Show Review: Aftershock Festival Brings The Biggest in Heavy Metal and Punk Rock To Sacramento
Aftershock Festival
Discovery Park
Sacramento, CA
October 7th-10th, 2021
Review by Jared Stossel
Over the past four days, Discovery Park in Sacramento, CA has played home to the highly anticipated Aftershock Festival, featuring some of the biggest acts in hard rock, heavy metal, and punk rock, including appearances from acts like Metallica, a rare appearance from The Original Misfits, Social Distortion, Rise Against, Rancid, The Offspring, and more. It’s been two years since the show had been announced (initially being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Despite a few lineup changes, fans flocked to the sold out festival that kicked off Thursday night, keeping the party going until late Sunday night when Metallica closed things out with the second of two headlining sets.
I’m so glad that I got to witness this past weekend’s Aftershock Festival out in Discovery Park. I had attended once before, as a photographer for Fever 333 in 2018, but that was only for one day. This time, I got the entire Aftershock experience, and I’m happy to share our full recap from all four days of the festival. If you’re interested in attending Aftershock in 2022, you can reserve your tickets here.
Day 1
w/ Cypress Hill, Anthrax, Testament, Exodus, Death Angel, Knocked Loose, Fit For A King, Oxymorrons
There’s something that’s rather fitting about parts of Sacramento’s Aftershock Festival taking place underneath a highway overpass that cuts through the city’s downtown area. Metal and punk have always been genres that have thrived in the underbelly, in crappy night clubs, in DIY spaces. These are genres that have, with a few exceptions, been rejected by the traditional musical mainstream. So to see bands like Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel rip through sets of 80s-fueled thrash metal on a stage that has cars speeding over it while fans cheer them on throughout a surprisingly chilly evening makes sense to me.
After almost two years of waiting (the lineup for 2020 was announced the year prior), Sacramento’s Aftershock Festival (set to be headlined tonight and Sunday night by the Bay Area’s own Metallica) kicked off on Thursday night in Discovery Park. While I unfortunately missed sets from Oxymorrons and Fit For A King as I was heading to the venue (next time, guys), I made my way over and caught the rest of Death Angel’s set. Death Angel was one of three bands (next to Exodus and Testament) that are part of the upcoming “Bay Strikes Back” tour set to kick off next year, which showcases three of the band’s responsible for the prominent rise of the thrash metal scene in the 80s. All three bands brought forth tremendous and powerful sets throughout the evening. Over on the main stage, Knocked Loose playing a crushingly heavy set, turning evening the stingiest of metal purists into believers. “One thing you need to know about this band is that we love breakdowns,” vocalist Bryan Garris remarked to the crowd as they powered through a brutal 35-minute set.
As Bay Area metal legends tore up the “Coors Light Stage” situated on the other side of the park, “Big Four” act Anthrax took to the Main Stage, the “Kolas Stage” for a 45 minute set that celebrated the band’s forty-year tenure in the heavy metal community. Anthrax are a band that aren’t as big on the theatricality as some of their other peers in the “Big Four” (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth) but they can play just as intricately and powerfully as their contemporaries. There’s a reason that they’ve lasted this long. The evening was closed by Cypress Hill, the act that were set to be the most out-of-place act on a lineup consisting of thrash metal and hardcore. With that being said, Cypress Hill delivered a great hour long set, bringing a different vibe to the end of the night, but one that worked well. (The night was originally supposed to be headlined by Limp Bizkit and Faith No More, both of whom cancelled their tour dates for 2021). I was happily surprised to see that so many people stayed to close out the night.
Usually, the “preview night” of a festival doesn’t draw as heavily as the forthcoming weekend (similar to how a Comic-Con doesn’t always have its biggest and best on display at their panels until the Friday and Saturday dates). But Aftershock’s Thursday night kick-off proved to be a lot of fun, welcoming the anticipation of things to come throughout this weekend.
Cypress Hill Set List
Another Body Drops
When The Shit Goes Down
A to the K
Hand on the Pump
Pigs (mashup with Sound of Da Police by KRS-One)
Latin Lingo
Latin Thugs
(DJ Lord and Eric Bobo jam)
Roll It Up, Light It Up, Smoke It Up
Dr. Greenthumb
Hits From The Bong
How I Could Just Kill A Man
I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That
(Rock) Superstar
Insane in the Brain
Jump Around (House of Pain cover)
Day 2
w/ Metallica, Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, Volbeat, Seether & more
While this was technically “Day 2” of Aftershock, it was the first night for most people as fans from all over Northern California flocked into Discovery Park for one of the most anticipated dates of this year’s festival. Tonight would bring some of the best acts in punk rock and heavy metal across the festival’s three stages, including the first of two festival-exclusive Metallica sets (the second one will take place on Sunday night to close out the weekend).
I ended up making my way out to the festival grounds around 5 PM, so I wasn’t able to check out as many of the earlier acts as I had hoped. With that being said, I was able to catch plenty of sets from both Butcher Babies and Dropkick Murphys (one of the only performance overlaps that happened during the day). The former act brought a lot of energy to the Coors Light Stage, and the crowd seemed to really enjoy it. The latter, Dropkick Murphys, displayed their usual brand of loud, raucous Celtic punk on the Jack Daniel’s Stage, really kicking things into the highest gear.
On the other side of the festival, Seether took the stage. I’ve never been a massive fan of Seether, but I decided to check out a bit of their set since I hadn’t seen them in almost ten years. While their music just hasn’t clicked with me, they were in top form and put on a great show. Towards the end of Seether’s set, I managed to make my way back over to the Coors Light Stage to see a bit of the Suicidal Tendencies, who definitely drew the biggest crowd of any act on that particular stage since the festival began. It was hard to even walk to the back of the crowd. A highlight of watching Suicidal Tendencies has always been watching drummer Dave Lombardo; he is without a doubt one of the best in the game. I never had a chance to see him when he performed with Slayer, but I’m glad he’s still performing (and of course, he’ll be hitting the stage with The Original Misfits tonight).
Towards the end of Suicidal Tendencies’ set, I had an idea. Usually, when I’m covering a show, I have my camera in hand. This will dictate where I end up standing for a majority of the show since I eventually have to make my way over to the soundboard or the photo pit for the first two or three songs of each act. Given that I didn’t have my camera this time around, I decided to do something I haven’t done in a while: go into the crowd. Masked up and with a look that said “I’m here, but don’t touch me”, I managed to get a spot close to the stage for Rancid, who sincerely put on one of the best sets I’ve seen them perform out the ten or so times I’ve seen them play in the last fifteen years. They may have been playing “Roots Radical” in Sacramento, but it definitely felt like a Bay Area homecoming show.
Because of my position in the crowd, I was not able to make my way over to watch Volbeat, who closed out the Kolas Stage, but Aftershock projected the video feed from the adjoining stage onto video screens so fans could catch the whole thing. From what I saw, Volbeat were putting on a solid show, and one that proved why they were picked as an act to close out on the festival’s largest stages that evening.
I hadn’t seen Metallica in about ten years until last night. While it was not the absolute “greatest of all time” set that I have seen them play, it is abundantly clear to me why Metallica are still considered one of the greatest bands in the world, and why they are still playing today. Other than a couple minor sound mixing issues, which quickly resolved themselves, the four-piece Bay Area thrash metal legends played through forty years’ worth of material with absolute precision and prowess. They never lost their footing for even a moment, with vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield at the helm, guitarist Kirk Hammett providing stellar guitar work, and one of the best rhythm sections in all of heavy metal, with bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Lars Ulrich leading the charge.
While it wasn’t the over-the-top Metallica shows I’ve seen in years past, the video production wall behind the band was a nice touch. A flurry of fireworks went off at the beginning of “One”, and a neat pyrotechnic trick occurred at the front of the stage as the band powered through Hardwired!…To Self Destruct’s “Moth Into Flame”. For me, the band really hit their stride on “Frantic”, and other highlights included the classic “Master of Puppets”, “Ride the Lightning”, and a powerful three song encore that consisted of “Battery”, “Fuel”, and “Seek & Destroy”. Not bad for my first Metallica show in ten years, and by far the closest I’ve ever been to the stage for one of their shows. This band definitely has me anxious to see what they’ll be bringing to their Sunday night set.
Metallica Set List
Whiplash
Ride The Lightning
Harvester of Sorrow
Cyanide
The Memory Remains
One
Frantic
Moth Into Flame
No Leaf Clover
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Whiskey In The Jar
Fade To Black
Master of Puppets
Encore:
Battery
Fuel
Seek & Destroy
Day 3
w/ The Original Misfits, Mudvayne, The Offspring, Gojira, Machine Gun Kelly, and more
I woke up about an hour ago as I’m setting out to write this, and I’m digesting everything that took place yesterday for Day 3 of Aftershock Festival in Sacramento. I saw a few old favorites, as well as several acts that I’d never had the chance to see, after all of these years. There will be a lot to unpack with today’s recap, so let’s get right into it.
After taking the shuttle over, I ended up getting into the park just before 1 PM. My day was kicked off with a set from alternative rock act Blame My Youth. I was a bit surprised to see a straight-up alternative band on a festival lineup dominated by heavy metal and punk rock, but I was happy to see it and how they won the crowd over. I ended up catching a good portion of the set from Ded, a metal act from Arizona that are currently on tour with Black Veil Brides and In This Moment. For going on stage early in the day, Ded came out full of energy and grit and put on a really engaging performance.
Over on the Coors Light Stage, South of Eden brought some classic rock flair to the masses while Badflower showcased a unique brand of emo and alternative rock, providing a great segue for acts that would follow later in the day. However, I need to comment on the Jack Daniel’s Stage, as I saw nothing but fantastic set after fantastic set all day. August Burns Red and Atreyu, two long-time staples of music scene that I’ve grown up with, brought some of the best performances of the entire day. August Burns Red, currently on the road celebrating the anniversary of their Leveler album, played with a refined prowess that showed why they’ve transcended well above their peers on a technical level in this scene. Despite a lineup change that lost founding vocalist Alex Varkatzas, the band powered through a number of their biggest hits with clean vocalist Brandon Saller (who was previously on both drumming and vocal duties) at the helm.
A few minutes past 5:10, Machine Gun Kelly took the stage. This was one of my most anticipated acts of the weekend, and for good reason. With the exception of The Original Misfits, I think that Machine Gun Kelly was one of the only performers at Aftershock that made the show all his own. The video walls adorning the side of the stage played a video of MGK brushing his teeth, looking out into the crowd as if it were a window and he was looking down on the crowd of thousands. By the time the band took the stage, he launched straight into “title track”, the opener from his pop-punk entry Tickets To My Downfall. While it wasn’t perfect, and was cut a few minutes short due to him taking the stage later than his listed set time, Machine Gun Kelly brought with him a thoroughly entertaining performance.
An important thing to note about this performance is that a select portion of the crowd decided to show up specifically to boo Machine Gun Kelly due to comments that he made at a recent festival about the band Slipknot (I’m not getting into why; the Internet really is a stupid place). Despite the “mixed feelings” that he noted when he took the stage, Kelly noted that he wasn’t even sure if he had wanted to play, but told the crowd he saw a ten-year-old girl get her poster ripped up by guys at another festival, just because she liked his music. “So I’m doing this show for her, and everyone else that came to see me today.” A roar of applause washed over the crowd, drowning out the trolls.
From Machine Gun Kelly’s set onward, Aftershock provided fans with a lineup that evoked some of the absolute best that metal and punk had to offer. Anti-Flag and Body Count closed out the Coors Light Stage with outright ferocity (although I recall some sound issues during Anti-Flag’s set). Gojira proved why they are a Grammy nominated metal act; I had never seen them and was enthralled by how good they sounded. I have seen The Offspring countless times, so I decided to wait it out at the Jack Daniel’s Stage and secure a good spot for Mudvayne, but the crowd was able to watch The Offspring’s video feed, and they still demonstrate that they can put on a damn good show.
Mudvayne, in their second appearance on stage in over a decade, opened with an unmatched brutality as Chad Gray screamed into his microphone while the band hammered away on their respective instruments. Dressed like something out of a 1980s’ sci-fi/horror epic, the Illinois four-piece performed without missing a step, and the crowd in attendance ate up every moment.
On the adjoining stage, one of the most highly anticipated moments in all of punk rock kicked off around 10:00 PM, with The Original Misfits taking the stage and crushing through a setlist of nearly thirty songs. Crushing is a word I don’t use lightly, as guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein pretty much just beats the shit out of his guitar when he plays, and bassist Jerry Only snapped two or three basses over his knee before tossing them into the crowd. Original vocalist Glenn Danzig managed to keep up with them, bringing his trademark “punk-meets-Elvis” vocal stylings into hit Misfits songs like “I Turned Into A Martian”, “Earth A.D.”, “Astro Zombies”, and countless others. The stage, plastered with the iconic skull logo and two gigantic pumpkins on either side, is as representative of the horror-punk icons as anything could be.
I judged Misfits for a long time (okay, I judged Glenn Danzig) and had often looked down upon them as one of the influential punk bands. They had never clicked with me, even though I love punk and I love horror films, comic books, and the like. With that being said, as a reviewer, I must give you my honest opinion. I can’t lie: Misfits put on one of the best punk shows I’ve ever seen. It’s clear why people love them so much to this day, and why they’re considered legends in the scene. This very well may be the last time we ever get to see this iteration of The Original Misfits, with all three people responsible for its original incarnation under one roof. I’m glad I got to witness it at least once.
The Original Misfits Set List
Death Comes Ripping
I Turned Into A Martian
Vampira
Mommy, Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight
Skulls
Some Kinda Hate
Where Eagles Dare
All Hell Breaks Loose
Hollywood Babylon
London Dungeon
Earth A.D.
Green Hell
Astro Zombies
Hybrid Moments
Who Killed Marilyn
Night of the Living Dead
Horror Business
Halloween
Die, Die My Darling
Devilock
Violent World
Last Caress
Encore
20 Eyes
Teenagers From Mars
Children in Heat
Bullet
We Are 138
Encore 2
Come Back
Attitude
Here is it: after days of trudging through the dust and grass in Discovery Park, after sets from some of the biggest rock bands in the world, we have arrived at Day 4, the final day of the annual Aftershock Festival. I was definitely far more tired on this final festival date, but there was a lot of great music to make up for my aching legs.
My day started with a performance from another one of my most anticipated acts of the weekend: Mammoth, fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen and backed by a superb lineup of musicians to round out the live band. Mammoth is a relatively new act, but they’ve been making some absolutely killer music and it was great to see it in a live setting, even with the sun beating down on us. After Mammoth, I headed over to the Coors Light Stage to check out The Cold Stares, an up-and-coming blues rock duo that put on a great show.
Next up was Black Veil Brides on the Jack Daniel’s Stage. It has been a few years since I’ve seen this band, but I have to say I was thoroughly impressed with how much they’ve improved. Ever since listening to them during their We Stitch These Wounds and Set The World on Fire eras, I always thought that they would best fit into a heavy metal world in lieu of the Warped Tour scene (although they always played well and drew crowds whenever they played on the Vans Warped Tour). Black Veil Brides have embraced their full-scale heavy metal sensibilities, bringing forth the large-scale performance I had always hoped they would bring. On the Kolas stage, In This Moment brought a spectacularly theatrical performance to one of the biggest crowds of the day. I’ve always stated that festivals are not always the most ideal places to get the “full picture” from a band’s performance, but In This Moment proved me wrong. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them numerous times over the last few years, and whether they are opening or headlining, their performance is always top-tier both musically and visually.
Over at the Coors Light Stage, up-and-coming rock act All Good Things put on a spectacular performance, before leading into a set on the very same stage from Grandson, who I firmly believe put on one of the best sets of the entire weekend. He had more energy on stage than some of the bigger acts and didn’t let up for even a second, eventually jumping into the crowd for his closing songs. The Coors Light Stage was closed out by Yelawolf, who drew this stages’ largest crowd of the entire weekend, thrilling the packed audience with fast-paced hip-hop and frenetic energy.
What followed was what I can only describe as a compilation of the greatest hits of bands I’ve seen in the past. There’s really nothing new I can add to this conversation; Pennywise were fantastic as always, closing out with the high-speed “Fuck Authority” and “Bro Hymn”. Mastodon brought a technically intricate and powerfully heavy set to the Kolas Stage. Social Distortion are as good as they’ve ever been, running through a setlist that included some of their biggest hits like “I Was Wrong”, “Story of My Life”, and their cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”. Rise Against were in top form, sounding the best I think they’ve ever sounded. I’d also never seen any of these bands play to crowds this large before, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit proud at how far they’ve come after so many years.
And of course, Metallica closed out the night with their second set of the weekend, this time playing a couple of hits before plunging into a special performance of their critically-acclaimed The Black Album. Metallica were a massive band before The Black Album, but that record is the one that most credit with catapulting them into the rock mainstream. They played it in reverse, which I found clever: it was a way of switching things up, and it gave them a chance to finish with arguably their most famous song, “Enter Sandman”. While I definitely preferred the first night of Metallica over the second, I’m still in awe whenever I watch them. They are one of the technically proficient and tightest sounding live bands in the world. It makes sense why they’ve endured this long.
The band launched into a power-packed two song encore of “Fight Fire With Fire” and “Creeping Death”, which immediately caused everyone heading for the exits after “Enter Sandman” to double back and head straight for the crowd. As “Creeping Death” finished, fireworks went off, cascading down and covering the blackened sky in hues of red, green and yellow. The Bay Area four-piece took their bows and thanked everyone for coming out. After two long years of anticipation, this moment had finally arrived. This was one intense weekend, filled with some of the biggest and best that heavy metal and punk rock had to offer, and fans of this genre were all the better for it as they walked out of the festival gates and into the night.
Metallica Set List
Hardwired
The Four Horsemen
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
The Black Album (in reverse)
The Struggle Within
My Friend of Misery
The God That Failed
Of Wolf And Man
Nothing Else Matters
Through The Never
Don’t Tread on Me
Wherever I May Roam
The Unforgiven
Holier Than Thou
Sad But True
Enter Sandman
Encore
Fight Fire With Fire
Creeping Death
Aftershock Festival
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