Written By Caine Blackthorn
Sonic Temple 2027 is preparing to unleash one of the most ambitious festival lineups of the coming year, bringing nearly 150 artists to Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, from May 13–16, 2027.
Headlined by Iron Maiden, Korn, Blink-182, and Falling in Reverse, the four-day event will feature five stages packed with metal legends, alternative rock heavyweights, hardcore acts, industrial pioneers, and a formidable collection of underground talent.
The full lineup, unveiled October 22 by festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents, also includes Faith No More, Alice in Chains, A Perfect Circle, Meshuggah, Mastodon, Knocked Loose, Testament, Ministry, GWAR, Fear Factory, Lacuna Coil, and dozens more.
And while the headliners command the largest letters on the festival poster, some of the most punishing performances could come from considerably further down the bill.
Sonic Temple 2027 Lineup: Four Days of Rock and Metal
The festival’s daily headliners and prominent supporting acts offer four distinctly different combinations of heavy music.
Thursday, May 13: Blink-182, The Offspring and Turnstile
Blink-182 will headline opening night, joined by The Offspring and Turnstile.
Thursday also brings Knocked Loose, Mastodon, Testament, Blood Incantation, Fit for an Autopsy, Jimmy Eat World, and The All-American Rejects.
The combination stretches from pop-punk nostalgia into hardcore, progressive metal, and extreme music, making the opening day considerably heavier than its headliner alone might suggest.
Friday, May 14: Iron Maiden, A Perfect Circle and Alice in Chains
Friday belongs to Iron Maiden.
The British heavy metal institution will headline a formidable bill featuring A Perfect Circle, Alice in Chains, Bullet for My Valentine, In This Moment, Seether, The Pretty Reckless, and Skid Row.
Maiden’s appearance also arrives during the band’s continuing Run For Your Lives touring era, celebrating the early decades of a catalog that helped define heavy metal.
For traditional metal fans, Friday could easily justify the journey to Columbus on its own.
Saturday, May 15: Falling in Reverse, A Day to Remember and Beartooth
Falling in Reverse leads Saturday’s festivities, joined by A Day to Remember and Beartooth.
The day’s broader lineup features The Prodigy, Till Lindemann, Dayseeker, President, Underoath, GWAR, and Crowbar.
From electronic aggression and modern metalcore to sludge metal and industrial theatrics, Saturday offers a particularly unpredictable collection of performers.
And with GWAR involved, there is a reasonable chance somebody near the barricade will leave looking considerably less presentable than when they arrived.
Sunday, May 16: Korn, $uicideboy$ and Faith No More
Korn will bring Sonic Temple 2027 to a close on Sunday, sharing the day’s prominent billing with $uicideboy$ and Faith No More.
Sunday also features Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, Primus, Ministry, Poppy, Clutch, Hollywood Undead, and Insane Clown Posse.
Faith No More’s appearance is particularly noteworthy, marking a rare U.S. reunion performance following the band’s extended absence from the stage.
For fans who never had the opportunity to experience Faith No More live, their return gives the final day another significant attraction beyond Korn’s headlining performance.
Beyond the Headliners: Sonic Temple 2027 Brings Serious Metal Firepower
The real depth of the Sonic Temple 2027 lineup becomes apparent when looking beyond the biggest names.
Meshuggah brings its unmistakable progressive extremity, while The Black Dahlia Murder, Blood Incantation, and a formidable collection of modern deathcore, thrash, and hardcore acts make the festival’s heavier undercard impossible to ignore.
The lineup includes Soulfly, Shadows Fall, Fear Factory, Shadow of Intent, After the Burial, Sylosis, Unearth, Spite, Emmure, Nailbomb, and PeelingFlesh.
Doom and sludge enthusiasts are not forgotten either, with Crowbar, Monolord, Green Lung, and SLOMOSA bringing their own varieties of crushing heaviness.
Other notable artists include HANABIE., Infected Rain, Imminence, Invent Animate, OTEP, Lacuna Coil, Butcher Babies, and Nita Strauss.
The result is a lineup that reaches far beyond the usual mainstream rock-festival formula.
Whether your allegiance lies with old-school thrash, progressive extremity, industrial metal, deathcore, doom, or modern hardcore, Sonic Temple has assembled enough variety to make choosing between simultaneous performances a genuine problem.
Faith No More’s Return Adds Another Major Attraction
Among the most significant announcements is the inclusion of Faith No More.
The influential alternative-metal band has been largely absent from live performance for years, making its scheduled Sunday appearance one of the festival’s most intriguing bookings.
Known for refusing to remain confined to a single genre, Faith No More helped reshape the boundaries between heavy metal, alternative rock, funk, and experimental music.
Their return adds a different kind of anticipation to a festival already overflowing with established names.
Sonic Temple Continues Its Expansion After Record-Breaking 2026 Attendance
The ambitious 2027 edition follows a landmark year for Sonic Temple.
According to festival organizers, the 2026 event attracted approximately 184,000 attendees, setting an attendance record and reinforcing the Columbus festival’s position as one of America’s major rock and metal gatherings.
For 2027, producer Danny Wimmer Presents is expanding the musical offering with nearly 150 artists across five stages.
Beyond the performances, the festival will continue incorporating visual art and immersive experiences, with additional details about the 2027 art programming expected to follow.
Sonic Temple 2027 Tickets, Dates and Location
Festival: Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival 2027
Dates: May 13–16, 2027
Location: Historic Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
Stages: Five
Artists: Nearly 150
Headliners: Blink-182, Iron Maiden, Falling in Reverse, Korn
Four-day and single-day passes are available, including general admission, GA+, VIP, and premium options.
Festival organizers are also advertising payment plans beginning at $1 down, subject to their purchasing terms.
For official festival information, passes, and lineup announcements, visit Sonic Temple’s official website.
Final Verdict: Sonic Temple 2027 Has Something for Nearly Every Corner of Heavy Music
Festival lineups often divide audiences into competing camps, and Sonic Temple 2027 will undoubtedly inspire arguments about which headliner deserves the biggest billing.
But the broader announcement reveals something more interesting than a contest between four marquee names.
With Iron Maiden representing metal’s enduring legacy, Korn carrying the nu-metal torch, Faith No More returning to the American stage, and artists such as Meshuggah, Blood Incantation, Knocked Loose, and Shadow of Intent supplying the heavier ammunition, the festival offers an unusually broad snapshot of the modern heavy-music landscape.
Nearly 150 artists. Five stages. Four days. The biggest challenge might not be finding something worth watching. It might be figuring out how to watch everything without needing a second pair of legs.
Buy the tickets here.
Follow Sonic Temple on Facebook.
Photo courtesy of Sonic Temple
About The Author
Caine Blackthorn writes music news, trending topics, commentary, and feature pieces for Metal Lair with a focus on the shifting culture surrounding rock and heavy metal. From rising ticket prices and touring collapse to legacy artists, industry absurdity, and the changing soul of live music, his work blends sharp observation with the grit, humor, and frustration of the scene itself. Whether covering modern chaos or metal history, Caine approaches heavy music as something lived through, not simply reported on.
Read More From This Author:
METAL LEGACY PROFILES: CLIFF BURTON
The New Wave of Metalheads: How Gen Z Fell in Love With Heavy Metal
EVERY BAND IS NOW A CONTENT CREATOR
Digital DNA or Artificial Sacrilege? The Battle Over Ozzy’s Immortal Avatar
HAVE A METALHEAD COMPLAINT?
“People roundhouse-kicking” in the pit grinding your gears?
Gatekeepers questioning whether you’re “metal enough”?
Frustrated with getting hit in the head by peoples smelly shoes at a concert?
Whatever’s poisoning your particular corner of the metal community, file an unofficial complaint with The Metal Lair Complaint Department.
Vent your venom. Name the offense. Make your case.
Your complaint could be featured in next week’s issue of The Metal Lair Complaint Department.
No algorithms. No fluff. No watered-down corporate metal coverage.
Subscribe to Metal Lair and get weekly underground features, Seven Deadly Songs, Deep Cuts, interviews, and original metal journalism sent directly to your inbox.
Join the patrons of Metal Lair
MetalLair.net is a metal zine muttering to itself about seo and blastbeats at 3 AM powered by caffeine, riffs, a severe lack of sleep, and a dog wondering why the human is still awake.
Sometimes it’s Kevin passing out mid Seven Deadly Songs.
Sometimes it’s digging up forgotten records no one else is talking about.
Always, it’s built for people who actually live this music.
If that sounds like you, you’re already one of us.
Supporting Metal Lair means keeping it independent, loud, and real with no corporate filters, no watered-down takes. If you want to help keep it alive…
Become a patron of Metal Lair.