From the first riff that rang out over Historic Crew Stadium to the last blast of pyro, the four-day celebration of Sonic Temple was much more than the offering of a behemoth-sized lineup: it summoned a multigenerational convergence of bands, fans, and moments that reminded everyone why this genre refuses to do anything but thrive.
There was more than a little something for lovers of almost every subgenre in the metal spectrum happening across the four days. Caskets opened their set with glassy synth layers and punchy post-hardcore melodies, immediately drawing a respectable early crowd. Orgy, playing the same stage not long after, leaned into their industrial roots with gritty confidence, anchoring their short set with “Stitches” and sharply executed covers like “Blue Monday” and “Smack My Bitch Up.” Alien Ant Farm might have been booked for nostalgia, but they turned out to be a raucous crowd pleaser. Their closing performance of “Smooth Criminal” (still every bit the crowd-killer it was 20 years ago) had everyone from the rail to the beer tents singing along.
Sevendust brought emotional weight and sonic precision in equal parts. Launching with “Pieces, ” the mood quickly turned reflective when Lajon Witherspoon, visibly emotional, addressed the crowd about 3 Doors Down’s Brad Arnold’s cancer diagnosis. What could’ve stopped momentum instead elevated the performance, turning songs like “Enemy, ” “Denial, ” and “Black” into declarations of defiance and solidarity. Tapping into melody and chaos in equal measures, Memphis May Fire carved their space with polish and purpose, stacking bangers like “Somebody” and “Bleed Me Dry” between deeper cuts like “The American Dream. ” Their use of smoke columns and spot-synced lighting worked in tandem with Matty Mullins’ shifting screams and melodies, keeping the crowd fully engaged.
There was a special electricity when Three Days Grace hit the Temple Stage – Adam Gontier and Matt Walst sharing vocal duties in a rare moment of synchronicity. They leaned into both eras of the band’s catalog, and the chemistry on “Mayday” signaled something more than a one-off; it felt like a new chapter in the making. Elsewhere, Shadows Fall turned back time without missing a beat. “In the Grey” and “King Nothing” rumbled with intensity, while Brian Fair whipped his hair – and the crowd – into a frenzy. His stage presence is still all chaos and charm, and the band behind him sounded sharper than many newer acts on the bill, fueled by Jason Bittner’s nearly inhuman and explosive drumming.
Killswitch Engage delivered a pyrotechnic-free set that somehow felt hotter than any flame show. From the second they launched into “Strength of the Mind, ” through classics like “My Curse” and “In Due Time, ” and into the closing trifecta of “The End of Heartache, ” “My Last Serenade, ” and their iconic take on “Holy Diver, ” it was a blur of sweat, light, and controlled anarchy. Jesse Leach sang with purpose, while Adam Dutkiewicz bounded across the stage like a man at war with stillness. Jinjer played as a three-piece after their bassist was sidelined with a hand injury, but that didn’t stop them. After a brief technical delay post-“Green Serpent, ” Tatiana Shmayluk reclaimed momentum with brutal vocal swings between “Vortex” and “Teacher, Teacher. ” Her command of the crowd was so complete that the missing basslines almost became irrelevant.
I Prevail had a point to prove after being off the road for seven months and missing Brian Burkheiser on vocals. Eric Vanlerberghe took on both harsh and clean parts with surprising smoothness, leading a volatile set that ranged from the ferocity of “Bow Down” to the anthemic “Hurricane. ” A stretch of unexpected covers – System of a Down, Alice in Chains, even a tongue-in-cheek stab at Taylor Swift – kept the crowd constantly guessing and engaged. Beartooth, stepping in for Alice In Chains, played like a band with something to prove. Caleb Shomo commanded one of the weekend’s biggest crowds, as the stage lit up with bursts of fire behind pop-tinged breakdowns like “I Was Alive” and “Riptide. ” They were a last-minute substitution that felt like destiny.
On the more over-the-top end of the spectrum, Ice Nine Kills pushed horror-core to the max, complete with chainsaws, fake blood, and horror-movie camp. Lead vocalist Spencer Charnas was a ball of fire that combusted into various strains of clean and dirty that came off as outright schizophrenic, yet amid the cacophony of riffs, beats, and sampled horror movie themes, it all ended up making sense at the other end. Alice Cooper proved once again that age is no barrier to rebellion, turning the Temple Stage into a twisted cabaret of nostalgia, defiance, and grandiose rock, starting with the mock headline “Alice Cooper Banned in Ohio” flashed onscreen before “Lock Me Up” blasted into motion, and ending with a confetti-filled explosion of “School’s Out” that brought the biggest grin across thousands of faces.
The Funeral Portrait also leaned hard into theatricality with frock coats, gothic touches, and unfiltered stage energy. “Blood Mother” hit like a hymn, and “Holy Water” (with Ivan Moody’s pre-recorded feature) gave the band their clear standout moment, sending arms skyward across the pit. And we would be remiss not to mention Rob Zombie’s full horror-show production and impenetrable wall of sound. “Demon Speeding”, “Living Dead Girl”, and “Dragula” were monstrous live, but it was “Thunder Kiss ’65” that caused the most bodies to leave the ground. Zombie still stalks the stage like a villainous ringmaster, and the audience is completely under his spell.
Acid Bath, back on a major stage for the first time in decades, turned in one of the most intense sets of the weekend. “Tranquilized” and “Dr. Seuss Is Dead” felt like transmissions from a lost era – distorted, poetic, and delivered with venom. The crowd’s reaction was as much catharsis as celebration, the throngs that had traveled from across the country to meet them responded with the passion of a family after recovering a long-lost relative, culminating in a crowd of tearful faces and flailing bodies going berserk throughout their 7 song set. Silverstein turned introspection into motion with a charged 10-song set. With “Smile in Your Sleep” and “Massachusetts, ” they wove between emotion and impact, while a mid-set video montage traced their journey from Ontario hopefuls to scene fixtures. Shane Told delivered vocals with precision, walking the line between post-hardcore scream and pop-punk croon with ease.
Bullet For My Valentine hit harder than anyone expected, fresh off a long co-headline run with Trivium. “Your Betrayal” and “Hand of Blood” pulled howls from a massive crowd, while “Waking the Demon” closed things out with a surge of crowd surfers that overwhelmed security. Matthew Tuck’s vocals cut clean over the storm, and Michael Paget’s shredding reminded everyone of the band’s roots in speed and precision. Trivium came out swinging – backed by an inflatable dragon, no less. With Matt Heafy shirtless and smiling through a high-energy run of “The Sin and the Sentence, ” “A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation” (featuring Scott Kennedy from Bleed From Within), and the thunderous closer “In Waves, ” they proved once again how comfortable they are threading metal tradition with modern punch.
Mastodon, fresh off a lineup change after the exit of Brent Hinds, proved they weren’t slowed one bit. Nick Johnston, filling in, executed every intricate part with grace. “Tread Lightly, ” “Crystal Skull, ” and “Ember City” showcased the band’s blend of grit and grandeur. Their set peaked with “Blood and Thunder, ” as pyrotechnics framed a band in full flight. In the opposite, yet no less progressive end, Deafheaven offered a cerebral detour – blackened and elegant, their set was less about moshing and more about immersion. Dressed in all black and favoring minimal crowd interaction, they let the music speak. “Dream House” lifted off like a rocket of sound and sadness, while newer pieces from “Lonely People With Power” added atmosphere and tension that set them apart.
The death metal faithful were far from neglected. Fit For An Autopsy unleashed one of the weekend’s most punishing performances, with the crowd swelling for a pit-ready sequence of “The Sea of Tragic Beasts, ” “Savages, ” and “Hostage, ” all delivered with tight, almost surgical brutality. Sanguisugabogg reminded everyone that death metal’s future might well be forged in Ohio basements, with frontman Devin Swank roaming the stage like a man possessed, his roar bouncing between walls of static guitar tones and devastating drums. And of course, straight from the Floridian swamps, Obituary were all about brute force in a sludgier, venomous fashion. John Tardy barked and howled through “Don’t Care” and “Turned Inside Out, ” as Trevor Perez and Kenny Andrews anchored the set with slow, chugging violence. They made no effort to dress up the brutality – just pure, classic death metal, loud and unrelenting.
Hollywood Undead, ever the wildcards, brought dance beats, rap verses, and crowd interplay into sharp focus. “Comin’ In Hot” saw them pull a 12-year-old girl named Michaela onstage, who joined the band in singing, whether she meant to or not. Covers of “Sweet Caroline” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” added bizarre, charming chaos to the mix. 2000s nu-metal/post-grunge darlings Hoobastank kept the energy going with a strong 9-song showing at the main stage. Novelty played heavily into their presentation, with lead vocalist Doug Robb sporting a pair of those new glasses that record video of whatever the person wearing them sees during their performance of “Born To Lead”, and joking that he needed to prove to his kids that their dad was at least semi-cool.
Armored Saint reminded everyone how timeless pure heavy metal can be. “March of the Saint” kicked off a 7-song tribute to their 1980s heyday, with John Bush sounding like he hadn’t aged a day and Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan trading solos like they were on a mission from 1984, channeling a similar magic to what one might have expected from Tipton and Downing or Murray and Smith during the height of heavy metal’s original popular ascent.
Suicidal Tendencies hit like an energy bomb, with one of the most unhinged sets Ohio has ever witnessed, with “You Can’t Bring Me Down” stretched into a 10-minute opener of riff-driven insanity. Mike Muir darted back and forth in crab-walk stances, while Jay Weinberg (playing with maybe more visual energy as he could be seen during his years with Slipknot) blasted through every beat like it owed him money. Crowd surfers came fast, and Ben Weinman surfing while playing guitar sealed the whole thing as one of the wildest scenes of the weekend, while Robert Trujillo could be seen watching his son Tye play from the side of the stage with a look of warranted pride on his face.
Thrash metal – often not well represented in these events – also has its moments to shine under the Columbus sun. Exodus wasted no time proving that Rob Dukes was the right man for the mic. His venomous bark over “Bonded By Blood” and “Blacklist” brought back that Atrocity Exhibition bite. Gary Holt, as ever, shredded like the gear was made of glass, while “The Toxic Waltz” brought bodies into the air, one pit opening after another. Testament followed with a lean but punishing set that honored their legacy with precision. “Practice What You Preach, ” “Sins of Omission, ” and “Time Is Coming” landed like warhammers. New drummer Chris Dovas was note-perfect, and Chuck Billy mixed operatic howl with a growl that still gets under your skin. “Return to Serenity” brought a moment of calm before “Into the Pit” lit the fuse again.
Cavalera Conspiracy bulldozed through four full tracks and a partial, making the most of limited time with maximum impact. “Refuse/Resist” and “Territory” felt volcanic, and when they tore into “Beneath the Remains, ” the entire set reached escape velocity, shaking the ground below everyone’s feet. The blend of family – Max, Iggor, and Igor Amadeus Cavalera – fired on a generational level. Though they were boxed into a short, 6 song set in the earlier part of the afternoon, it was impossible to go wrong with Pepper Keenan and Woody Weatherman’s sludgy and angst-driven presentation. Their song selection heavily favored the Corrosion Of Conformity era of the politically charged run in the 90s, with a couple entries like the quick rocking “Paranoid Opioid” and the groovy banger out of a trip with Black Sabbath blaring through the speakers “Diablo Blvd. ” reaching into the 2000s when musical landscapes were a-changing
And of course, there were the headliners: Korn closed a cold Thursday night with a full-scale sensory assault. Vertical light poles, layered screens, and an elevated drum throne transformed the stage into a sci-fi cathedral. They opened with “Blind” for the first time in 6 years, and followed with a 19-song masterclass that pulled deep into the vault: “Clown, ” “Shoots and Ladders, ” “Twisted Transistor. ” They even sneaked a few surprises in – “4 U, ” played live for the first time since 2020, and a mashup of “Coming Undone” with a chunk of Queen’s “We Will Rock You. ” Jonathan Davis paced the front with menace and poise, sealing their place as one of the most consistently inventive live acts in the genre, one that still knows how to unnerve and thrill in equal measures.
Then came Linkin Park. No longer a tribute, and not trying to be something they’re not, they’ve evolved into something new. Emily Armstrong brought her own presence to Chester Bennington’s legacy, trading verses with Mike Shinoda in a performance that felt like a living memorial and a step forward. Staged as a three-act story with a climactic encore, their 22-song set included deeply emotional renditions of “Numb, ” “Crawling, ” and “Bleed It Out. ” Between the lighting design, stagecraft, and emotional pacing, their set felt full-blown artistic statement.
And still, nothing touched the scale of Metallica. Headlining both Friday and Sunday, they pulled off the seemingly impossible — two unique headlining sets that each told a different story. Friday’s set charged straight into “Creeping Death, ” “Harvester of Sorrow, ” and a rare airing of “The Shortest Straw. ” Midway, Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo took their usual jam interlude, while a spotlight moment on “Orion” served as a heartfelt tribute to Cliff Burton.
Sunday’s closer opened with “Whiplash, ” followed by a thunderous trio from Ride the Lightning – “For Whom the Bell Tolls, ” “Ride the Lightning, ” and “Fade to Black. ” New cuts like “Lux Æterna”, and “72 Seasons” didn’t just hold their own – they hit harder live than on record. “The Memory Remains” had the crowd singing every line, and “No Leaf Clover” was a welcome curveball for longtime fans. With 16 songs and zero filler, it was a demonstration of stamina, precision, and continued relevance. By the time “Enter Sandman” crashed down to finish it all, the crowd looked equally exhausted and exultant. James Hetfield may be in his 60s, but he sounded and moved like a man with something still to prove. And prove it he did.
Sonic Temple 2025 didn’t feel like just another installment in its history, but more as a thunderous, sprawling affirmation of rock’s vitality in all its forms, standing tall as one of the beating hearts of North America’s metal festivals. It’s clear that DWP Presents has no interest in subtlety; they continue to build empire-size events, and this year, they lit Ohio on fire.
Special thanks to Jonathan Smith for his writing contributions to this article.
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