It is finally summer (to me), and that means it is officially music festival season. With Welcome to Rockville kicking the alternative festival season off to a rocking start last weekend, the energy continues this weekend in Columbus, OH, for Sonic Temple, located at the Historic Crew Stadium.
This year’s lineup is particularly stacked for fans of alternative, hardcore, metalcore, and post-hardcore, complete with over 140 artists including long-awaited reunions, exploding new bands, and artists whose live reputations have become impossible to ignore. There is almost no room in the schedule to even breathe. So, before you start planning barricade runs and debating conflicts between the whopping 5 stages, here are some artists worth making time for at Sonic Temple 2026.
- THURSDAY
L.S. Dunes
Where and When: 2:20 – 2:50 pm at the Temple Stage
Listen to: “Permanent Rebellion”, “2022”, and “Violet”
Similar Artists: Thursday, Circa Survive, My Chemical Romance
A supergroup in the truest sense of the term, with real emotional and scene pedigree, L.S. Dunes brings together members from some of the most influential post-hardcore bands of the last two decades. Their sound is somehow both urgent and atmospheric, with big, soaring choruses and a sense of tension that builds really well in a live setting. On an early festival day, this is the kind of set that quietly pulls people in and ends up bigger than the time slot suggests.
Dayseeker
When and Where: 8:15 – 9:05 pm at the Sanctuary stage
Listen to: “Sleeptalk”, “Shapeshift”, “Creature in the Black Night”
Similar Artists: Bad Omens, Sleep Token, Holding Absence
Dayseeker has quietly become one of the most emotionally resonant bands in modern post-hardcore. Their live shows feel massive while still keeping that emotional weight intact, especially during tracks from Dark Sun. Rory Rodriguez’s vocals are unreal live, and if you are someone who likes your heavy music mixed with genuinely heartbreaking lyrics, this set is going to hit hard.
NERV
When and Where: 1:45 – 2:15 pm at the Sanctuary stage
Listen to: “Bad Habits”, “Not the One”, and “Still Breathing”
Similar Artists: Spiritbox, Bad Omens, Deftones
NERV bring a modern alt-metal sound that leans to the stadium just as much as heaviness, blending gritty riffs with melodic, and emotionally charged vocals. Their live sets have a slow-build intensity where everything feels like it’s tightening before it finally explodes, making them especially effective in a festival lineup. If you’re into bands that truly genre bend, this is an early set worth catching.
FRIDAY:
Kublai Khan TX
When and Where: 7:40 – 8:20 pm at the Sanctuary stage
Listen to: “Darwinism”, “The Hammer”, and “972”
Similar Artists: Knocked Loose, Hatebreed, Paleface Swiss
There is no subtlety to a Kublai Khan TX set, and that is exactly why people love them, and why they make the perfect festival performer. Their breakdowns are almost designed to start a massive pit, and the crowd energy at their shows is consistently ridiculous. Hardcore has been having more of a mainstream moment recently, and Kublai Khan TX feels like one of the bands pushing that movement forward the hardest.
Story of the Year
When and Where: 8:25 – 9:10 pm at the Citadel Stage
Listen to: “Until the Day I Die”, “Disconnected”, and “Sidewalks”
Similar Artists: Silverstein, Senses Fail, The Used
Some bands seem to just perfectly understand festival crowds, and Story of the Year has always been one of them. Their live shows still have the same energy that made them staples of the 2000s post-hardcore scene, and hearing songs like “Until the Day I Die” with a massive crowd dripping with nostalgia, something Sonic Temple does really well. Also, there is a very real chance someone attempts a backflip somewhere in the pit, so keep an eye out.
Static-X
When and Where: 5:25 – 6:10 pm at the Altar stage
Listen to: “Push It”, “Cold”, “Shadow Zone”
Similar Artists: Dope, Fear Factory, Powerman 5000
Nu metal nostalgia has officially and fully circled back, and Static-X proves why they mattered in the first place, and that it never really left. Their industrial sound still feels heavy and weird in a way that stands out from a lot of their peers, and their live production always leans fully into the chaotic sci-fi aesthetic. This feels like one of those late-night festival sets that is going to be absolutely perfect, cinematic even, under festival lights.
SATURDAY:
The Amity Affliction
When and Where: 7:00 – 7:40 pm at the Sanctuary Stage
Listen to: “Pittsburgh (No Intro)”, “House of Cards”, “Do You Party?”
Similar Artists: Beartooth, Architects, Bring Me The Horizon
The Amity Affliction have made their name by pairing heavy, breakdown-driven post-hardcore with some of the most openly vulnerable lyrics in the scene. Their live sets are cathartic in a direct way complete with huge choruses, crowd work, and that push-pull between aggression and sadness that hits especially well in a festival setting. If you know, you know, and if you don’t, this is usually the set that explains why they’ve lasted as long as they have.
Motion City Soundtrack
When and Where: 6:15 – 6:55 pm at the Citadel stage
Listen to: “Everything is Alright”, “Time Turned Fragile”, and “Cambridge”
Similar Artists: The Wonder Years, State Champs, Mayday Parade
There is something about seeing Motion City Soundtrack on a festival lineup that immediately feels comforting. Their mix of pop-punk, emo, and synth-heavy alternative rock is incredibly fun live, and their songs hit that sweet spot between nostalgia and genuine timelessness. This feels like the perfect early evening reset set before diving back into heavier bands later in the night.
Butcher Babies
When and Where: 12:05 – 12:35 pm at the Altar stage
Listen to: “Monster’s Ball”, “Black Dove”, and “Sincerity”
Similar Artists: In This Moment, Halestorm
Butcher Babies bring a high-energy blend of groove metal and modern hard rock with a strong theatrical edge. Their live shows are loud, chaotic in the best way, and are built around vocal intensity complete with beautifully aggressive snarls. On a festival stage, they thrive off the momentum through big riffs, bigger attitude, and a no-hesitation performance style that’s designed to wake up any early crowd still easing into the day.
SUNDAY:
Dance Gavin Dance
When and Where: 10:00 – 10:50 pm
Listen to: “We Own the Night”, “Deception”, “Lemon Meringue Tie”
Similar Artists: Hail the Sun, Closure in Moscow, A Lot Like Birds
Whether you love them or still cannot figure out how they make these songs work, Dance Gavin Dance has built one of the most dedicated fanbases in modern post-hardcore. Their music jumps between funk, prog, hardcore, and chaos without warning, but somehow it all comes together live. Their crowds are always massive, extremely passionate, and completely unpredictable, all in the best way, and they are certainly not one to miss, especially as they approach an album release on May 22nd.
Chiodos
When and Where: 8:20 – 9:00 pm at the Sanctuary stage
Listen to: “Baby, You Wouldn’t Last a Minute on the Creek”, “Love is a Cat from Hell”, “3AM”
Similar Artists: The Used, Dance Gavin Dance, A Skylit Drive
Chiodos’ reunion energy is one of those “scene history coming back to life” moments that immediately pulls attention, even from people who weren’t there the first time around. Their blend of theatrical post-hardcore, dramatic piano lines, and explosive vocals defined a whole era of the genre, and it still hits with a lot of intensity live. If the set leans into All’s Well That Ends Well, this is going to feel less like a nostalgia act and more like a reminder of how over-the-top and cinematic post-hardcore used to be at its peak, and why they are synonymous with the genre.
Thrice
When and Where: 6:55 – 7:30 pm at the Sanctuary stage
Listen to: “Black Honey”, “Stare at the Sun”, “Undertow”
Similar Artists: Manchester Orchestra, Touché Amoré, Thursday
Few bands have evolved as naturally over time as Thrice, they have managed to move between post-hardcore, alternative rock, and experimental influences without ever losing what made them compelling in the first place. Dustin Kensrue’s voice still sounds incredible live, and their sets always feel a little more emotional and intentional than the average festival performance. A perfect way to close out the weekend.
With a lineup this packed, with headliners as big as My Chemical Romance and Tool, schedule conflicts are inevitable and comfortable shoes are essential survival gear. Somewhere between the reunion sets, the chaos in the pit, the random band you stumble into halfway through the day, you will probably end up finding your favorite set of the weekend when you least expect it, and we hope you catch a few of our top picks!
