Columbus, Ohio’s Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival took off for the weekend on Thursday, May 8 at the Historic Crew Stadium. This hard rock and metal festival has been held annually since 2019 and showcases a diverse lineup of rock and metal artists. On four separate stages over 100 musicians performed throughout the weekend. There are also multiple art murals, installations and specially curated artwork. The weather remained a cloudy 70 degrees throughout the day, making for perfect concert weather for Day one at the fest.
Late 90’s band Orgy was second up on the Temple Stage. The five-piece band from Los Angeles sang some cover songs as well as their own songs “Nails” and 2000 single “Fiction (Dreams in Digital).” They ended their set with their popular cover of New Orders’ “Blue Monday” as the crowd sang along.
Alien Ant Farm rocked out with fans to songs like “Last dAntz” and “Cold.” The band is composed of lead vocalist Dryden Mitchell, guitarist Terry Corso, bassist Tye Zamora, and drummer Mike Cosgrove. Mitchell got the crowd going before singing their 2001 chart topping cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” ending their set with high energy.
Nu-metal band DED performed their set on the Sanctuary Stage around 3:30 PM. The band opened with bangers “Parasite” and “Hate Me.” Despite the band’s relatively recent (2016) introduction to the mainstream music scene, they have amassed quite the following. Ded ended their amazing set with the uber-popular single “Anti-Everything,” with vocalist Joe Cotela delivering some crazy harsh vocals.
Atlanta based band Sevendust took over the Temple Stage celebrating their 30th anniversary. Lead singer Lajon Witherspoon held back tears as he dedicated their set to Brad Arnold from 3 Doors Down who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. They sang an array of songs including ”Praise,” “Enemy,” and “Crucified.” Guitarists John Connolly, Clint Lowery, and bassist Vinnie Hornsby moved all around the stage interacting with crowd members as Lajon sang the hits.
Three Days Grace got the crowd going with the opening song “Animal I Have Become” with bassist Matt Walst urging the crowd to start a mosh pit. Lead vocalist Adam Gontier has joined the band again after a departure to form Saint Asonia. Gontier joined second lead vocalist Matt Walst to deliver powerhouse sounds with incredibly clear harsh vocals on songs like “Home” and “I Hate Everything About You.” The band ended with one of their bigger hits “Riot” as the crowd danced along.
On the Citadel Stage, one of my favorite new bands, Jinjer played a heavy metal set. Lead vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk stunned the crowd with her deep false chord vocals and quick switches to clean singing. Her black flowy skirt, white button-up, and black lace corset added to her sensual dance moves and incredible stage presence.
Filter, a Cleveland, Ohio band started their set on the Sanctuary Stage around 7:30 p.m. They sang some of their hits including “Take a Picture,” “Welcome to the Fold,” and closed out their set with one of their most popular songs celebrating the 30th anniversary of “Hey Man Nice Shot.” Lead singer Richard Patrick was ecstatic as the set ended and he told the crowd how awesome they were.
Killswitch Engage played through 15 songs on the Citadel Stage as the sun was setting. Mosh pits opened up right away as fans began thrashing out to the hard rock hits. Lead by vocalist Jesse Leach, the band is currently made up of guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D’Antonio, and drummer Justin Foley. The band included fan-favorite songs “The Curse,” “Rose of Sharyn,” and “The Signal Fire” in between other heavy songs.
Motionless in White played the Cathedral Stage with the heavy opening song “Meltdown” and following highly-anticipated set. Flames and sparks lit-up the stage with the beat of the songs as fog and colored lights shrouded the stage. Lead vocalist Chris Cerulli brought out Ryan Kirby of Fit for a King for the scream filled “Slaughterhouse” and announced their new record dropping in August. The band was also joined on stage with dancers from the Cherry Bombs.
Industrial metal 80’s band Ministry tore up the Sanctuary Stage with their synth-pop turned rock sound. The band is currently on The Squirrely Years Tour where they’re performing songs from the albums With Sympathy and Twitch. Lead singer Al Jourgensen announced earlier this year that he will be bringing an end to Ministry in the coming years to wind down in his personal life.
Highly-acclaimed nu-metal band Korn was the headliner of the night, closing out the Temple Stage. The band’s lineup is Jonathan Davis on vocals, James “Munky” Shaffer on guitar, Brian “Head” Welch on guitar, and Ray Luzier on drums. The band kicked off their set with “Blind,” the first time they’ve opened with the song since 2019. The rest of the set was full of heavy hits and lesser-played tracks until its finale of “Y’all Want a Single.” Their four-song encore included favorites “4 U,” “Rotting in Vain,” “Good God,” and “Freak on a Leash.”
Come back tomorrow for another look into a day two at Sonic Temple!
Words by Emily Cigan @emily.cigan and Amy Harris @thetraveladdictig