Date: Sunday May 17th 2026
Location: Historic Columbus Crew Stadium
City: Columbus Ohio
Event: Sonic Temple 2026 Day 4 of 4
Featuring: Tool, Electric Callboy, Godsmack, Megadeth
Public Enemy, Black Label Society & More.

I’ll be very honest. I debated what time to show up on day 4. It had been a long weekend and Sunday was to be the hottest day yet. I tried to justify missing the first few acts but in the end I simply couldn’t do that. I got there about 2 songs into the Brooklyn New York based Doom metal band CASTLE RAT. This was not just a musical performance but rather a full on theatrical production full of swords, blood and Masked dancers. The band is led by “The Rat Queen” Riley Pinkerton and she is a performer to say the least. They call it Medieval fantasy doom metal to be exact. The performance doesn’t take away from the music which is the key. I’m going to recommend seeing them in concert as soon as you can because I don’t believe they’ll be on side stages for to long.
I head over to the Cathedral for the first band of the day, and it was a band I had brought to Lovedrafts before DEMON HUNTER. A Christian metal band that has been around for over 25 years. Led by Vocalist Ryan Clark donned in a long heavy Demon Hunter coat he stalked the stage with his signature style and his custom microphone. Playing a good mix of songs from five different records including hits like “Collapsing” and newer track “I’m Done”. The band delighted the crowd at noon on Sunday.

Conquer Divide performing at Sonic Temple in Columbus Ohio.

Electric Callboy closes out the Citadel Stage at Sonic Temple 2026

TOP FIVE BANDS OF SUNDAY (NO ORDER)
01. TOOL
02. THROWN
03. PUBLIC ENEMY
04. LAMB OF GOD
05. P.O.D.

Honorable Mentions:
Godsmack
Castle Rat
Conquer Divide
Megadeth

The “Rat Queen” Riley Pinkerton of Castle Rat opens the Alter Stage on Sunday at Sonic Temple

Back into the Temple stage to catch a few songs by AVATAR. I recall them drawing a bigger side stage crowd then the headlining misfits back in 2024, so it seemed fitting that they graduated to the Main stage. Something felt special about their arrival on stage. Breaking into “In the Airwaves” to a raucous response. Vocalist Johannes reminded us who they were and led many chants with the crowd. They blasted through an energy driven set and closed out with the big hit “Hail the Apocalypse”. I must say I wasn’t extremely thrilled with going out to the Alter stage much as I’m a big sissy and it really elongated the day. I did want to want to check out the buzz behind WIND ROSE. They were fun. I only caught a song or two but thank God one of those was the song I came for and that was the bands cover of the classic Yogscast song “Diggy Diggy Hole”. You could tell the fans were amped up for that one to as the area came unglued at the first few notes. I’m not sure I saw one person not singing along either. They are an Italian Viking metal type band that dresses up and puts on a show. I had to go back over to check out the never stop moving Mike Muir and his SUICIDAL TENDENCIES. Opening with an extended version of “You Can’t bring Me Down” not unlike they did in 2024 when they played the same stage. I keep mentioning how long these bands have been at it and these guys are at the 40-year mark. Oddly they skipped playing “Institionalized” but they still brought the energy and house down. I caught like two songs of FROM FIRST TO LAST. I can honestly say I enjoyed them more than I anticipated. A Post hardcore band from Florida that can claim Wes Borland being in the ranks for a year back in the early 2000’s. They’ve gone through lineup changes, hiatus’s but now they are back strong and sounded better than ever.

Thrown performs at Sonic Temple 2026

After From First to Last I figured since I was there, I’d check out THROWN, as I recall enjoying them previously. I was not ready as they blew me away from the first note. They exploded on that stage with a ferocity that few had. They are a Nu Metal band all the way from Sweden. Using the stage to showcase evenly between their two records “Extended Pain” and “Excessive Guilt” blowing out 4 tracks from each. They also brought out the newest single “Split” which was released two months ago. I really wanted to go see BLS in the temple stage but couldn’t leave these guys. I watched nearly the entire set.

Onto the Temple stage where a festival favorite P.O.D. was about to take the stage. These guys are one of the more consistent and underrated bands on the scene. As they always do, they brought the energy to the very hot and bright day. Coming out of the gate with “Boom” and “Rock the Party (Off the Hook)” with the typical one two punch that they are known for. Vocalist Sonny Sandoval always cordial and happy to engage with the crowd. After what seemed like no time, they were already at set closers “Youth of a Nation” and “Alive”. Just a spectacular opening for the Temple Stage.
Back out to the Sanctuary stage to see another band I had at Lovedrafts in CONQUER DIVIDE. Led by vocalist Kiarely Castillo, the band is becoming a powerhouse in the alternative metal world. They were another one I had planned on watching a song or two and ended up watching nearly the entire set. Uniquely they have members from Canada, US and the UK. Touching heavily upon the 2023 release “Slow Burn” the band ripped through their set list in the heat. Fun note is I saw lead vocalist coming out later to get in the pit for Thrown who was a few bands after them.
‍ ‍It was a time for my first sit down and break for the day, so I headed over to Cathedral to watch another always popular Festival band IN FLAMES. These guys just know how to get a crowd invested in them. They are the perfect band for me to chill out and listen to as sadly I don’t really know many of their songs, but I sure enjoy hearing them. This Swedish metal band is now in the 30+ year club as they are road warriors.

Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society at Sonic Temple

I did make my way in to see the legendary Zakk Wylde and his BLACK LABEL SOCIETY.‍ ‍ I had never been a huge fan until recently and I was super stoked to see them live. They played a spectacular cover of Ozzy Osbournes “No More Tears”. The band plays a Heavy Metal southern type style of music that features intense Guitar solos and heavy riffs. Zakk was decked out in his usual kilt and heavy metal vest used the full stage to his advantage. Closing the set with the two biggest crowd pleasers “Suicide Messiah” and “Stillborn” the band set the bar pretty high for the rest of the night on Temple Stage.

I went to Cathedral to see a band I had heard a lot about called AMON AMARTH. These guys are a Viking metal band that has released 12 albums to date and been around since 1992. The band is known for the live show that features a Viking Row mosh pit. This is fascinating as what they do is have people sit down and row like they are in a boat. Its genius and its spectacular to see. They had a big ole Viking Row for this one as they had a huge crowd.

‍ ‍LAMB OF GOD is truly one of the best live metal bands on the scene and absolutely deserved to be on that main stage. I’d argue they could have been after Godsmack. They came out guns blazing with “Ruin”. Vocalist Randy Blythe had just shaven his head in solidarity with a cancer survivor the day before, so he was fresh and ready. They dominated the stage for 50 minutes and commanded the crowd to scream and create the biggest circle pits of the weekend. I can’t confirm nor deny if they were the biggest, but they were pretty big. They played a nice mix of new and old and they sounded better than ever. I went and grabbed a burger towards the end of their set and watched a song or two by BLOODYWOOD. I really didn’t catch enough to comment but they sounded good.
I caught the last 2 songs of LOG on the big screen over at the Cathedral stage waiting on Hip Hop royalty to take the stage. Flava Flav and Chuck D. came out on stage to signify it was time for some PUBLIC ENEMY. Never in a million years did I think I’d be seeing these guys play live, especially not up front by the railing. Alas, here I was. They are not on tour and this is only the second full set they’ve played this year. They opened up “Public Enemy #1”. Chuck D of course got very political as he is known for doing. At one point speaking on the current state of the nation saying “We done fucked around and found out”. Ripping into the classic anthem “911 is a Joke” followed by “He Got Game” and others. Playing “Black is Back” over the familiar guitar tones of AC/DC’s “Back in Black”. Flava Flav was all over the stage going from one end to the other and focusing on the middle pairing off with Chuck. They were not shy about speaking to the crowd or playing portions of songs which led to an 18 song set. Taking it back and playing “Bring The Noise” and closing out with “Fight the Power”. Towards the end of the set Flava came down and walked the entire railing slapping us all high fives. Before leaving stage he spoke from the heart about Racism in the country and those who run it. You don’t usually think of him as all that serious, but he unloaded a hell of a speech.

Flava Flav of Public Enemy on the Cathedral stage at Sonic Temple

It had been a while since I was genuinely excited to see a GODSMACK show but today was that day. I came in just as the opening notes of “I Stand Alone” and they rolled straight into the first single they ever released “Whatever”. The band sounded great and the crowd was packed in for the second to last act of the weekend on Temple Stage. They then played a deep cut “War and Peace” which they had not played in over ten years which is always a cool thing to hear. Once again a great mix of old and newer songs to keep the crowd happy and promote the latest effort. Before playing “Something Different” Sully went into a tirade about how he doesn’t understand why men need muscles on their shoulders and eventually persuaded many men to hold up their women on their shoulders during the track. It was very old school which is what he wanted. Pushing through “When Legends Rise”, “Crying Like a Bitch” and then closing rather strangely with “Keep Away”. It wasn’t the song choice that was odd, rather the quick departure from stage nearly ten minutes before the scheduled end time. Some suggested he was having issues with his guitar while others speculated he was just in a mood. We may never know but either way it was a bit of an awkward ending to a great set.
It had come time for the final bands of each stage to start up. Cathedral showcased thrash metal legends currently on their final tour MEGADETH. I can say I have never been a fan of this band but do respect them now. The band just released their self-titled final record in January. They used the opening track off that record “Tipping Point” to start their final Sonic appearance. Dave was in pretty good mood on the night as he was chatting it up with the crowd a good bit. One of the more aptly titled songs was another new one called “Let there be Shred”. Shred there was for the entire set. Thrash riffs and dueling solos were the name of the game for 50 minutes as the band brought a close to the Cathedral stage for the evening and year. They played many crowd favorites such as “Sweating Bullets”, “Symphony of Destruction” and set closer “Holy Wars… The punishment due”. Prior to the final song they introduced the band for one final time. I was more intrigued by this set then the last seven of theirs I had seen. I’d like to catch them one more time before they call it quits.

That was the end of Cathedral for the year. It was time to close off the Citadel stage. For the life of me I cannot understand why they didn’t learn their lesson two years ago that ELECTRIC CALLBOY is bigger than these smaller stages. These guys are a party in every aspect of the word, and the crowd was absolutely gigantic for them. They opened up with “TANZNIED” and followed that with their sum 41 cover “Still Waiting”. Did I mention how massive the crowd was? It was the same thing two years ago. Even with Dragonforce at Alter and Tool about to take the Temple stage it was still a mass of people. Though it did thin a bit as I and many others did begin to make our way into the stadium. For Electric Callboy they are a metal electronic fusion that if you don’t move during, I’m not sure your alive.
I had early in the day considered leaving after Godsmack but damn I’m glad I didn’t. How could I even consider skipping TOOL? I entered the Stadium just as the lights dimmed and the familiar sound of feedback filled the skies and eventually led into “Stinkfist” the bands opening number. Tool is not known for traditional singer in front crowd interaction type of shows. As customary Maynard was back in the shadows, and they used the entire stage for intense visuals throughout the set which is really the essence of a Tool show. The visuals were mesmerizing and the music just draws you into this state. Though they had 90 minutes they only played a 10-song set as they are also known for extremely long songs and even longer when live. They hit a lot of favorites and as per usual skipped many as well, they don’t play to appease the crowd so much as they do to have fun and stick to what they are comfortable with. “H.”, “Fear Inoculum” and closer “Vicarious” were all highlights. Many had complaints but the majority understood what they were in for with Tool as they are a completely different breed of band. It was a wonderful close to a spectacular weekend of over 150 bands and nearly 50 hours of music.

Another Sonic Temple in the books. This was my third one and I’d have to do some digging to really decide which one was my favorite. Despite the long walk from the shuttle to the festival, I think that was the best way to get in unless of course they didn’t fuck up the VIP Parking like they did last year. In 2024 I got a spot pretty close and was in and out all weekend, so I guess that was better but for this year I cannot complain. The weather on Thursday and Friday was damn near perfection while Saturday was a bit dreary, and Sunday got a bit warm. I plan to continue to go to this festival each year. I will say that I could do without the Alter stage. I feel like they had a good thing going with four stages. I understand they added a good 25 bands or so but it just didn’t seem to add anything for me personally. Well, I will say having a band playing on your way in and out was kinda neat, but it wasn’t worth the long ass walk to that stage every day and frankly the fact that I completely skipped Sevendust and Static-X tells me I wasn’t a fan of it. If they keep it the same next year it certainly isn’t a deal breaker but I would not complain if they went back to four. My favorite bands of the weekend had to be Good Charlotte, The Used, Manson, Sublime, Shinedown and some others. Breakout bands for me were Jiluka, Castle Rat and Thrown. I Can see all three of them rising the ranks of these stages.