The performance is really awesome!!

Nickelback from Hanna, Alberta faces fellow Canadian alternative rock band Three Days Grace from Norwood, Ontario in this week's matchup. Both groups emerged in the 1990s with their own distinct rock sounds. Which of these bands gets your support? Cast your vote now before voting closes! Cast your vote on the contest page, then make your case here — why does your pick take it?

19 days out. Let's see how far people are traveling for this. Drop your: *City you're coming from *How many times have you been to SNW (0 = first timer!) *Your #1 must-see act I'll start: Seattle, 0, KORN

Coldplay released Mylo Xyloto fifteen years ago in 2011 on Parlophone. It stands as the band's fifth studio album, arriving on October 19, 2011, after Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends from 2008 and before Ghost Stories in 2014. The lineup of Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion followed this record with later releases including A Head Full of Dreams, Everyday Life, Music of the Spheres, and Moon Music. Where does Mylo Xyloto sit in the discography for you?

For anyone who doesn't know the story: Acid Bath formed in Houma, Louisiana in 1991. They released two albums — "When the Kite String Pops" (1994) and "Paegan Terrorism Tactics" (1996) — that are considered two of the greatest sludge metal albums ever made. Then in 1997, bassist Audie Pitre was killed by a drunk driver, and the band called it quits. For 28 years, fans thought they'd never play again. The reunion was originally supposed to happen at the cancelled SNW 2025. Now it's finally happening. If you've never listened to Acid Bath, go listen to "Scream of the Butterfly" or "Bleed Me an Ocean" right now. You'll understand why people are flying across the country for this one set. Are you as hyped for this reunion as I am? What song do you need to hear live?

It is time to pick your favorite in this alternative rock matchup between Green Day and System of a Down. Both California bands bring distinct sounds, from late 80s Bay Area punk to 90s Glendale heavy metal. Cast your vote now before voting closes! Cast your vote on the contest page, then make your case here — why does your pick take it?

Is it worth going?

There's a lot of footage floating around of Bad Omens playing the Canal Club in Richmond on an early Sumerian tour. It’s wild to watch now. No massive LED walls, no insane production budget—just the band crammed onto a tiny stage, sweating it out in a packed 300-cap room. Obviously, their current arena shows are visually stunning and they've earned every bit of that success. But watching these old club sets makes you realize how much the dynamic shifts when a band blows up. The raw, unpolished intensity of a tiny room and the direct connection with the barricade is impossible to replicate in a 10,000-seat venue. Do you think the massive production of their current era makes up for the loss of that intimate club energy, or is the Canal Club era the definitive live Bad Omens experience? What’s the smallest room you’ve ever seen them in?

OneRepublic released their fourth studio album, Oh My My, ten years ago today on October 7, 2016 on Interscope Records. Following their 2013 record Native, the release pushed the group into fresh territory before they followed it years later with Human in 2021 and Artificial Paradise in 2024. Across a discography that started with Dreaming Out Loud and Waking Up, it holds a distinct place. Where does Oh My My sit in the OneRepublic discography for you today?

Rex Brown recently looked back at Joe Giron’s photo archive and called him the unofficial fifth member of Pantera. If you’ve seen the shots from A Vulgar Display of Pantera, you know exactly why. The dude was there for everything—from the spandex-clad Texas club days when Dimebag was still going by "Diamond," to the absolute demolition derby of the Reinventing the Steel tour. Phil Anselmo said looking at the early 90s shots just reminds him they were waiting for the camera to click so they could hit "Beer:30." Which era of Pantera do you think looked the most purely unhinged? Are you taking the hungry Cowboys From Hell days, or the peak chaos around Far Beyond Driven?

System of a Down is set to take the stage at Sick New World 2026 - Texas at Texas Motor Speedway on October 24, 2026. Live appearances from Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian, and John Dolmayan remain rare, making each festival slot a major event for the fanbase. The Texas show comes right after the band's weeklong Toxicity 25th Anniversary Exhibition wraps up in Los Angeles on October 18, 2026. Who from here is going to be out at Texas Motor Speedway for this set?

Credit: Rock Feed

Deftones are back on stage over the next couple of months with two appearances lined up. First, they hit Fort Worth for Sick New World Texas on October 24, 2026. Two weeks later, on November 7, 2026, the band heads to San Diego to headline Dia De Los Deftones. While we wait for those dates, Chino Moreno popped up on tracks with Beabadoobee in September 2026, and Stephen Carpenter's Sol Invicto project dropped a new track titled "Galactic Glitch" on September 20, 2026. Still, nothing beats hearing the band pull from a catalog running from Adrenaline all the way through private music in a live setting. Are you catching them in Fort Worth or San Diego this fall?

After the 2025 cancellation and the whole $400+ ticket price controversy, Sick New World is back for 2026. System of a Down headlining again (they've headlined every single edition), Korn co-headlining, and a lineup that's arguably the best they've ever put together. Are you buying in? Did you get burned by the 2025 cancellation, and you're sitting this one out? Or is this lineup too stacked to miss? Drop your take below.

Special collaborations with Soundgarden Matt Cameron