LOUDER THAN LIFE 2025:

"Look at all you beautiful motherfuckers here in Kentucky!" - Randy Blythe, Lamb of God

Fans of rock and metal from all over the country - and the world - converged in record-setting numbers at the Highland Festival Grounds in Louisville for four days of hard, heavy music.

Louder Than Life featured more than 160 bands across seven stages (Sept. 18 through 21), highlighted by the long-awaited return of thrash legends Slayer and highly anticipated performances by Sleep Token and Bad Omens.

An estimated 240,000 people in were in attendance - making it the largest rock festival in North America and the biggest ever for a Danny Wimmer Presents event.

The previous attendance record for Louder Than Life was 180,000 in 2023.

Slayer was scheduled to play the festival a year ago, but the performance was canceled because of the impact of Hurricane Helene.

"Well. We showed up to do the show ... again," Slayer frontman Tom Araya told the crowd with a smile.

The band delivered a crushing 20-song set on the opening day of the event, which featured iconic songs like "South of Heaven," "Angel of Death," and "Raining Blood," as a stunning display of pyrotechnics exploded from all over the stage.

The first day also featured Rob Zombie playing White Zombie's "Astro-Creep: 2000" in full to recognition the 30h anniversary of the album.

"Some of these songs, I've only played once. So, if you know them, sing along," Zombie said.

Marilyn Manson played three songs from his latest release, "One Assassination Under God, Chapter 1," - "As Sick As the Secrets Within," "Nod If You Understand," and "Sacrilegious," and opened up to the crowd about his ongoing battle with addiction.

"I'm Marilyn Manson ... and I'm a drug addict," he screamed.

Lamb of Gob played "Children of the Grave" in honor of Ozzy Osbourne, and also dedicated "Redneck," to former Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds, who died in August after a motorcycle accident.

The second day was sold out and featured plenty of memorial moments, including the U.S. festival debut of Germany's Powerwolf.

"We are here to celebrate a heavy metal party together," frontman Attila Dorn said.

Powerwolf was joined on stage by Robb of Fynn of Machine Head for a version of "Demons are a Girls Best Friend."

The Insane Clown Posse showered the Juggalos with Faygo, before Breaking Benjamin got the crowd singing along with songs like "I Will Not Bow," and "Dairy of Jane."

Sleep Token's Vessel mesmerized a massive crowd, leading up to Avenged Sevenfold's only headlining show of the year in the United States.

The recently reunited Acid Bath took the main stage on third day, leading up to performances by Motionless in White and Stone Temple Pilots, who were joined on stage by drummer Josh Freese.

"Every record you've ever owned, this guy played on," STP guitarist Dean DeLeo said of Freese with a laugh.

Freese was back on the stage with A Perfect Circle later that evening.

Plastic, pink phalli floating through the pit prompted singer Maynard James Keenan to ask, "What you plan on doing with those penises?"

Bad Omens delivered the live debuts of two songs - Specter" and "Impose," leading up to a hits driven headline set by Deftones, including "Change (In the House of Flies)."

On the final day, Slaughter to Prevail and Louisville's Knocked Loose brought the crowd to a frenzy with massive walls of death.

Three Days Grace debuted a new song - "Kill Me Fast," -before Evanescence was joined on stage by Paul McCoy of 12 Stones. He sang "Bring Me To Live," with Amy Lee for the first time in 17 years.

"Come on, Paul," Lee said. "Help me with this one."

Evanescence live-streamed their entire set to more than 13,000 viewers around the world.

Bring Me The Horizon closed out the four-day event with the band's first U.S. festival headline performance.

Fans also took advantage of a new feature of the event this year. Kentucky Kingdom rides - including the Ferris wheel - were open to all pass holders and a stage was also set up inside the amusement park.

In back-to-back weekend, more than 450,000 fans attended Danny Wimmer Festivals earlier this month in Louisville - (Bourbon and Beyond, Sept. 11-14 and Louder Than Life, Sept. 18-21).

Dates for next year's LTL have already been set for Sept. 17-20, 2026.

During the festival, the University of Louisville marching band came onto the stage playing "The Black Parade," to announce that My Chemical Romance would be one of the headliners in 2026.

The rest of the line-up to be announced at a later date.