Las Vegas’ Sick New World Meets the Metal Moment

Pit Boss blogherads.adq.push(function () { blogherads .defineSlot( 'inlineoop', 'gpt-rslogo-140-article-dsk-tab-uid5' ) .setTargeting( 'pos', 'rslogo140' ) .setSubAdUnitPath("music\/article\/logo") .addSize([[1,1]]) ; }); Las Vegas’ Sick New World Meets the Metal Moment From System of a Down's Armenian Genocide tribute to Ministry's Filth Pig anniversary set, the returning festival made a thunderous case for heavy music’s staying power By Lina Lecaro Lina Lecaro Las Vegas’ Sick New World Meets the Metal Moment Willow Leaves Expectations at the Door in Intimate Blue Note Performance David Bowie’s Spirit Returns in a Powerful, All-Star L.A. Tribute Marking 10 Years Since His Death View all posts by Lina Lecaro April 27, 2026 Korn Steve Thrasher/Sick New World With the announcement of a potential Ozzfest return and the gloomy splendor of Nine Inch Noize at Coachella, the contemporary festival landscape is fertile ground for dark, heavy music lineups. Sick New World has heeded the call. Though it was canceled last year reportedly due to financial and logistical issues, the day-long alternative and metal-driven gathering came raging back to Las Vegas on Saturday, April 25, showcasing multi-era heavy music — from Nineties giants System of a Down and Korn to emotive metalcore phenoms Bring Me the Horizon — plus a sprinkling of synth-goth sounds and tempestuous new hardcore acts. The multi-sensory downtown Las Vegas surroundings, buttressed by a slew of shiny hotels, made for an ideal destination festival experience, as the long-running Punk Rock Bowling and When We Were Young have proven in the past. But both events were canceled this year, making the return of Sick New World on Saturday — to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on Las Vegas Boulevard — an indicator of the viability for massive rock events of this ilk in the area. blogherads.adq.push(function () { blogherads .defineSlot( 'medrec', 'gpt-dsk-tab-article-inbody-uid0' ) .setTargeting( 'pos', ["mid-article","mid","in-article1","mid-article1","inbody","inbody1"] ) .setTargeting( 'viewable', 'yes' ) .setSubAdUnitPath("music\/article\/inbody1") .addSize([[300,250],[620,350],[2,2],[3,3],[2,4],[4,2],[640,250],[6,6],[620,366]]) .setClsOptimization("minsize") ; }); Domestically speaking, metal festivals appear to be thriving. In May, Welcome to Rockville hits Florida and Sonic Temple arrives in Ohio. Kentucky’s Louder Than Life touches down in September and Sacramento’s Aftershock in October. Fans of Los Angeles’ new wave-centric Cruel World are still waiting to hear what the status of that multi-day concert may be, though many were seemingly satisfied with the recent announcement of the similarly nostalgic Darker Waves in Huntington Beach, coming in November. Steve Thrasher/Sick New World In any case, it’s safe to say that visceral music favored by those who identify as outsiders is still thriving and inspiring fans, from Gen X to Gen Z. Saturday’s Sick New World crowd was an even mix of young and old, most donning black — with some fits as skimpy as those seen at Coachella, though decidedly less boho — with guys and gals in bondage belts, studded collars, and fishnets bouncing below the stages, in the pits, and posing for pics along the festival’s purple-carpeted entry way. blogherads.adq.push(function () { blogherads .defineSlot( 'medrec', 'gpt-dsk-tab-article-inbody2-uid1' ) .setTargeting( 'pos', ["mid-article2","mid","in-article2","mid-article","inbody","inbody2"] ) .setTargeting(…

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