Velvet Hammer, the management company behind some of the biggest names in metal, put on the Sick New World Festival for the first time in 2023. It was a major success, bringing together fans old and new with a diverse offering of alternative artists.
With the 2024 reprisal of the show fast approaching, it’s worth exploring the artists that make this unique music festival such a hit within the alternative music community.
Nu-Metal Royalty
At first glance, the names of some of the largest acts in metal history dominate the lineup poster. System of a Down, Korn, and Deftones crown the 2023 lineup, and Slipknot, Primus, and Alice in Chains will headline the 2024 iteration of the festival (With SOAD). These bands are well known for their chart-topping radio hits of the 90s and early 2000s.
System of a Down’s first album, Toxicity, debuted atop the Billboard 200 in 2001. Their meteoric rise to fame was boosted by regular airings of their music videos on MTV, performances on SNL, and political activism. Despite a hiatus from 2006 to 2010, hits like Chop Suey! helped the band retain its place in popular culture.
Korn ignited a fresh, syncopated metal sound with the release of their self-titled album in 1994. Subsequent albums featured massive hits, creating a wave of popularity that the band rode into the late 2000s. They have always pushed the envelope with their sound and even released an acoustic album via MTV: Unplugged. Though members have come and gone, and the band has gone through brief hiatuses, they continue to record and tour.
Slipknot had cultivated a loyal fanbase with their unique take on metal. They’re defined by their horror aesthetics, donning terrifying masks for all public appearances. Their striking appearance in magazines such as Hit Parader and Kerrang helped distinguish them in the burgeoning new metal scene. They brought extreme sounds, such as the blast beat, to the mainstream. Though they struggled to find success in their early years, and many members experienced trauma and addictions, they arguably did more to popularize metal than any band since Metallica.
Rock Revival
Like the previously mentioned bands, Deftones came up in the 2000s with significant MTV airtime, an early Grammy, and a sound that kept pace with the dynamic metal scene. Unlike the other bands however, Deftones has experienced a momentous revival via the internet. Early songs such as Change and Cherry waves started trending on tiktok in August of 2023. The interest in the group was significant enough to get them a spot at Coachella 2024.
What about the group that facilitated its rebound in popularity with the next generation of music lovers? The New York Times speculates that the tone and style of nu-metal strikes a chord with Gen-Z, whose angsty sentiments are echoed in the lyrics. But nu-metal isn’t the only genre that Gen-Z sees as expressive of their emotional turmoil.
Internet Come Ups
One act a little deeper in the lineup is Death Grips, a 3 man experimental hip hop group from Sacramento. Death Grips blew up in 2011, when their debut album was picked up by music critics and internet forums. The group has maintained a cryptic internet presence, bolstered by memes and artsy music videos. Though their style is radically different from many of the other Sick New World artists, similar anger, frustration, and high energy vibrations flow out of their projects.
Panchinko, who performed alongside Death Grips at the 2023 festival, shares a similar internet-driven success story. They recorded their debut album as teenagers in 1998, but with no label attention, they abandoned the project. Someone discovered a physical copy in a thrift store 18 years later and posted it on an internet forum, initiating an investigation by a team of internet sleuths. After finally tracking down the band members on Facebook and informing them of the renewed interest in their music, fans were rewarded with the group’s reunion and some new music.
Electronic Wizards
One of the wackiest groups in the lineup for 2023 was 100 Gecs. The duo exploded in popularity online in 2019 for their ingenious genre mixing and goofy presentation. Their music perfectly condenses the Gen-Z music experience, condensing all the tropes of all the music genres that trended in the 2010s into schizophrenic 2-minute audio barrages.
For 2024, an obscure electronic duo making waves and melodies reminiscent of Crystal Castles is sliding into the back of the lineup. Snow Strippers of Detroit MI, blew up in April 2023 with a mixtape that caught the attention of the likes of Lil Uzi Vert. Uzi collaborated with them on a track and featured them on his Pink Tape. They employ bubbly yet abrasive trance anthem synths over effects-laden vocals, hearkening back to the indie sleaze sound.
From Roaring Riffs to Languid Licks
The lineup for 2024 also includes a couple of bands whose tone and lyrical content represents a significant departure from the aggressive tropes of Nu-metal.
Have a Nice Life is a rock band signed to The Flenser, a “dark experimental record label.” Their songs are spacious, slow, and distant, often featuring nihilistic lyrical themes. Their debut album Deathconsciousness released in 2008 to little fanfare but became a cult classic within online music communities such as Rate Your Music.
Duster is a rock band from California whose music typifies the “slowcore” genre. This type of music is identifiable by the downtempo beats, low-energy vocal performances, and moody riffs. They had a run of popularity in the ’90s and experienced a resurgence of interest in their music when tracks like Inside Out and Constellations began trending on TikTok.
Finally, shoegaze pioneers Slowdive are slated to make an appearance. Though the genre experienced its heyday in the 90s, it’s making a comeback with Gen-Z audiences. According to this vice article, #shoegaze has 31.1m total views on TikTok. The hazy, reverb-heavy style is just niche enough to be cool while remaining accessible enough for pop listeners to get into.
Sick Old World, Sick New World
With such a diverse array of bands, it is a wonder that Sick New World has been as successful as it has. This article only scratches the surface of the depth of musical variety showcased at this festival. How can these vastly different bands come together for a music festival that fans from varying walks of life can appreciate?
The secret to Sick New World is that all of the groups, at one point in their careers, articulated a message about being on the margin, the outside. Whether that message is depressive or aggressive or is being delivered over guitar or synthesizer, or is ironic or serious, it remains an inter-generational constant in music.
Even as the way music is popularized and consumed changes, there will always be voices speaking on behalf of the outsiders, those who cannot quite fit in, who feel the world is “Sick.” For this reason, 2024’s festival, on April 27, is likely to be another thrilling experience that fans of alternative music should take care not to miss.
