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.

From his days as an embalmer in Bakersfield to defining a whole new era of heavy music, Jonathan Davis has lived about ten lives. He took all the bullying, his goth/new wave influences, and the literal darkness of working in a coroner's office, and turned it into the blueprint for Korn. Looking at the year-over-year changes, his eras are so distinct. You’ve got the early raw tracksuits and bagpipes, the Untouchables-era refinement, the HR Giger mic stand debut, all the way up to his current sober, elder-statesman-of-metal vibe.

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?

A recently resurfaced photo from a legendary Metallica gig in California 23 years ago is a brutal reminder of the band's unmatched live energy during that era. Looking back at the raw crowd shots and setlists from the early 2000s, it's wild to see how global titans playing massive venues still carried the ferocious hunger of a gritty garage act. They just had this rare ability to make a sprawling arena feel like a sweaty, claustrophobic club show. Archiving these specific eras—the deep-cut setlists, the tour lore, and the nights where everything just clicked perfectly on stage—is exactly why we're building out their wiki over on The Band Index. It’s too easy to lose the history of these defining shows, and digging into their gig archive is the absolute best kind of rabbit hole.

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

Selling/Trading tickets? Post here with: Ticket type (GA/VIP) Price How to contact you Going solo and want to meet up? Drop: Your name / handle What bands you're most into Whether you're down to split rideshare/hotel costs No scalpers. Face value or below only. Let's look out for each other.

They’ve been working on this Travis Barker documentary for 10 years. *Louder Than Fear* covers the whole timeline—from being a trash collector in Laguna Beach, to filling in for Scott Raynor, to surviving that horrific plane crash. We all know he’s the machine behind Blink-182 and The Transplants, but getting a raw look at his recovery and how he got back on the kit is going to be heavy. It hits Disney+ in August. In honor of the doc dropping, let's settle this: what is the absolute best Travis Barker drum track? Is it something off *Enema of the State*, a Transplants deep cut, or a Box Car Racer track? Drop your picks below.

Is it worth going?

In 1968, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham crammed into a tiny basement room on Gerrard Street in London. Page was just trying to salvage the remains of the Yardbirds. They ripped through "Train Kept A-Rollin'" and, according to Page, immediately realized it was a life-changing musical communion. Within weeks, they were touring Scandinavia. Within months, they were recording the debut album that changed rock forever. The official "Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin" photo book has actual shots of these earliest gigs, showing them sweating it out in small clubs before they became stadium gods. What other band had a first rehearsal or early gig where they instantly knew they had lightning in a bottle? Drop the stories below.

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?

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?

Credit: Rock Feed

British rock band Queen faces Los Angeles thrash metal icons Metallica in this week's hard rock head-to-head poll. Will you choose London's 1970 legends or the group formed in 1981? 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?

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?

It's Ohio vs Los Angeles in this week's alternative rock battle! Will you choose the duo of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, or the quartet of Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante? Cast your vote before voting closes to decide the winner! Cast your vote on the contest page, then make your case here — why does your pick take it?

Going to SNW for the first time? Here's what veterans wish they knew: Getting There: There is NO on-site parking. Zero. Don't even try to drive to the festival grounds. Rideshare drop-off is at 810 Circus Circus Dr (south end of grounds) The Las Vegas Monorail stops at Sahara Station — short walk to the entrance from there After the show, Las Vegas Blvd gets closed. Walk to nearby hotels/casinos to call your ride Hotels: Resorts World is the move — walkable to the venue, nice rooms Circus Circus is the budget option but you get what you pay for Surviving the Day (11 AM to midnight): Late April = 80s F desert heat. Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses are non-negotiable Free water stations throughout the grounds — use them constantly Gates open at 11 AM but first band starts at 11:10 AM. If you want to catch openers, be in line EARLY Merch lines have historically been 2-4 HOURS. Decide if that's worth missing sets Wear broken-in shoes — you're standing for 13 hours on turf and concrete What to Bring: Empty water bottle or hydration pack Sunscreen (reapply!) Earplugs (protect your hearing, seriously) Portable phone charger Light jacket for after sunset — desert temps drop fast What NOT to Bring: Professional cameras Outside food/drinks Oversized bags (small clear bags or backpacks only) What tips would you add? Drop them below for the first-timers!