Culture
Sonic Temple 2025 delivers big names, stumbles on logistics and consistency
By: Nicholas Kobe
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WOUB) – I went into Sonic Temple 2025 thinking the lineup—Metallica, Linkin Park, Korn, and more—was too big to fail. I was mostly right and left happy to have seen so many great bands. But the festival’s massive scale caused growing pains that kept it from crossing the line from good to great.
Thursday was a warm-up, sticking to familiar ground: nu metal and modern metalcore. The afternoon featured three major metalcore acts. Poppy impressed with a stronger set than their 2024 Louder Than Life performance, thanks to a solid new album.
Motionless in White’s sharp production and balanced setlist made it my favorite modern metal set of the weekend. Bad Omens, however, turned out to be one of the weekend’s biggest letdowns. Their detached stage presence and mid-tempo, moody pop-metalcore lacked the energy needed to land live. Unlike acts like Sleep Token or Falling in Reverse, they didn’t elevate the material beyond its studio limitations.
Three Days Grace, on the other hand, was a surprise highlight. With original vocalist Adam Gontier back, they delivered undeniable energy, even for someone who isn’t a big fan.
Korn was the least remarkable headliner, not because they were bad, but because they played it safe. Jonathan Davis’ vocals sounded better than the last time I saw them, and the rhythm section locked in the band’s signature grooves with precision.
Thursday also leaned into metal’s industrial side. Ministry delivered a strong set, and Nitzer Ebb gave one of the weekend’s best performances with their danceable, synth-driven energy. Even on a day rooted in Sonic Temple’s comfort zone, acts like Nitzer Ebb hinted at the festival’s willingness to explore other subgenres—a significant strength heading into Friday.
Friday, billed as the heaviest day, lived up to the hype. Overkill and Exodus opened with relentless thrash energy. Testament followed with one of the weekend’s best sets, focusing on Practice What You Preach and packing impressive range into a short slot.
Beyond thrash, Mastodon, Deafheaven, and Acid Bath explored heavier, more experimental metal corners. Deafheaven, the festival’s sole black metal act, showed why they remain one of the genre’s most innovative bands.
Because of scheduling conflicts, I missed some key sets—not just Cannibal Corpse and Hatebreed on Friday, but also Three Six Mafia, Arch Enemy, Power Trip, and Municipal Waste later in the weekend.
Alice Cooper delivered a true showstopper. Still sharp vocally and theatrically, he led an exceptional band, with Nita Strauss stealing the spotlight on guitar. Theatrical props—a guillotine, a giant devil, and a live snake—elevated the show, making Cooper arguably the weekend’s best performer.
A past favorite, Rob Zombie, started strong but unraveled after technical issues. He lost his temper on stage and never fully recovered, giving the set’s ending an awkward, tense energy that held it back.
Saturday’s undercard mostly fell flat. Bands like I Prevail, Set It Off, and The Devil Wears Prada delivered competent performances of songs I didn’t care for. Citizen Soldier stood out for the wrong reasons—despite technical issues beyond their control, the singer’s inability to stay in key made the set hard to sit through.
Saturday wasn’t without highlights. Tourmates Trivium and Bullet for My Valentine delivered standout sets by revisiting their 2005 albums—Ascendancy and The Poison—showcasing early 2000s metalcore at its peak. Both bands exceeded expectations with tight riffs and a perfect balance of melody and aggression.
Linkin Park, now fronted by Emily Armstrong, was the weekend’s most significant question mark—and ended up delivering its best headlining set. The band blended old and new material seamlessly. Shinoda rapped with the same energy he had in 2003, and Armstrong nailed both her parts and Chester Bennington’s. With something to prove, Linkin Park played like underdogs—and won big.
Sunday felt like a summation of everything Sonic Temple had offered. My favorites were Columbus locals Sanguisugabogg and death metal legends Obituary. Sanguisugabogg brought self-aware humor and heavy, classic riffs, while Obituary delivered a sludgy, robust set worthy of their legacy.
Sunday also had low points. Gwar sounded great and looked fantastic, but their humor wore thin quickly. Hollywood Undead, unsurprisingly, brought frat-boy rap without Limp Bizkit’s self-awareness.
Metallica headlined Friday and Sunday—the most requested band in Sonic Temple history—and delivered. Just playing fan favorites like Master of Puppets and Creeping Death was enough, and the band sounded as powerful as ever, even in their 60s.
But both sets lost momentum in the middle. Explosive openings led to long stretches of mid-tempo tracks from 72 Seasons, especially on Friday. A jam session from Kirk and Rob felt more rough than inspired. While it’s understandable they promoted their new album, a more varied setlist would’ve kept the energy high. Starting late both nights and ending early Sunday didn’t help either.
Logistics, usually an afterthought in a review like this, stood out for the wrong reasons. Parking was the worst I’ve seen. Construction wasn’t the festival’s fault, but poor planning worsened it. Thursday’s parking sold out, leaving many stranded; staff and police improved things by Friday, but this should’ve been addressed.
Bigger lineups mean bigger crowds—something the organizers didn’t fully prepare for. Long lines plagued the box office, merch stands, and stadium entries. It’s frustrating because I’ve seen Danny Wimmer Presents handle logistics well. Even this year, they replaced Alice in Chains with Beartooth on less than 48 hours’ notice. So why couldn’t they get the basics right after months of prep?
Sonic Temple also cut corners beyond logistics. Fewer vendors and oddity shops were replaced by additional bar stations, which rarely drew crowds. Food and alcohol took over the grounds, while the art presence shrank. Once centrally placed, the artist corner was tucked between two stages and easy to miss. This shift made the non-musical experience the weakest I’ve seen at the festival.
Still, Sonic Temple 2025 gave rock fans a fun, high-energy weekend packed with star power and broader genre diversity than ever. That variety didn’t extend to rising acts, who mostly underwhelmed. I hope future editions focus more on planning and overall experience. Sonic Temple is growing, but this year’s missteps show it still has room to improve.