Oct 2 2025,
It starts as any other day does, slowly rolling out of bed after doom scrolling for about 20 minutes, I roll out of bed to the sight of packed backs and raised expectations. You see for today is not like any other day, today is the first four Rock and Metal filled days, 20k step days, and gritting your teeth into a smile as you fork over $20 for a Korean Corndog. Aftershock 2025 is upon us once more, and this year Danny Wimmer Presents is gracing us with an always impressive line up spanning multiple genres and generations of musicians.
Since the festivals inception in 2012 as a single day event Aftershock has always been loyal to Sacramento. Even at its start the lineups were always impressive bringing some serious heat when it comes to huge rock and metal headliners, this year is no exception. Each night features a band that is at the top of music’s most popular acts. Blink 182, Deftones, Korn, and Bring me the Horizon each took their turns closing out the night for the 20,000+ in attendance.
Each day of Aftershock it’s own full fledged standalone line-up which can vary wildly, and no where was it more apparent than on the first day, which I like to dub the “Pop-Punk-Shock”. It was the most unique of all 4 days offering a heavy amount of late 90’s to late 2010’s pop-punk bands such as Bowling for Soup, Taking Back Sunday and All American Rejects. That doesn’t mean Day 1 was without it’s Rock and Death Metal. The smaller stages made sure to take care of those needs for those who were there for what Aftershock traditionally delivers. I was very pleasantly surprised to see Aftershock adding more Death Metal bands to the bill, including legends of the Genre’s such as Carcass, Cattle Decapitation, Dying Fetus and more. I’ve always felt the smaller stages are the perfect opportunity for Aftershock to deliver the bigger Death Metal bands which the Bay Area and Sacramento have traditionally supported at local venues.
What really struck me this year, though, was the crowd itself. The energy was a patchwork of generations and personalities stitched together by pure enthusiasm. I saw families with kids in noise-canceling headphones, adult kids bringing their parents to see the bands they grew up on, and friend groups that spanned decades in age. The outfits alone could’ve been their own stage show—from hilariously oversized inflatable dinosaurs to outfits so revealing and chaotic you couldn’t help but respect the confidence. But beyond the shocks and laughs, the atmosphere felt unified in a way you don’t always get at large festivals. Political views, music preferences, and age differences melted into irrelevance. Everyone was there to have a good time, and somehow, it felt like everyone understood that about each other.
Having the experience of 5 Aftershock Festivals behind me, I always enjoy observing the layout of the festival grounds at Discovery Park in Sacramento and comparing it to previous years. You can tell DW Presents puts a lot of thought and effort into these layouts for each one of their festivals. This year Presented amazing water stations that dished out somewhat cold, decent tasing water for those not wanting to drop $5 per bottle from the bar. Alcohol and Food prices seemed to have remained stable from last years Aftershock with most dishes costing you between $14-$25 dollars and most Alcoholic drinks ranging from $14-$24. Variety of food was endless, as usual Aftershock does not skimp out on the amount of food vendors and food trucks. Merch stands were always spread out very well through the grounds, offering an easy and convenient online ordering through the app which you can then pick up with no wait in line!
By Day 4 my legs were sore, my pockets a little lighter, and my regrets at 0. I plan on attending Aftershock on a yearly basis for as long as it or I decide to keep running on this planet. It’s truly a 4 day escape from your everyday life, where for 4 days you have nothing but amazing bands, food and friends to look forward to. It’s truly impressive that DWP Presents can keep improving the Aftershock experience year over year, I cannot wait to see what Aftershock 2026 brings to the table!
-Andrew Gutierrez
andrew.g@metalforged.net
Metal Forged 