Culture
Louder than Life 2024: If this lineup doesn’t get you excited, what will?
By: Nicholas Kobe
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WOUB) – Over the past three months we’ve been steadily getting line-up announcements for the festivals L.A.-based live entertainment company Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) has planned for the Midwest this summer.
First Columbus, OH-hosted Sonic Temple; then Mansfield, OH’s Inkcarceration, and on Wednesday DWP announced the lineup for the final of the “Midwest Trio”: Louder Than Life – set for September at the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo Center.
DWP saved the best for last – marking the tenth anniversary of Louder Than Life with one of the most impressive line-ups I’ve seen grace this region.
Just like its peer DWP festivals, Louder Than Life traditionally has a broad range of rock and metal bands aimed at bringing in both hardcore and casual listeners of the genre. Last year, with big names like Green Day, Weezer, Foo Fighters, Avenged Sevenfold, and Tool, I’d argue that’s just what Louder Than Life did, even if I wasn’t in attendance.
This year, Louder Than Life has narrowed its scope dramatically. The flavor of this festival leans heavily towards metal – more so than Sonic Temple or Inkcarceration – based purely on the unprecedented amount of metal starpower on display here.
Thursday, September 26 is the first day of the festival, and it marks Slipknot’s second headlining appearance at a DWP festival this summer, after playing Sonic Temple in May. Like I said in my Sonic Temple preview: Slipknot is not a personal favorite, but I understand that they’re super successful and they draw hordes of fans.
In the subheadlines, Thursday includes two of my favorite acts: The Offspring and Halestorm. The Offspring has loads of iconic hits that will be sure-fire crowd-pleasers, while I trust Halestorm will continue to prove why they reign atop modern hard rock. I’m also very excited to see Pup, The Warning, Des Rocs, and Sum 41.
For all classic punk fans, seeing Marky Ramone playing Ramones classics is a must.
The only major disappointment on Thursday is Five Finger Death Punch. From a popularity perspective, I understand their inclusion, but compared to the rest of these titans, they stick out like a sore thumb (pun intended).
On Friday, Louder Than Life shift gears from “pretty cool” to “legendary.”
Playing for one of the first times in over five years, the headliner is the legendary Slayer. I’m shocked the band has returned, but I’m not complaining. Slayer has one of the most solid discographies in metal. This set is guaranteed to be front-to-back insanity in all the best (and most brutal) ways. In my opinion, this name alone is worth the price of admission.
If you like thrash, and are already stoked to see one of the “big four,” then you’ll be excited to hear you’re not just getting one – you’re getting two because Anthrax plays the same day as Slayer.
Anthrax is a welcome addition to any festival. As someone who saw them in 2022, this is a must-see set.
Rammstein frontman Til Lindemann will also take the stage on Friday, along with Evanescence, In This Moment, Lorna Shore, Black Stone Cherry, and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello.
With names like this, “Friday, September 27” will be a day for the history books.
Saturday may not be quite as exciting as Friday, but it does undoubtedly feature the most classic-rock-friendly headliner with Mötley Crüe.
Some familiar faces from this festival circuit pop up as well: Disturbed, Falling in Reverse, and Skillet.
My favorite band on the list, however, is Mastodon. Celebrating 20 years of Leviathan and armed with a back catalog of great records like Crack the Skye and Emperor of Sand, this performance is one you simply can’t afford to miss.
In addition to this, bands like Three 6 Mafia, The Funeral Portrait, Chevelle, and LS Dunes (members of Thursday, Coheed and Cambria, and My Chemical Romance) make this a diverse and exciting day of music.
For the final day of the fest, Sunday brings out plenty of big guns. For nu-metal fans, headliner Korn will be a massive draw (even if that’s another band I’ve never connected with.)
A band I do connect with is metal legend Judas Priest, my favorite metal band ever and an absolute powerhouse even 50 years into their career.
The French death metal kings Gojira also grace the Louder Than Life stage in a performance that, after seeing them last year, I would bet money will blow you away.
For fans of newer metal, one of the genre’s rising stars, Spiritbox, get well deserved high billing on Sunday. They’re not a headliner yet, but I’d say they’re only a few years from it.
Sunday boasts other impressive bands, like Eagles of Death Metal, Jinjer, Poppy, New Year’s Day, and Architects, rounding out a killer finale to a great lineup.
I’d find it hard to believe that anyone into rock would struggle to find at least a handful of bands to be beyond stoked about on this lineup. With only a few gripes due to personal taste, there’s so little I can fault Louder than Life 2024 on.
If this lineup doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will.
Nicholas Kobe has already interviewed a few of the performers set to play Louder Than Life 2024, including Ian Hill of Judas Priest, Ash Costello of New Year’s Day, Mike Stringer of Spiritbox, and Brann Dailor of Mastodon.