6 Massive Issues That Occurred at Sonic Temple 2025

This is six large issues that occurred at Sonic Temple 2025.

The annual competition, placed on by DWP (Danny Wimmer Presents), took over Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio from Might 8-11.

The four-day occasion featured the widest vary of bands within the 15-plus yr historical past (going again to its days as Rock on the Vary), together with headliners Korn, Linkin Park and Metallica, the latter of which performed two distinctive units on totally different nights.

There was really one thing for almost each sort of rock and steel fan and filled with recollections that can final a lifetime for the tens of hundreds of headbangers in attendance.

Now, let’s get to a few of these large highlights!

Korn Put “Blind” Again within the Set because the Opener + We Had been Prepared

For the primary time since 2019, Korn opened their set with the apparent fan favourite “Blind.” You recognize, the one which begins off with Jonathan Davis screaming “ARE YOU READY?!”

It is our deeply held perception that this must be a everlasting set opener, however we perceive that the nu-metal pioneers must maintain issues recent and change it up. Korn acknowledged the second, nevertheless, serving as the primary of 4 competition headliners and even they could not resist probably the most best option to convey the stadium to a complete frenzy.

The band’s 19-song set additionally featured the return of “Twisted Transistor” and “4 U,” which hadn’t been carried out dwell since 2019 and 2020, respectively. In all, they touched on 10 of their 15 albums and the weekend-long parade of Korn T-shirts out within the crowd demonstrated they’re certainly nonetheless right here to remain.

Crossfade Play First Present Since 2012

After 13 years, Crossfade made their long-awaited return to the stage at Sonic Temple. The alt-metal/post-grunge outfit reunited final yr, first placing a pair of competition reveals on the books — one was already talked about and the opposite is elsewhere in Ohio on the 2025 installment of the Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Competition.

Identified for standouts akin to “Chilly” and “Colours” off their self-titled platinum-selling 2004 debut, the four-piece performed songs from all three of their albums. Contending with I Prevail, who have been lighting up the Temple Stage contained in the stadium, they pulled a greater than sizable crowd that was looking forward to a primary have a look at the group in additional than a decade.

They usually saved the perfect for final, closing issues out with “Chilly.”

As famous within the Fb put up beneath, followers snatched up all of the merch Crossfade had delivered to the fest a staggering three hours earlier than their 7PM set. They’re so again!

READ MORE: Bands Who Broke Up + Ones Who Reunited in 2024

Beartooth to the Rescue

Sadly, Alice in Chains needed to drop off the competition invoice. The grunge legends have been compelled to cancel the whole thing of their transient tour following a “non-life-threatening medical emergency” pertaining to drummer Sean Kinney.

The trek was imagined to kick off in Connecticut on Might 8 with an look at Sonic Temple scheduled for Sunday, Might 11.

As competition promote Danny Wimmer himself famous, you’ll be able to’t “substitute” Alice in Chains. Nevertheless, he did problem hometown hero Caleb Shomo to reroute Beartooth’s tour to Columbus, Ohio on a time off to come back rock the stadium.

And rock the stadium they did!

Shomo, who additionally bought to spend Mom’s Day together with his mother in attendance, declared from the stage that Beartooth will all the time reply the decision to come back rock and the band ripped by 13 songs in just a little underneath an hour.

Metallica Play a True Rarity

For simply the 99th time of their profession (in keeping with setlist.fm) Metallica performed the …And Justice For All deep lower “The Shortest Straw.”

The efficiency got here throughout the thrash legends’ first set of the lengthy weekend, the place they ran by 15 different songs which have all been a main focus of the M72 world tour.

“Orion,” which has additionally been a fixture, had by no means been performed in Ohio earlier than, in order that was it is personal form of deal with as effectively.

“The Shortest Straw” got here third within the set after the blistering one-two punch of “Creeping Dying” and “Harvester of Sorrow,” which introduced the stadium to a frenzy.

Dying Steel and Deathcore Win Massive, From Midday to Late at Evening

This yr’s Sonic Temple lineup seemed fairly a bit totally different than years previous. The DWP workforce does a exceptional job of shaking it up from yr to yr as it’s, however this time they went all-in on brutal music from underground upstarts to longstanding veterans.

How did the group reply?

THEY LOVED IT!

Cannibal Corpse, Arch Enemy and Whitechapel all headlined aspect phases and pulled huge crowds throughout the headliner contained in the stadium (Metallica on Friday and Sunday). That is fairly rattling spectacular.

Elsewhere (whereas the solar was nonetheless up), followers tore up the pit to the likes of Gatecreeper, Frozen Soul, PeelingFlesh, All Shall Perish, The Black Dahlia Homicide, The Acacia Pressure, Obituary, Sanguisugabogg and Shadow of Intent.

Throughout these units, DWP felt loads prefer it stood for Down With Pulverizing.

Linkin Park Deliver Up Grandson for “One Step Nearer”

One main spotlight of festivals is that there is quite a lot of alternative for onstage collaborations, cameos, visitor appearances… no matter you need to name it.

When Poppy performed “V.A.N.”, the collaborative observe with Dangerous Omens, we had a sense she would not be doing it a second time on the identical day with the latter’s set later within the day. Bummer.

However we did get to see Grandson hop onstage with Saturday evening headliners Linkin Park, performing “One Step Nearer” with the band. One thing sudden is all the time good to see!

Grandson has been opening choose dates of Linkin Park’s world tour in help of their newest album, From Zero and, sure, he’d been becoming a member of them for this very tune on the trek already. But it surely’s totally different if you’re at a competition versus your personal headlining tour and to showcase a nonetheless rising artist on such an enormous tune in a second like that is necessary for the longterm well being and way forward for the music we love a lot.