By Lisa Burke
Festival time is upon us in the land of heavy metal, and one of the more popular and recently Americanized and localized festivals is Ozzfest. Originating in the mid-nineties and usually featuring the most popular heavy metal bands of the year in a variety of genres, one could find solace in the fact they got to witness their favorite bands all in one location. Ozzfest has returned once again in 2016 as a one-off show with their partners in crime Knotfest for a two-day festival at San Manuel Amphitheater and festival grounds in San Bernardino on Saturday September 24th and Sunday, September 25th. It also comes with a kick-off party only available to three-day camping pass holders on Friday September 23rd, featuring headliner Armored Saint, and support acts Havok, Exmortus, and Thrown Into Exile. Slipknot has been part of past Ozzfest lineups for a few years here and there until they branched out into their own brand of festival, Knotfest, which has seen a decent success rate in the last few years it has existed.
The new merger is scheduled to take off into what could be a saving grace to these festivals in general, with a quality lineup, the Ozzfest day headlined by metal godfathers, Black Sabbath supposedly making their very last California appearance ever, and Slipknot, of course, will headline Knotfest. Tickets range from $25 for lawn seats to $2,250 for a personalized meet with Ozzy for a Q&A in his dressing room among other privileges that allow you to ask him anything including what he eats for breakfast, if that’s your main concern in life. On the two main days, the grounds will be equipped with three stages; the main stage, Lemmy stage, and Nuclear Blast stage.
Ozzfest lineup:
Main Stage: Black Sabbath, Disturbed, Megadeth, Opeth, Black Label Society, Rival Sons
Lemmy Stage: Suicidal Tendencies, Hatebreed, DevilDriver, Goatwhore, Huntress
Nuclear Blast Stage: Municipal Waste, Kataklysm, The Shrine, Still Rebel, Allegaeon, Brujeria
Knotfest lineup:
Main Stage: Slipknot, Slayer, Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Trivium, Motionless in White
Lemmy Stage: Sabaton, Suicide Silence, Overkill, Emmure, Butcher Babies, Man with a Mission
Nuclear Blast Stage
Whitechapel, Combichrist, Death Angel, Carnifex, Loathe, Sim, Oni
In addition to this, there will be carnival rides with fire effects done intentionally, as opposed to the ones that may be seen off in the distance that have sadly been burning down our precious land and endangering wildlife. San Bernardino is as desert as it comes, so it’s also recommended to bring a bandana to cover your face from the dust that will get stirred up in the mosh pit. Comfy shoes and a hat to keep your head from spontaneously combusting in the heat are other highly recommended accessories. Other non-metal festivities include the House Of Hell Arena with twisted and gory carnival games, monster truck rallies, and a freestyle motocross bike jump full of mid-air tricks.
It is going to be extra-exciting to see Opeth followed by Megadeth, as the last time the two bands most notably played together was on Gigantour 2006 when Opeth was relatively far less popular in America than they are today, and the difference in genres should prove to be an interesting jump. Other bands to look out for that are most likely going to kick some desert ass are DevilDriver, Goatwhore, and Huntress along with Municipal Waste, Kataklysm and Brujeria. Slayer always puts on a great live show despite the loss of two important members, and with the addition of Gary Holt they can still hold their own. Sabaton will be of interest as they aren’t a typical act, and Amon Amarth is always on their game and not to be missed with the most over-the-top stage sets and theatrics. Anthrax still thrashes to the max and oddballs Combichrist are usually far from boring. And finally, Death Angel keeps shooting out great albums, so be sure to get out early to not miss them because the percentage that they may be among the best bands of the day is high. A few bands after viewing previous Ozzfest line-ups that could top this and will definitely be missed would be bringing Peter Steele back from the grave to play in Type O Negative, or if we could be graced with Ozzy Osbourne solo as well as Black Sabbath, but given the nature of the event, it would not be too surprising if a few special guests helped an Ozzy song or two happen.
The special deals for the two day mission of Ozzfest and Knotfest with the option of camping and/or cheap hotels available for booking around the area suggest it worthy to spend the night and attend it all. It also means less traffic and DUI jail time, so do yourself a favor and spend the weekend in the desert land of San Bernardino to support some great heavy metal. See you there!
For more information, visit OzzfestMeetsKnotfest.com
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