This coming weekend, Aftershock returns to Discovery Park in Sacramento, California for four blockbuster days of rock and metal mayhem. Joining headliners Slayer, Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Mötley Crüe are the likes of Evanescence, Judas Priest, Disturbed, Halestorm, Architects, Clutch, Seether, Anthrax, Mastodon, Poppy and many more huge names from right across the alternative music spectrum, making this year's lineup one of the most stacked of 2024.
It's not all about the big names, though. We all love a heavy metal legend, but Aftershock is also packing some of the most exciting young bands and artists in heavy music today, all of whom deserve your time and support during the festival. WIth that in mind, here are 10 upcoming bands you need to check out if you're heading to Discovery Park this weekend.
Silly Goose
Parked right at the very bottom of the bill on Thursday having been picked to open up Aftershock's fifth stage, it'd be easy to overlook Silly Goose (not least because they're comfortably packing the least metal choice of band moniker on the whole bill). Don't sleep on these lads, though: their raucous, irreverent brand of petulant rap metal is excellent fun and should set the tone nicely for a weekend of fun.
Return To Dust
This LA four-piece hit the ground running with their very decent, self-titled full-length album earlier this year. At least, they say they're from LA: Return To Dust so perfectly nails the flannel-clad, grubby sonics of grunge icons like Alice In Chains and Mother Love Bone we're not entirely convinced they did't sneak 1,000 miles down the West coast from Seattle. Regardless, if you're yearning for a slice of 90s hard rock heaven with a modern sheen, Return To Dust will make your day when they play Aftershock on Thursday.
Gel
If it's snarling, buzzy hardcore you're after, Gel have your back. The New Jersey quintet made serious waves in the scene with last year's no-nonsense, 16-minute blast of punk rock fury, Only Constant, and they're keeping the momentum moving with recent EP Persona, an ambitious broadening of their sound that doesn't lose an ounce of the righteous rage that has personified their music so far. Catch them Thursday at mid-afternoon on the Coors Light Stage.
Vended
Yes, Vended have got more of a boost than most bands their age thanks to that association with You Know Who, but don't let that disguise the fact that this year's debut album is an extremely solid slice of battering nu metal noise. Opening one of Aftershock's two biggest stages on Friday means the pressure is on for them to justify their current status, but on the basis of everything we've seen so far, we're backing them to smash it.
Brutus
These Belgians have actually been making a noise around the underground for eight years now, but their immense brand of shimmering post-hardcore deserves to be so, so much bigger. At least their homeland appreciates them properly - their last two records entered the top 10 of the Belgian album charts - but hopefully a spot opening Aftershock's main stage on Friday this year will see them attract the kind of audience they deserve.
Deadlands
If it's big, fat, shiny choruses you're after at Aftershock this weekend, you could do a lot worse than Long Island, NY metalcore trio Deadlands on Saturday. The fast-rising three-piece are yet to release a full-length studio album but are already attracting attention thanks to their earwormy blend of scything, djent-indebted riffs, guttural breakdowns and colossal hooks. Think Architects meets Dream State with a sprinkling of Motionless In White and you're some way there.
Jigsaw Youth
Weaving together grinding alt metal, grotty grunge and scuzzy punk rock, this New York three-piece are the injection of sneering, post-Millennial gloom you've been waiting for. They've only a handful of tracks to their name so far, but on the evidence we've heard, they are ones to watch and shouldn't be missed when they open up Aftershock's second stage on Saturday.
Bob Vylan
London's finest purveyors of grime-punk have been making a big ol' racket in the UK, but Aftershock will see them attempt to translate their fiery, politicised ragers to a Stateside audience on Sunday. Given the duo's well-deserved reputation as one of the most riotous live acts in heavy music right now, we don't think they'll have much of an issue on that front.
Mike's Dead
One of the emergent wave of nu gen artists to whom the idea of 'genre' is little more than a boundary to be broken, Mikes's Dead blends nu metal riffs and trap beats with propulsive EDM and marching industrial clatter. He also has something of a taste for the theatrical, meaning he'll be well worth your time when he pops up early on Aftershock's fourth stage on Sunday.
Lowlives
Another slice of 90s-leaning hard rock that owes more than a little of its DNA to Seattle (clearly, there's something in the water at the moment...), West Coast crew Lowlies unleashed their debut album Freaking Out earlier this year to critical acclaim. Make sure you nip into the arena early on Sunday to catch them open up Aftershock's third stage.
Aftershock 2024 takes place this coming weekend at Discovery Park in Sacramento. For more info, head to the official Aftershock website
