Sonic Temple 2026 brought four days of distortion, sweat, and packed-field catharsis to Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio this past weekend. My Chemical Romance lit the fuse Thursday night, while Tool delivered a towering Sunday finale already being talked about as one of the festival's strongest closing sets to date.
Between the bookends came farewell performances from Megadeth and Sepultura, a 20th anniversary celebration of Flyleaf's self-titled debut, Body Count making their long-awaited Sonic Temple debut, and Shinedown closing out Friday night — who just scored their 25th number one at active rock radio with "Safe and Sound." Among the must-see moments: Brooklyn doom outfit Castle Rat, whose theatrical medieval heavy metal and elaborate stage show made them one of the weekend's most talked-about discoveries.
Scroll through the photos below.
Photo: Steve Thrasher
Photo: Steve Thrasher
Photo: Steve Thrasher
Photo: Steve Thrasher
Photo: Ness Holt
Photo: WhoIsCoop
Photo: Catie Viox
Photo: Steve Thrasher
Photo: the Grainy Perspective
Photo: Nathan Zucker
Photo: Steve Thrasher
Photo:Steve Thrasher
