Aftershock 2026, as expected, was another truly legendary occasion that metal fans will think about for the rest of their lives. The 14th year of this beloved event brought together a record-breaking crowd of 180,000 fans from across the world.
But, beyond the fans, there is an infinitely smaller bunch of people who were behind the scenes making the show possible, capturing the event, playing the music, etc. that will also remember it forever in a remarkably special way.
A perfect example of someone like this is Evie, a reporter from Metal Hammer Magazine, who year after year travel all the way across the pond for this truly special occasion.
When asked, what brings you to there, why do you love the metal community?
She quickly replied, “Oh, honestly, the nicest people ever. I’ve worked in many genres of music, and I think metal is the best — not just because that is the music that I prefer — like, personally, the people they’re just the kindest, is it’s a true community.”
She went on to express how special this community is as a whole and why she invests in this scene explaining that “It’s because of friendship. They’re the best people join! If you came to a festival like this by yourself, you wouldn’t leave by yourself! You will make so many friends — It’s how I met you last year! In the end, you come out of a festival finding so many new bands, listening to great music, and coming back with friends for life. And, that that’s the metal community — you’d never alone.”
Nicki Knightley, a published model and growing presence in the metal scene who debuted their own new podcast following the festival, is another example of the type of people that that have given up traditional aspirations to keep this scene alive.
Knightly, when describing herself and her aspirations, said she is “a multifaceted, entertainer, performer, dancer , model, comedian, podcast, host psychic, medium, slight worker, and I’m here interviewing bands at aftershock.”
When the conversation moved to explaining her inspiration behind her many goals and what brings her to Aftershock and the metal community as a whole, Knightly said, “I love — I love! —t he darkness, it is because I’ve been through so much darkness in my life, and I feel at home in places like this. I feel like a black sheep amongst other black sheep, if that makes sense. … [At Aftershock] I’ve had a great experience so far, I would say that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel and that things do always get better. We all need to take each day One Day at a Time and just continue to spread light and be kind to another.”
Lastly, and in many ways most importantly, there are a huge number of performers who are beyond honored and ecstatic to simply be a part of such a legendary event. This was the case for up and coming heavy metal band Ladrones. They got together in 2021 in Guadalajara Mexico, and have been hard at work ever since. After a streak of well received projects, they eventually gained steam in America and shortly after went on tour, landing themselves at Aftershock under the management of renowned radio host Jose Mamgin.
The Times was luckily able to snag a conversation with Ladrones drummer Diego for a bit after his performance. When asking about what it feels like to be here and touring American stages, he said, “ It is totally a dream coming true for us. It’s our first time here in this big festival. We just can’t believe it, and we are enjoying it as how much as possible it can. … Thanks for everything, thanks for receiving us like this. Thank you for opening this big door for the metal Mexican music, the regional Mexican music. Just thank you, thank you, everyone.”