Don’t ask me why I decided to go to Ozzfest/Knotfest this year. Normally an annual rite of passage for my husband and our 13-year-old son, I somehow got it in my head that it would be a fun thing for me and my 9-year-old daughter to tag along this year. Perhaps it is all part of my middle-aged crisis that is also attempting to convince me that I am a somewhat relevant rock n’ roll star who is destined for success in my family band (#thecheesebergens), but anyway”¦

I was approaching the festival in what already looked like miserable conditions as hot winds kicked up dust storms all over the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, CA. Early thoughts on the parking lot situation: Why do schlubby guys feel like it’s necessary to take off their shirts and stand in the beds of their pickup trucks? And why are there so many more of them taking off their shirts than the ones who actually look good without shirts? But there were plenty of those too”¦shout out to the twin shirtless heavy metal cowboys with man buns (yes, you are reading that correctly!).

On October 24th and 25, 2015, my 12-year-old son Jesse and I made our second annual pilgrimage to Slipknot’s giant, weekend-long heavy metal festival Knotfest. The event once again took place at San Manuel Amphitheater at Glen Helen Regional Park in San Bernardino, California. This is a recap of our experiences on Saturday, October 24.

The event actually kicks off on Friday night with a show just for those who are fortunate enough to be holding camping or VIP passes. We were not among those folks, so we missed out on Sepultura, The Faceless, and several others. A bit of a bummer, but nothing compared to the gut-wrenching decisions that we would have to make later in the weekend with so many quality bands performing opposite each other on the side stages (more on that in a few…).

St. Louis blackened thrash band Black Fast are having a pretty good year. Formed in 2010 and taking their name from an extreme form of fasting within Catholicism, they have previously released a self-titled EP and an independent full-length, the widely acclaimed Starving Out The Light. Black Fast has parlayed the momentum into a deal with eOne Music who, on August 7th, issued the band’s first official wide release album Terms of Surrender.

Check out the official video for the album’s first single “I Conspire” here below.

At the conclusion of last year’s edition of Knotfest, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor promised the crowd that the weekend-long metal festival would be returning to San Bernadino, CA again this year. Well, it seems Taylor is a man of his word because it has been announced that the massive and eclectic production will, in fact, once again invade the grounds of the San Manuel Amphitheater and Glen Helen Regional Park October 23rd-25th.

Friday, October 23rd will once again have a small show exclusively for those purchasing 3-day camping passes. The lineup for this night has yet to be announced. However, the Saturday and Sunday lineups have been mostly announced and they do not disappoint! Details here below.

New Orleans’ blackened thrash band Goatwhore arose from the ashes of two of that city’s most legendary bands. When Acid Bath broke up, guitarist Sammy Duet hooked up with former Soilent Green singer Ben Falgoust, guitarist Ben Stout, bassist Patrick Bruders, and drummer Zak Nolan. They took their moniker from an Aleister Crowley ritual involving goat semen (don’t ask!). Over the course of the last 18 years, Goatwhore has delivered 6 albums of the most brutal black thrash ever conceived. The band’s unrelenting assault both live and on record has garnered them a rabid following that continues to grow.

Here, with the opening track of their fourth album, 2009’s Carving Out the Eyes of God, is Goatwhore with their anthem “Apocalyptic Havoc.”