AMON AMARTH
Photo: Dimitry Mak
The almighty Viking metal warlords are setting sail for Columbus, Ohio on May 17th, bringing their conquest to the Cathedral Stage at Sonic Temple. Currently storming through the final stretch of the Amonklok tour, the band is arriving battle-hardened — we caught them absolutely destroy Brooklyn Paramount on this same run. Come ready to raise a horn, row the mosh pit, and chant alongside thousands of fellow warriors.
ATREYU
Photo: Josh Beech
The Orange County metalcore veterans have gold records, Top 20 Billboard debuts, and over two decades in the game, and they're showing up to the Citadel Stage Friday with something to say. The End Is Not The End, their tenth album, dropped just weeks ago, and by the band's own account it's their heaviest and most adventurous record yet. Hope they dig into the new record with "Dead," "In The Dark," and our own Song of the Week "Children of the Light," because this is the rare festival slot where the new material is actually the reason to show up early.
CASTLE RAT
Photo: Dimitry Mak
Riley Pinkerton performing as the Rat Queen leads the Brooklyn doom outfit through choreographed battles between life and death every single night, and the crowds have been answering back in character across every stop of the Amonklok tour. We caught them at Brooklyn Paramount on this run and the line to get in was as long as we've ever seen for an opener — everybody wanted to be inside before the first note dropped. Castle Rat hits the Altar Stage first at 1:15 on Sunday, and we have a feeling Columbus is going to look the same. Get there early.
KREATOR
Photo: Ana Rita Alves
Forty-plus years into their career, Mille Petrozza and company are showing up to the Altar Stage on Saturday with their sixteenth album and zero interest in coasting. Krushers of the World dropped in January and has been one of our favorite records of the year — produced by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios, the same pairing behind Phantom Antichrist and Gods of Violence, it sounds enormous. After wrapping a massive European run through 20 countries with Carcass and Exodus, the band took a well-deserved breather before making Sonic Temple only the second stop of their North American dates. They're arriving rested and ready to turn the Altar Stage into a giant circle pit. "Blood of Our Blood" and "Seven Serpents" are at the top of our list.
ARCHITECTS
Photo: Dimitry mak
We caught Architects on the The Sky, The Earth & All Between tour at Terminal 5 last August and left with sore necks. The Brighton metalcore veterans hit their first-ever number one at US Active Rock Radio with "Everything Ends" and the album has moved over 90,000 units — the momentum has been building all year. Now they're back in the States on the Broken Mirror Tour and Sonic Temple is one of the last stops. Sam Carter is one of the most commanding front men in the genre, and the Sanctuary Stage on Saturday is going to be loud.
