Rock For People is nine days away. Eight stages, five days, over 170 artists, heaven feels like it’s within reach. As soon as you walk through the festival’s entrance, top up your wristband, grab a pack of smokes on site, and peruse through the old Soviet airfield, or maybe even head up to the ferris wheel to check out the grounds and see what stage is where.
Fancy an American-style hot dog? No problem. Craving kebabs? You got it. Want some churros? You’ll be spoiled rotten. Want to take a break? They have an airconditioned, fully-covered VIP area with complimentary wine and food, or if VIP is a wee bit out of budget, there are plenty of places to sit, rest, catch your breath, with bars within eyesight if feeling parched. There’s really nothing Rock For People doesn’t have, or do.
Besides their killer headliners – Slipknot, Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold, Sex Pistols ft. Frank Carter, and Guns N‘ Roses – there are plenty of metal bands we have our eye on. Without stating the obvious artists, here are 10 metal bands to catch at this year’s Rock for People.
1. Lorna Shore
Orchestral and cinematic, Lorna Shore are destined to put together a set that will cause goosebumps with their blend of symphonic and black metal. Roaring across their most recent record, Pain Remains, released back in 2022, the band is pretty brutal and bound to turn heads. A gloriously intense experience, those wishing to borderline break bones in a moshpit or wall of death will find a home in front of Lorna Shore‘s performance. Sickly technical guitar solos and orchestration bring Lorna Shore to a completely other level, and festival goers are bound to go mental at their set.
2. Stray From The Path
Well, it may be your last chance to catch Stray From The Path if you haven’t snagged tickets to another festival on their run – the band have just surprise dropped an album alongside an announcement that it would be their last, and they are disbanding. In their newest record, the band have provided dirty yet reliable hardcore tracks that grip and grind through hip-hop inspired beats and hardcore riffs. Leaving nothing up for interpretation, Stray From The Path‘s lyrics barrel through the thunderous chugging, planting their thoughts in front of you on your doorstep, before throwing up the middle finger and doing it again. The new record is animalistic and instinctual, and will certainly make for a whopper of a set.
3. Kittie
It’s hard to write a small paragraph about a band that has done what Kittie have. With seven studio records and over two million sales, their sociopolitical output has reached hundreds of thousands of people since their beginnings over 20 years ago. Donned as one of the most influential all-women metal bands of all time, Kittie have a legacy that speaks for itself. Most recently, they appeared on the Queen of The Ring soundtrack with the song, “The Unforgiven” with The Pretty Wild and DIAMANTE.
4. Static Dress
An incredibly deceptive group at first listen, Static Dress love playing with people’s expectations. Blending genres effortlessly and without hesitation, the instinctual blend of metal from Static Dress is one worth checking out, elements of pop, punk, emo, screamo – and honestly, whatever fits – shining through freely, without restrictions. While it can seem like the band often melody within the chorus before raging and thrashing through verses, the band’s newest recent single, “crying.” shows a more versatile, pop-punk side of the band. The band’s set is definitely going to get double-takes from those passing by, in a good way.
5. SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET
Shavo Odajian, previously the bassist of System Of A Down, and his brand new project, SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET will be making an appearance at this year’s Rock For People. Another deceptive band at first, the band’s debut dropped in 2024 and is as heavy and lethal as you would hope it to be. While playing with melody in areas, vocalist Taylor Barber (Left to Suffer) howls and rumbles effortlessly through every sound on the record. It’ll be interesting to see if they’ll play anything outside of their one and only record…
6. Fit For An Autopsy
There’s something refreshing about seeing a metal band’s name on the Billboard 200 – we’ve seen some records broken recently, yes, but all the way back in 2022 Fit For An Autopsy charted in the Top 25 with their record, On What The Future Holds. With tracks from the album listed in ‘best metal songs’ and the album itself donned as one of the best full-length releases, the deathcore band have established themselves as a whopper studio band. But, it’s not hard to picture the raucous that would be kicked up in a mosh pit during a Fit For An Autopsy set. Shoes flying amidst screaming guitar solos and a wall of death during lethal breakdowns… sounds like a pretty fun time.
7. Defects
A band influenced by trauma and adverse childhoods, Defects‘ set at Rock For People will be cathartic for those who are looking to get out that weight out of your chest through some moshing, wall of death-ing, and maybe a crying fit or two. Their debut record dropped last year, and the band have been touring consistently throughout Europe and the UK ever since. Thrash-adjacent in some places, straight melodic metal in others, Defects doesn’t stray too far outside the realm of metal, but definitely explore every facet of it.
8. DEAFHEAVEN
The black metal-meets-shoegaze band has been going strong for 15 years, and have built quite the same for themselves since. Embracing cinematic elements, DEAFHEAVEN‘s newest record, Lonely People With Power is haunting and tumultuous as the band explores all facets of humanity, no matter the cost. Strings, synths, and orchestration, accent the blend of black metal and its relentless drums that pound deep within your chest. DEAFHEAVEN is relentless, both sonically and lyrically – completely and utterly raw in a way that feels almost vulnerable in a live setting. Definitely an interesting set to catch, the band have plenty of material – including their critically acclaimed 2013 record Sunbather – to go through.
9. The Ghost Inside
It feels like the saying ‘a broken bone will grow back stronger’ is easily applicable to The Ghost Inside. The band’s tragic tour bus crash back in 2015 altered the band, but it feels like it made them stronger. Blending old school metal guitars, modern metalcore melodies, and punk tempos, the band’s newest release from 2024, Searching For Solace embraces fiery riffs and reflective melodies. Aggressive and comforting at the same time, The Ghost Inside finds a balance between upbeat and modern metal that feels both rooted in tradition and growing into new areas.
10. Motionless In White
Love them or hate them, Motionless In White are definitely a polarizing band – not because of anything in particular, but because they bring out visceral opinions from people. The gothic explorative metal band have over a billion cumulative streams to date, and push the boundaries of cinematic metal and everything it can be. Their 2022 release Scoring The End Of The World debuted in the top 15 on Billboard 200 and have had four records consistently debut in the top five on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums. The theatrical band toy with their sound while still feeling old-school. It’ll definitely be a fun set to catch.
And that’s just 10 of over 170 bands… there a select few tickets left for this year’s Rock For People. You can get them here.