Like zombies descending upon the Strip, Psycho Las Vegas continues its unstoppable tourist-corridor takeover this weekend. After three years at the Hard Rock Hotel (2016-2018) and two at Mandalay Bay (2019 and 2021, with a pandemic pause between), the music festival moves to Resorts World, the shiny casino-resort that opened in June 2021.

The three-day gathering (four if you count the Psycho Swim kickoff event) will make use of six different Resorts World venues—including the main-stage Event Center, the outdoor Ayu Dayclub and the third-floor Rose Ballroom—and will again focus on metal at the top of its bill. Norwegian black metal band Emperor (Friday), veteran thrash metal outfit Suicidal Tendencies (Saturday) and iconic Danish metal act Mercyful Fate (Sunday) are set to headline, and they’ll be joined by additional metal faves like Mayhem, High on Fire and Nuclear Assault.

But beyond the biggest names lurk an assortment of other sounds, heavy and otherwise, including rappers, singer-songwriters, shoegazers and electronic experimenters. Here are 15 acts of all types to catch if you can.

Marissa Nadler (Friday, 2:40 p.m., Rose Ballroom)The Path of the Clouds—should draw you straight to the vocalist’s Psycho set. Her music, which has been arriving in waves for almost 20 years, has been labeled country-goth, chamber-folk and slowcore, but whatever it’s called, it sounds gorgeous to us. (Photo Courtesy/Nick Fancher)“Bessie, Did You Make It?”—the haunting leadoff cut from last October’s

King Woman (Friday, 5:30 p.m., Rose Ballroom) Prolific frontwoman Kristina Esfandiari has dabbled in several genres, but she might be best at King Woman’s brand of crushing-yet-soulful doom metal. The songs off 2021 sophomore release Celestial Blues are her most primal, sounding like they were written to be performed live.

GZA & Inspectah Deck (Friday, 8:55 p.m., Ayu Dayclub) From his 2002 set at Blue Note jazz club to 2021’s Psycho performance of classic album Liquid Swords, legendary rapper Gary Grice (aka The Genius, aka GZA) has been delivering memorable Las Vegas sets for years, and having underrated Wu-Tang cohort Deck by his side should help this one stick out, too. Of related note: GZA will put on a chess clinic Sunday at noon at Psycho’s Famous Foods stage, setting him up as a possible guest when fellow Clansmen Method Man and Raekwon team for an 11:45 p.m. set at Ayu Dayclub later that night.

Soft Kill (Friday, 9:45 p.m., Rose Ballroom) With a deluge of fog and multicolored spotlights creating silhouettes of their bodies, this Portland-based post-punk trio staged one of the most memorable productions during Psycho 2019. And following the release of 2020’s Dead Kids R.I.P. City, the best record of its career, Soft Kill now has the songs to match.

Blood Incantation (Saturday, 4:05 p.m., Rose Ballroom) Psycho has more commonly booked legacy death metal acts, but with this four-piece from Denver, the festival has pivoted to the kings of the current moment. Never afraid to push the genre’s boundaries, Blood Incantation traded out its usual prog epics for a polarizing foray into ambient music on latest release Timewave Zero.

(Note: The festival announced Thursday morning that Ulver was forced to drop off the lineup, after our story went to press.)

Ulver (Saturday, 5:30 p.m., Event Center) One of the toughest Psycho acts to nail down musically (and one of the rarest to catch on U.S. soil), this Norwegian group has tried on everything from atmospheric black metal to poppy synthwave during its 30-year existence. A recent setlist points to a focus on post-2016 efforts, so begin your prep session there.

Liturgy (Saturday, 6:55 p.m., Rose Ballroom) Auteur Hunter Hunt-Hendrix’s music is more than highly experimental black metal; it’s also a vehicle for an entire philosophy in which she has delved through manifestos and a series of online lectures. She considers Liturgy performances “sacred rituals,” and they look as powerful as they sound.

Warpaint (Saturday, 8:30 p.m., Event Center) Psycho might be mainly about rattling rib cages, but the 2019 festival’s Beach House performance proved that some calm can balance all that storm nicely. Enter LA’s Warpaint, the female foursome that burst onto the indie scene with 2010 single “Undertow” and has been delivering dreamy alt-rock anthems ever since, most recently on May LP Radiate Like This.

At the Gates (Saturday, 11:45 p.m., Ayu Dayclub) This veteran Gothenburg, Sweden, act, formed in 1990, is hands down the most influential, if not creative, melodic death metal band of all-time. At the Gates’ inclusion on a Psycho lineup feels long overdue—and the planned full-album performance of 1995’s Slaughter of the Soul prove well worth the wait, with.

Amenra (Sunday, 2 p.m., Event Center) These Belgium-based Neurosis acolytes put on all-encompassing performances, with haunting visuals that pair perfectly with their loud, punishing sonics and vocalist Colin H. van Eeckhout’s masterful stage presence.

Paradise Lost (Sunday, 6:30 p.m., Event Center) It’s a rare treat to see the inventors of the death-doom style live, especially in the U.S. Despite having stayed together continuously for 34 years—and having released 16 full-length albums—the legends from Halifax, England, rarely cross the Atlantic and haven’t done so since 2018.

Spiritworld (Sunday, 6:45 p.m., Redtail) Led by Stu Folsom, Vegas’ hometown heroes have toured the world during the past year since signing with Century Media Records—but thanks to COVID-caused cancellations, Spiritworld still hasn’t played here in its current form. From a local perspective, this set of Western-themed metal might be the weekend’s longest-awaited.

Drain (Sunday, 6:55 p.m., Rose Ballroom) Fun and hardcore don’t always mix, but smiling and playing joyfully has helped push these Santa Clara, Californians to the top of their genre the past couple years. Drain sometimes brings pool floats and noodles to match the board shorts members wear while performing what might best be described as apocalyptic beach thrash.

Liars (Sunday, 7:30 p.m., Ayu Dayclub) Under leader Angus Andrew’s supervision, Liars have shape-shifted across the musical map—fidgety dance-punk, nihilistic noise-rock, moody electro-pop and beyond. But through it all, Angus’ artistic approach has stayed constant, and his charismatic stage presence has remained undeniable.

William Basinski (Sunday, 8:20 p.m., Rose Ballroom) Best remembered for The Disintegration Loops, an early-2000s album series made from decaying tape-loop recordings, this Houston, Texas, native has continued to release thought-provoking music that could be alternately categorized as ambient, drone, minimal and experimental. It’ll be interesting to see what he brings to his Psycho performance.

PSYCHO LAS VEGAS August 19-21, $139/day, $349/fest. Resorts World, vivapsycho.com.

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