One act continues to shine so brightly at NorCal's best metal party

"Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier looked out at the tens of thousands of heavy metal fans stretched out before him at Discovery Park in Sacramento and clearly liked what he saw. It's good to be back to our favorite (expletive) festival in the United States Aftershock, the vocalist-guitarist said. Basically, he summed up what everyone in the house or, umm, field was thinking: It was indeed so incredibly great to be back and rocking to four days of heavy music at the mighty Aftershock Festival."

"The 2025 affair, which kicked off on Thursday and continued through Sunday, was once again loaded with top attractions from pop-punk icons Blink-182 and U.K. metalcore champs Bring Me the Horizon to shock-rocker Rob Zombie and Sacramento alt-rock heroes Deftones as well as a slew of rising stars, young talents and other worthy acts lower down on the bill. And, of course, there was Gojira which made Saturday the true can't-miss date of the four-day run."

"The incredible French band, which blends technical-death, progressive and groove metal styles, delivered an equally punishing and fascinating hourlong set that easily topped anything else we saw that day at Aftershock. Kicking off with Only Pain one of a four songs from the band's sixth full-length, 2016's Magma, to make Saturday's setlist Gojira would go on to powerfully illustrate why it's the greatest metal band in the world not named Metallica."

Gojira delivered an hourlong, punishing and fascinating performance at Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, showcasing a blend of technical-death, progressive and groove metal. The set opened with Only Pain from the 2016 album Magma and emphasized dense but distinct musical layers. Mario Duplantier's extraordinarily fast and heavy drumming propelled the band's sound and lent both power and nuance. Joe Duplantier alternated roars and melodies while contributing to a tight electric guitar partnership. The festival lineup included headliners Blink-182, Bring Me the Horizon, Rob Zombie and Deftones alongside rising acts, creating a four-day celebration of heavy music.

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