Aftershock 2024; California Gets Four Days of Music & Mayhem

Aftershock 2024; California Gets Four Days of Music & Mayhem with Slayer, Slipknot, Iron Maiden, Mötley Crüe & More.

Reviewed for TotalRock by Eamon O’ Neill

Aftershock 2024 has taken its crown as one of the US’s top festivals, with a reunited Slayer, Nu Metal icons Slipknot, British Metal institution Iron Maiden, and L.A. glam icons Mötley Crüe​ headlining the 12th edition of the event. Taking place from 10th – 13th October 2024 in Discovery Park, Sacramento, the event also featured performances from Judas Priest, Pantera, and more. 

DAY 1

With the blistering Californian sun creating temperatures of up to 32 degrees c, the leafy location in Discovery Park with its copious shaded areas proved the perfect location to stage the monster event. And with over one hundred 120 performing across five stages, there was something for everyone as Aftershock 2024 kicked off on Thursday (10th October).

Led by the combustible Al Jourgensen, Ministry‘s set was as punishing and uncompromising as the man himself. With a playlist that featured the likes of ‘Just Stop Oil‘, and ‘Jesus Built My Hotrod‘, their post apocalyptic industrial boom proved that the band has lost none of its awesome shock.

Not mincing his words, Biohazard’s Evan Seinfeld declared;  “Aftershock, this is the best fuckin’ shit ever!” Reunited with their original line-up, the Brooklyn bruisers brought out Cypress Hill‘s Sen Dog for a surprise run through 1994 team up ‘How it Is‘. Speaking to eonmusic after the event, the rap icon confessed; “shit man, we’ve not done that in years!”

Bringing their usual touch of emotive class, Halestorm were burning up on the Shockwave stage. “Aftershock, man you are so hot right now!”, declared Lzzy Hale. Taking in the incredible vibe, the singer said; “this is so much more than me just playing a gig; this is me reaching out to you, you reaching out to me, and we get to celebrate that togetherness tonight”. 

However day one was all about the heavy, and the last two bands of the evening brought that in spades, and with Pantera performing just ahead of Slayer, this was the perfect throwback to the 1990s. Now featuring Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante (along with mainstays Phil Anselmo and Rex Bown), the foursome ripped through their catalogue, from vulgar openers ‘A New Level‘ and ‘Mouth for War‘, to deeper cuts like ‘Suicide Note, Pt 2‘.    

With Wylde‘s tasteful nod to the late Dimebag Darrell with his guitar’s ‘Dean From Hell’ inspired paint job, to Benante‘s bass drum heads which featured portraits of Dime and and brother Vinnie Paul, this celebration remains a faithful and classy tribute to the fallen brothers.  

But it was Slayer‘s closing slot that was always going to bring out the most excitement, with their appearance marking only the second time that the thrash masters have taken to the stage since retiring in 2019. And as the huge curtain adorned with the band’s logo dropped, and the opening notes to ‘South of Heaven‘ began, it was a genuine goosebumps moment.      

In typical chucklesome, nonplussed mood, singer Tom Araya greeted the arena, asking; “You guys ready to have some fun?”, to a huge roar from the capacity crowd. 

Going on to play a whopping six tracks from ‘Seasons in the Abyss‘, from the epic ‘War Ensemble‘ to dark masterpiece ‘Dead Skin Mask‘ and rarity ‘Temptation’, as well as ‘South of Heaven‘ gem ‘Mandatory Suicide’, an incendiary ‘Hell Awaits‘, and main set closer ‘Reign in Blood‘,  Araya, Kerry King, Paul Bostaph and Gary Holt can rest easy on their legacy, whatever the future holds.   

Hinting that the band might not quite be ready to return to a state of suspended animation just yet, Araya cryptically signed off saying; “thank you very much. We really appreciate you guys being here. Maybe we’ll see you again…” 

DAY 2

Friday (11th October) saw punk pioneer Marky Ramone rouse early arrivers with a spirited ‘Sheena is a Punk Rocker‘ and other cuts, while continuing the high energy vibes, Boston Irish mob Dropkick Murphys roused a mosh pit barely rivalled all weekend, as they tore through a succession of barroom anthems. 

Rise Against‘s  Tim McIlrath echoed the sentiment, declaring; “what a beautiful night. It feels good to be here with this tribe, right here”, while Juliette and the Licks brought a vibe of controlled chaos, with front woman Juliette Lewis as lythe and unpredictable as her idol – “the greatest that there’s ever been” – Iggy Pop, to whom she dedicated a cover of The Stooges‘ ‘Search and Destroy‘.

Over in a hidden corner of the site Mastodon were bringing it on Coors Light stage. “Tonight we’re celebrating an album called ‘Leviathan’. It’s a record we felt put us on the map, and an album we have the honour of playing for you tonight”, announced singer and bassist Troy Sanders as the band’s set kicked off. Ripping through the monster 2004 release in its entirety, with the music accompanied by pyro and animated visuals, it was a startling performance. 

Headliners Slipknot also chose Aftershock to celebrate, looking back to their explosion onto the Nu Metal scene 25 years ago. “Welcome back to 1999, motherfuckers!”, declared front man Corey Taylor; “Tonight, you will not hear one song written after 1999! For the maggots who have been here since day one, this is to say thank you”.

Dressed in era-appropriate red boiler suits, and with masks recalling their early days, the nine-piece ripped through a set that, true to his word, focused on their earliest demos and 1999 self-titled debut album..

DAY 3

Day three (Saturday 12th October) saw Alien Ant Farm opening up proceedings and predictably causing chaos with hits ‘Movies‘ and their cover of Michael Jackson‘s ‘Smooth Criminal‘.  

The ever popular New Year’s Day meanwhile had a cover of their own to sway the non-converts, in a melodic and original take on Pantera‘s ‘Fucking Hostile‘. 

Over on the Shockwave stage. Rival Sons’ cool retro rock in roll was just the tonic in the sweltering sun, with super tasteful soloing from Scott Holiday on his double neck Gibson, and impassioned vocals from Jay Buchanan, during set highlight ‘Feral Roots‘.   

Scott Ian meanwhile summed up perfectly the mood in the arena, as Anthrax took to the stage. “It’s a wonderful day for metal!”, he declared. In a short set that was packed exclusively with pre-1991  material, the New Yorkers ripped through their metal thrashing classics including ‘A.I.R.’, ‘Madhouse‘ and ‘I am the Law‘. 

Playing a more succinct set than during their European festival run earlier this year, Body Count mixed up early anthems like ‘There Goes the Neighbourhood‘ with newies from their forthcoming ‘Merciless‘. It wasn’t all rap rock mayhem though, and playing for only the second time their reworking of Pink Floyd‘s ‘Comfortably Numb‘, Ice-T and crew proved they have a reflective side too. 

The day however, was really all about arguably, the absolute masters of metal; Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. 

With back to back appearances, this was an absolute treat for anyone who calls themselves a fan of heavy metal. Arriving onstage first, to the strains of ‘Panic Attack‘, Judas Priest were in ferocious form. Following with US audience favourite ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Coming‘ and the heavy assault of ‘Rapid Fire‘, the Birmingham legends went on to weave their way through five decades of metal milestones. 

Greeting the crowd, front man and self-confessed fanboy Rob Halford gushed; “it’s great to be here at Aftershock. So many good bands!”; a statement that was hard to disagree with. And as ‘Riding on the Wind‘ gave way to ‘Turbo Lover‘ and ‘Hellbent for Leather‘, it was clear that Judas Priest remains one of the best.  

Judas Priest may have been a hard act to follow, but as one of the most beloved metal acts of all time, Iron Maiden were easily up to the task, and as the intro – the  Bladerunner theme – rolled, with a burst of explosive energy and glorious technicolour the six-piece entered to ‘Caught Somewhere in Time’.

Following straight into ‘Stranger in a Strange Land‘, which featured some impressive acrobatic mic stand throwing from Bruce Dickinson, as well as the first appearance of band mascot Eddie, the noticeably chipper singer declared; “what a beautiful fucking sight you are!”

Of course this tour also focuses on 2021’s ‘Senjutsu‘, with ‘The Writing on the Wall’ coming early in the set, as well as ‘Days of Future Past‘, and – along with some spirited Dickinson banter referencing Back to the Future and DeLorean – ‘The Time Machine‘. 

But it was the classics that most had come to hear, and with ‘The Prisoner‘, ‘Can I Play With Madness?‘, and ‘The Trooper‘ in the set, few could have left disappointed. 

Hinting at a return Stateside in 2026 – presumably, as part of the recently announced ‘Run For Your Lives’ world tour-  it seems US audiences won’t have to wait too long until they see Iron Maiden again. 

DAY 4

And so to the final day (Sunday 14th October), and when at 11.50am when Hed PE frontman Jared Gomes suggested; “it’s not too early to start getting fucked up though, is it?”, perhaps he hadn’t realised what three whole days in the sun with alcohol and music had done to some. 

However with festival fatigue shifting, The Eagles of Death Metal brought with them a sunshine attitude, with main man Jesse Hughes declaring; “this is the greatest job in the world, playing rock and roll, and we only get to do that because of you guys”. Going down a storm with their goodtime anthems including an on-point rendition of David Bowie‘s ‘Moonage Daydream‘ as well as their own ‘Cherry Cola’, the off-kilter rockers delivered one of the most fun performances of the weekend.

Tom Morello then was his usual inspiring self, with a concise set that took in all corners of his career from solo work to his time with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. With his son Roman joining on guitar for their co-write ‘Soldier in the Army of Love‘, as well as the penultimate ‘Killing in the Name’, the pair traded solos, licks, and moves with the thirteen year-old Morello jnr. proving easily as adept as his father. 

More fist-in-the-air defiance came from Falling in Reverse, whose singer Ronnie Radke called out the haters for accusing his band of using backing tracks. “Eddie Trunk, Sebastian Bach, you can suck my dick!”, he raged, unapologetically, during the band’s explosive, high energy, pyro-heavy show. 

Doing what they do best, Disturbed‘s covers of Genesis‘s ‘Land of Confusion‘ and Simon and Garfunkel‘s ‘Sound of Silence‘ offered the festival’s most epic moments, with the latter proving, as usual, particularly spine tingling. Self-styled punktry artist Royale Lynn then joined the band to duet on ‘Don’t Tell Me‘.  

And so it fell to Mötley Crüe to close out what had been an epic weekend. While Vince Neil‘s voice has come in for some fair criticism, especially in recent years, with Tommy Lee and John 5 in the band, their sound remains epic.  Bookending their classic era, the opening ‘Primal Scream‘ – first released as a single in 1991 – was followed by debut album classic ‘Live Wire‘, with the foursome going on to deliver most of their biggest hits.

With ‘Wild Side‘, ‘Dr. Feelgood‘, and ‘Too Fast For Love‘ in the set, few were going to complain, but six covers – although five of these came in an extended medley format – at the expense of greater Crüe gems like ‘Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)‘, and deep dives like ‘New Tattoo‘, were perhaps a bit much. Seeing out the festival with the winning one-two of ‘Girls Girls Girls‘ and ‘Kickstart My Heart‘ however, redeemed any missteps, with the entire field singing along to every word. 

Like all of the best festivals, Aftershock has something special. The location, the weather, the bands, the vibe, the people, and the bond between the artists on stage and the crowd; Aftershock had it all, and it seems that this year in particular, the organisers agree. 

“Aftershock 2024: This was truly one of our favourite years ever”, they said, taking to socials after the event; “The weather was, again, absolutely gorgeous. The vibes and crowd energy was surreal throughout. We took care of each other, the site, and provided the bands with an electricity they absolutely raved about. Thank you for being a part of this. We appreciate you. We love you. We will see you again in 2025!”

Aftershock Festival returns to Discovery Park, Sacramento, in 2025. For more, visit the festival’s official site. 

The Aftershock 24 Experience

Photos by:Jordanpantojaphotography