SACRAMENTO — Aftershock Festival returned to Discovery Park bigger than ever on Thursday, the first of four days. The addition of a fifth stage for the first time created a Warped-Tour-esque environment where there was little down time and constant music blaring in every direction. The festival was also extremely lucky to get a favorable forecast, a shift from the blistering heat of past renditions to create near perfect conditions.

Slayer

The biggest draw of the day was the night’s headliner, a reunited Slayer. It was just the band’s second performance back after calling it quits in 2019. A scheduled performance at Louder Than Life in Kentucky was scrapped due to bad weather. Given that Thursday’s show was one of just two on the itinerary, it gave a little more weight to the set and created more of a moment. Throughout the day, it was a common refrain to hear fans yelling the similar deep growl of “Slayer!” around the festival grounds.

The set was preceded by a retrospective documentary-style video as a countdown clock ticked down from five minutes. The video showed archival footage of the band and its fans over the years, and it even included a nod to the Bay Area and the role the region played in the heavy metal scene. Finally, the quartet took the stage, opening with “South of Heaven.” The set was tight, precise and workman-like as the thrash legends moved through a wide cross section of its catalog over the 90-minute set.

“How you guys doing? You ready to have some fun?” singer-bassist Tom Araya asked.

The night wasn’t about the pleasantries. The band focused on the music for the majority of its set, adeptly moving from song to song. The ferocity of the music even brought a rare mosh pit to the VIP section. The band pulled mostly from Seasons in the Abyss, but the selections came from throughout its discography.

Slayer’s production was surprisingly impressive. A massive bank of spotlights from the top of the stage blasted down on the band, sometimes targeting just one member, like when they focused on drummer Paul Bostaph as he pounded out thunderous double-bass-driven rhythms.

Guitarists Kerry King and Gary Holt shared lead roles, each taking on solos with their own flavor. Columns of fire shot into the sky during tracks like “Relentless” and the aptly named “Born of Fire.”

Araya wasn’t verbose, but seemed to take in the moment as the stage lights darkened and he took a moment to address the sprawling crowd, each time pausing to look out over the gathering. Leading in to “War Ensemble,” he took an extra moment.

“You know what’s going on around the world, right? Apparently the world is on fire” he said. “The world is always gonna be on fire. War is war.”

As the set continued, the band ramped up its energy, with the songs getting heavier and thrashier. Despite these shows being the first for the band since 2019, Slayer showed that it hasn’t lost a step. Whether these will actually be the band’s only shows or if they will lead to more remains an open question, but at least for a night the four members were on the same page.

“Having fun yet? I hope you guys are having a good time,” Araya said.

The blasts of fire continued and crosses burned at the back of the stage during “Disciple.” As expected, the group saved its best for last with a triple shot of metal classics “Raining Blood,” “Black Magic” and “Angel of Death.”

Pantera

Heavy metal heroes Pantera played a fitting complement to the headliners. The band was set to perform at Aftershock last year before pulling out. Vocalist Phil Anselmo took on a generational tone as he bantered with the crowd throughout the hourlong set. He shouted out the “great parenting” of the ‘90s that led so many younger people to the band and its music.

“I love seeing all the youngsters out here,” Anselmo said. “If you’re trying to figure out the lyrics, find the nearest old mother******, and he’s singing them.”

Anselmo appeared with original bassist Rex Brown, drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Zakk Wylde. Fallen members “Dimebag Darrell” Abbott and Vinnie Paul were never too far. Paul’s likeness appear on Benante’s drum kit and a tribute video to the pair played to the soundtrack of “Cemetery Gates.”

“This next song is a deep cut for all the hardcores,” Anselmo said ahead of “Suicide Note Pt. II.”

Anselmo complimented the band’s fans, many of whom had been at the festival most of the day for providing the energy as Pantera churned out some of its biggest songs.

“This next song goes out to the older people like myself; let’s say I’m over 30,” Anselmo said. “I want you guys to bestow knowledge to the young.”

Anselmo led the crowd in a chant of “Slayer,” before Pantera concluded with “Fucking Hostile.”

Insane Clown Posse

Many fans at Aftershock—including the younger set—had faces painted in the style of hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse. The stage at which pair performed seemed at first to be too tight a space for the gathering of juggalos, but ultimately it worked out. Violent J and
Shaggy 2 Dope of course stood out from the rest of the lineup, not only in looks but also in performance style. Their unorthodox set (neither rock nor metal) was full of the personality their fans have come to expect.

ICP opened with “The Show Must Go On,” joined by a host of masked extras on stage shooting soft drink Faygo into the crowd. The tradition of soaking the juggalos has been a staple since the ‘90s. The set included “My Axe,” “Boogie Woogie Wu,” and “In My Room.”

Halestorm

Rockers Halestorm delivered one of the highlights of the day with a blockbuster midday set, with no frills or window dressing; just raw talent. The band has evolved over the years, growing from modern rock to include staggering musical depth with elements of blues and heavy metal. Vocalist Lzzy Hale, who happened to be celebrating a birthday, grabbed the crowd right off the bat with an a cappella vocal intro that showed off her impressive pipes.

It’s no secret that Hale’s vocals are supreme, but even that is an understatement. And at Aftershock she continued to make it look effortless. Even when she approached screaming, it was in tune. She could then pivot on a dime to a razor-sharp vocal belt.

Halestorm opened with the anthemic “I Miss the Misery” and “Love Bites (So Do I),” drawing them out with extended solos and jams.

The powerful “Familiar Taste of Poison” and deep cut “Takes My Life” had Hale lying down across the steps of the stage and belting the lines. All four members joined together at the front of the stage for an extended solo and percussive drum line, a call back to some of Halestorm’s earliest tours.

“Aftershock, you are my people!” Hale yelled before launching into the final track, the ode to the group’s fan base in the “The Steeple.”

Till Lindemann

Attendees expecting Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann to bring a spectacle to the Aftershock got exactly that; one that even came with a graphic imagery advisory delivered via the festival’s app. Lindemann and his band took the stage doused in a shade of blood red.

“Sacramento!” he announced in a thick German accent.

The performance was visual, from the head-banging band to the flashing strobes, those graphic visuals—from a person peeling the skin off their face to a montage of female reproductive organs. The drummer had a bondage-style apparatus around his head that pulled his mouth open and his nostrils up.

Musically, Lindemann brought a pulsating and upbeat sound, but hitting with a different heaviness than fans have come to expect from Rammstein. His solo material had more of a straightforward rock edge. His vivid facial expressions and stoic movements added to the aura.

Sevendust

The tightest performance of the day belonged to Atlanta hard rock stalwarts Sevendust. The band has been getting it done for decades, and there may be no more reliable act to bring a combination of aggression and energy. At Aftershock, the band opted against playing the hits, opting for some additional deeper cuts.

“We didn’t know if we were going to be able to do this tour, but the Lord works in mysterious ways,” vocalist Lajon Witherspoon said, referencing Mammoth WVH guitarist Jon Jourdan stepping in for Clint Lowery, who is sitting out this tour.

The band attacked the stage with force on tracks like “Praise” and “Face to Face,” spurring on mosh pits and fist-pumping.

“There’s nothing like having this energy bottled up,” Witherspoon said. “I’m going to be thinking about this for a month.”

Silly Goose

Georgia rap-rockers Silly Goose, once known for impromptu DIY performances, are making a name for themselves in a more traditional setting. The band may be young, but Silly Goose brought a grasp of the stage that captured the crowd and had the mosh pit active early on Thursday.

“We’re 2,000 miles away from home. The fact that anyone is here at our stage is insane, “ vocalist Jackson Foster said.

An easy reference point for Silly Goose is Limp Bizkit. The band draws from nu-metal while infusing a punk rock and modern hardcore sound. Despite looking fairly unassuming at first, Foster commanded the stage, and the crowd did his bidding by bringing energy.

“We are going to be headlining the festival in 10 years,” Foster proclaimed. The way the crowd responded, he may be right.

Not only did Silly Goose play its own set on stage, it also occupied one of the vendor trucks for a pop-up performance later on in the day, with the crowd close enough that Foster could stage-dive off the truck.

StrateJacket

The South Bay’s StrateJacket made the best of drawing a short straw as the first band to play the festival’s fifth stage. The band called a few audibles over its 30-minute set, which turned into an impromptu covers set when bassist Fabian Angel had some troubles with his amp. Quick-thinking guitarist and vocalist Jackson Roemers, wearing a 107.7 The Bone T-shirt, sprung into action, playing everything from the Star-Spangled Banner on guitar to singalongs of blink-182’s “All the Small Things” and Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.”

“OK, that’s enough of that,” he said, cutting one song short as the techs furiously worked onstage.

Ultimately everything was fixed enough to allow the band to continue its set. Roemers is certainly influenced by Green Day, and has a bit of a Billie Joe Armstrong snarl to his melodic vocals. The band delivered an upbeat and engaging performance.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.