Day two was full of some of the heaviest metal Sonic Temple has seen so far. Most of the performers were thrash metal or metalcore bands, with harsh vocals and incredible guitar shredding. The day was mostly sunny with some chill in the air and included headliner Metallica who will also be featured again on the last day of Sonic Temple. Other notable artists include the reunion of Acid Bath, Rob Zombie, and Alice Cooper.
1980’s thrash metal band Overkill opened the Temple Stage for day 2. The band has remained one of the most active in the genre despite having many line-up changes over the years. Some of the high-energy songs they played were “Scorched,” The Surgeon,” and “Elimination.”
California-based band Exodus went hard on the Temple Stage as mosh pit circles of death popped up around the stadium. David Sanchez of Havok almost didn’t make it to his surprise appearance, running out onto the stage for a verse in “A Lesson In Violence”. Fans were gasping for air at the end of this fast-paced set that ended with “The Toxic Waltz” and powerful “Strike of the Beast.”
One of the original thrash metal pioneers, Testament transformed the Temple Stage into a hell scape. The LED screen showed pictures of devils flying around in flames and a giant blow-up demon skeleton stood behind the drum kit. They performed some of their popular songs like “Practice What You Preach,” “Return to Serenity,” and ended with “Into the Pit.”
Armored Saint brought the crowd over to the Citadel stage in the afternoon for some throwback thrash metal. James Hetfield of Metallica called out the band during their headlining set later in the night saying he watched the band side stage earlier in the day and toured with them in the early days partying hard and destroying many hotel rooms. Lead singer, John Bush was once asked to join Metallica as the lead singer in the beginning stages of the band and Bush turned down the position to stay with his band, leading to Hatfield becoming the singer in the band. It makes you think about how all the pieces come together to make some of the best music and iconic rock bands of all time.
Suicidal Tendencies performed on the Cathedral Stage before 4 PM with their mix of punk and metal. Festival-goers crowd surfed and reveled in the energy brought by Mike Muir as he sang and ran around the stage. Their set included “You Can’t Bring Me Down,” “Institutionalized,” and “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow.”
The Temple Stage stadium was filled to the brim with fans ready to see Alice Cooper. This king of theatrics really put on a show with several props and actors. During “Snakebite,” Cooper wore a real snake around his neck. He also managed to break out of a straight jacket, ‘kill’ a few people on stage, and get his head chopped off by an evil Marie Antoinette. Nita Strauss was also back onstage with Alice bringing the guitar riffs to the packed house.
Louisiana-based sludge metal band Acid Bath made a grand return on the Cathedral Stage for their first major performance since their split in 1997. Lead vocalist Dax Riggs sounded exactly like he did back in their 90’s heyday and told the crowd this was the largest group of people they had ever performed for. The crowd sang along with the band to songs “The Bones of Baby Dolls,” “Graveflower,” and “Paegan Love Song.”
Musician, singer, filmmaker, and actor Rob Zombie kept the crowd pumped up with his hard rock songs and constant head thrashing. Zombie has several new band members after the departure of John 5 and Piggy D but the sounds stayed true to the originals. Near the end of his set, Zombie mixed in some White Zombie hits from the ‘90s like “More Human Than Human” and “Thunder Kiss ‘65.” He ended his set with the incredibly popular song “Dragula” as the crowd yelled the lyrics.
Mastodon was a big hit for its afternoon set on the Cathedral Stage. Lead vocalist and bassist Troy Sanders was incredible to see live, being able to keep up a bass line all the while delivering vocals. Sanders lifted his bass in the air and played during “More Than I Could Chew.” The set ended with heavy tunes “Mother Puncher,” “Steambreather,” and finally “Blood and Thunder.”
Metallica was the long-awaited headliner on the Temple Stage. The performance was filled with flames, fireworks, and huge beach balls. This was the band’s big return to Columbus since 2017 and their first time ever headlining Sonic Temple. They started with some of their newer songs, adding in a few older songs here and there. The last third of the concert was where things got crazy with back-to-back hits. Arguably one of the most popular songs, “Master of Puppets” served as their final song. Metallica will also be performing on the last day of Sonic Temple and will feature an entirely new setlist.
Stay tuned for our experiences at Sonic Temple on Day 3!