyrics to “The Purge” and “SANCTIFY ME,” among other crowd pleasers.
The absolutely hardcore death metal band Slaughter To Prevail from Russia brought the most rage to Day 3. Frontman Aleksandr Shikolai delivered some of the deepest and guttural vocals we’ve ever heard. Shikolai and his bandmates eventually threw off their signature “Kid of Darkness” masks, leading the crowd to erupt with excitement. The band put on an aggressive performance of ten songs, including a legendary cover of Rammsteins’s “Du hast.”
Staind filled up the Temple Stage for a set indicative of their discography. The group sang the hard “Eyes Wide Open” followed by a soft and flawlessly performed “Something To Remind You” that had the crowd on their toes. Lead singer Aaron Lewis still sounds great during the live sets and the band still has a die-hard fan base after all the years of performing and they showed up for the sunset set at the festival.
To switch things up a bit, we went to see Polyphia, a mostly instrumental progressive rock band from Texas. Guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage, bassist Clay Gober, and drummer Clay Aeschliman said all they needed to say with just their incredible instrumental abilities. The band had a beautiful celestial backdrop that gave an extra eclectic feeling to their set.
Last but surely not least, Pantera finished Day 3 on the Temple Stage, drawing in the masses for their first concert in Columbus in 24 years. The band had not performed in Columbus since the tragic shooting death of their beloved guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott at the Alrosa Villa on Sinclair Road during a show over two decades ago. It was also spacial to note that the last time the band took the stage they were playing on a festival bill with Kittie who was also at Sonic Temple on Saturday.
The band paid tribute to Dime with a five minute video of his career playing before the set begins. Pictures of Dimebag and his brother Vinnie Paul covered the guitar set played by drummer Charlie Benante. The legendary band played 12 songs under an array of laser lights that shined bright through the dark sky. Frontman Phil Anselmo made sure to include some favorites like “Walk” and “Cowboys From Hell.”
While we may be a bit sunburnt and definitely wishing we had a few more hours of sleep, Day 3 of Sonic Temple was well worth it. It’s hard to believe that listening to great music and seeing some great shows can make the day go by so fast. Stay tuned for our recap on the last day of Sonic Temple with headliners Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, A Day to Remember, and Royal Blood.
Words by Emily Cigan @emily.cigan and Amy Harris @thetraveladdictig