The first day of our coverage at the Aftershock in Sacramento, California, started off hot, something I felt compelled to mention in the report that went live here. What I didn't know was the sun that was in store for the second day, Friday the 7th. A true test of loyalty for metal and rock fans in general, clad in their ever-present black attire.
The festival organizers provided a huge number of water refill stations for attendees, and the geography of Discovery Park, where the festival takes place, helps a lot by providing plenty of shade from the trees. Even so, in front of the stages, it was incredibly hot.
Of the bands we saw, Clutch and Falling in Reverse, , were able to demonstrate the loyalty of their sweaty fans headbanging under the Californian sun.
My personal highlight from that early afternoon goes to Clutch, who had already caught my attention when I saw them in Louisville at Louder Than Life . The hard rock and stoner band has been around for over 30 years and has a solid cult following, but has never been, so to speak, "on the charts" (and I don't think they want to be), but they're one of those bands that's hard to remain indifferent to, especially when you see them live. Neil Fallon is powerful and captivating.
Nemophila on one of the smaller stages . A young group, made up only of girls, but with plenty of heaviness. The Japanese are usually very good at contrasting the heavy, the "scary," and the sweet – and Nemophila is no exception. Quite surprising. The stage where they played also has a curious peculiarity that gives a certain urban charm to the show, as it's located under an elevated highway, which continued to have normal traffic overhead.
Later on the same stage, we also saw the Finnish band Apocalyptica with their symphonic metal. Personally, this whole headbanging and cello playing thing isn't really my thing. I enjoyed it more when, during the third song, the American vocalist who features on some of the tracks, Franky Perez , came on to contribute.
Danzig was also on the main stage . We'd seen Misfits with Glenn Danzig at Louder Than Life, but now we got to see him a little closer and he commands a lot of presence. At 67 years old, he still looks like he could beat you up until you sing along with him, so who am I to say anything bad about the show?
There was also Lamb of God , which, if for nothing else, was already worth it for the incredible photo my partner managed to take of vocalist Randy Blythe Gwar crew promoting their bloodbath, severed limbs, and decapitations. Always a delight.
The band that closed the night in style was Kiss , currently on their End of the Road . I think even those who don't usually enjoy the more "spectacular" rock and roll, so to speak, can't help but be impressed by the quality and magnitude of their show. The scale in Sacramento seemed a little smaller than at Louder Than Life , but there was no shortage of classics, Gene Simmons , blood, Paul Stanley on a zip line, elevated platforms, lots of video, fire, and "Rock and Roll All Nite" ending with a shower of confetti. Thrilling!
And that was the second day of Aftershock 2022. More tomorrow!
See the gallery from our contributor Rafael Beck below.
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