Slayer performs during Aftershock Festival at Discovery Park in Sacramento, Calif. on Oct. 10, 2024. Photos courtesy Aftershock. 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…

RIFF’s best albums of 2023 include the Rolling Stones, Blink-182, Cleo Sol, Miley Cyrus, Allison Russell, Victoria Monét, Kali Uchis, Fall Out Boy, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Manchester Orchestra, Janelle Monáe, JPEGMafia with Danny Brown, Blondshell, Doja Cat, Andre 3000, Mick Jenkins, Sir Chloe, Ryuchi Sakamoto, James…

Sevendust, “Truth Killer.” Fourteen albums is a testament to something must be going right. Atlanta quintet Sevendust may be one of the most reliable bands in heavy music, putting out a dependable brand of riff-heavy rock album after album and tour after tour. Yet Truth Killer hits different. The…

Alter Bridge performs at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on Feb. 23, 2020. Photos: Chloe Catajan. SAN FRANCISCO — The idea that a band mellows with age doesn’t apply to Alter Bridge. The Orlando hard rockers have managed to push the envelope a little further with each passing…