We’re here celebrating heavy metal music in Sacramento and its beautiful!
It was so cool to receive a proclamation from the city to Aftershock
because of all of the great stuff that we do for the area.
— Jose ‘Metal Ambassador’ Mangin
Living up to its reputation as the “West Coast’s Largest Rock, Punk & Metal Festival,” Aftershock 2025 delivered yet another truly amazing experience this past weekend, Oct. 2-5.
This four-day celebration of everything to do with rock music and culture has become a true mecca for metal-heads. This year’s 13th annual edition featured over 115 bands across four stages, with a lineup full of legends and emerging talent.
This included truly revolutionary acts such as Blink-182, Deftones, Good Charlotte, All Time Low, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Korn, Bring Me the Horizon, and many more. Each day there was a beautifully curated variety of sounds and visuals to keep the energy going strong day after day.
“We’re here celebrating heavy metal music in Sacramento and its beautiful!” said Jose “Metal Ambassador” Mangin, known for his many years at Sirius XM and the host of this year’s festival, who took a moment to speak with The Times about the festival. “We had the mayor up on stage on Thursday. It was so cool to receive a proclamation from the city to Aftershock because of all of the great stuff that we do for the area. I love coming to Sacramento for this, it’s one of my favorite festivals of the year — it’s very near and dear to my heart.”
When asked about his favorite sets and the bands that he was most excited to see, Mangin replied: “Man, I love Lamb of God, and Slaughter to Prevail is one my favorite bands here! I was really excited for Machine Head, and I loved Testament and Hatebreed last night. … There’s a lot of great bands here, and a lot of then are close friends as well!”
On a more personal note, when asked about what motivates him to keep working so hard in this field he said, “Metal has changed my entire life; I have spent 25 years of my life at Sirius XM. It’s a dream job for me, I cant believe what I do — it feels like I am a little kid. I love Metal and Horror, and to be able to live in those worlds all the time, I cant explain how amazing it feels. To me, being a leader in the field, I want to bring good vibes, love, and just bring us together.”
On top of the incredible lineup of music, there was a ton of surprise guests, pop-ups, vendors, and special experiences. Among the special activities here are some of the standouts:
• BeatBox hosted a body art bar where guests were able to sample new flavor and get tattoos on the spot.
• Longstanding Influencer and entrepreneur Jeffree Star hosted two meet and greets across the weekend at his brand booth.
• And there was the “Take Me Home” booth where fans can buy exclusive merch and signed items from a bunch of the bands to the benefit of Animal Rescue efforts.
Stay tuned for more Times reviews, photos on Aftershock 2025!