Calling first-year Las Vegas festival Sick New World a nu metal gathering would be accurate … and also not. Yes, many big names associated with that late-’90s/early-’00s hard rock subgenre—Korn, System of a Down, Deftones, Incubus, Papa Roach, Sevendust and P.O.D. among them—will be onstage May 13 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. But also, Sick New World will include a variety of acts that have little in common with those bands, apart from a general sense of heaviness. A few of the participants we’re most excited about …

Cold Lineup changes have whittled this Florida post-grunge outfit’s original members down to one, but frontman Scooter Ward has always been the heart of the band, so catching him performing poignant power ballads like “Cure My Tragedy” will be a treat regardless. Cold’s career-defining Year of the Spider turns 20 this year, and Sick New World will factor into its commemoration tour. –AS

Death Grips There’s no guarantee vocalist MC Ride, drummer Zach Hill and keyboardist Andy Morin will be here Saturday; Death Grips was infamous for canceling sets at one point in its history. But we can say with absolute certainty that if the experimental hip-hop trio makes it, it’ll produce one of the day’s most intense sets, bar none. –SP

Deftones The longtime Las Vegas favorite has credited straying from the nu-metal scene more than 20 years ago—both sonically and in terms of tour partners—for its sustained run of popularity and acclaim. It’s only recently that Deftones has become open to playing with bands like their 1990s best buddies, Korn, to turn their Sick New World spot into a homecoming of sorts. –CK

Fiddlehead Here’s an ultra-rare opportunity to catch one of today’s best post-hardcore bands, comprised of Have Heart vocalist Pat Flynn and members of English emo fave Basement. Flynn brings the same passion to his more melodic, part-time band that he once did to his aggressive, heavy-touring early-2000s group. (Added bonus: The band headlines American Legion Post 8 on May 12.) –CK

Flyleaf Lacey Sturm’s harrowing vocals on “I’m So Sick” put these Texans on the map and helped change feelings toward Christian hard rock bands. She exited in 2012—and the band went on hiatus soon after—but in a surprise twist, Flyleaf has returned with Sturm back on the mic. –AS

Health This noisy LA trio has layers, man. From creating memorable video game scores for Grand Theft Auto V and Max Payne 3 to leaving an unrelenting trail of gritty-yet-danceable mayhem in its wake, Health breaks down barriers with music that excites even as it obliterates. You’ll love it live. –AS

Incubus These SoCal rockers remain popular two decades after their biggest songs—think: “Drive,” “Wish You Were Here” and “Megalomaniac”—charted in the early 2000s. Why? Incubus shaped a signature sound, whisking together elements of funk, hip-hop, pop and metal to produce those classics and many more, and we know you still know all the words. –AS

Kittie The Canadian female foursome reunited for last year’s When We Were Young festival here, and we’re glad to see they’ve stayed together. Kittie formed in the mid-’90s, and by 2001, Billboard had called it “the most successful female band in modern metal.” There aren’t many ladies on the Sick New World lineup, so show up and support a group reminding the world that women can rock. –AS

Korn The majority of acts playing the festival—including headlining System of a Down—wouldn’t exist without Korn, which created the groovy, downtuned sound now known as “nu metal” on its self-titled 1994 debut album. Expect the classics off that landmark release, which they played in full for the first time ever at nearby Brooklyn Bowl in 2015, to highlight a festival that owes Korn everything. –CK

Monster Magnet Folks still bummed that the Jersey stoner-rock veterans dropped off the 2022 Psycho Las Vegas bill get another shot at the band’s heavy psych/space blend. As for what Monster Magnet might play when it gets here, it’s been three-plus years since the band’s last tour, so that’s anyone’s guess. –SP (Note: Monster Magnet dropped off the Sick New World bill after this story was published.)

Mr. Bungle We didn’t see this one coming, especially after leader Mike Patton shelved both Mr. Bungle and Faith No More due to mental health concerns two years ago. But we’re glad he’s doing well enough to return to the road—and that Vegas gets not just a Sick New World set from his original art-metal project but also a second one at House of Blues one night later, supported by fellow festival act Melvins and Brooklyn post-metal band Spotlights. –SP

Placebo Sick New World’s inaugural lineup is largely an American affair, but London alt-rock outfit Placebo is one of the notable exceptions crossing an ocean to be here. Locals should be particularly stoked; after regular visits during the mid-2000s, the band has gone more than 15 years since its last Las Vegas performance. –SP

Scowl Vocalist Kat Moss will become your new favorite frontperson if you arrive early enough to catch the latest rising stars out of the improbably soaring Santa Cruz, California, hardcore scene. Most of the festival will revolve around arena metal, but it will be nice to start the day with a younger, punkier attitude. –CK

The Sisters of Mercy Named for a 1967 Leonard Cohen song, this English outfit helped define goth-rock during the 1980s, when it released two of the genre’s most beloved albums, First and Last and Always (1985) and Floodland(1987). Frontman Andrew Eldritch’s haunting vocals and melodies should pair nicely with the more intimate environs of Brooklyn Bowl, where the band will perform an additional set on May 14. –SP

Turnstile Perhaps no band in the world is more energetic—or, dare we say, all around better—in a live setting than this Baltimore quartet, which has exploded in popularity to bring hardcore to the masses. Frontman Brendan Yates and bassist Franz Lyons, specifically, rage with enough intensity to win over even the most jaded fans on site to catch the legacy acts. –CK

SICK NEW WORLD May 13, 11 a.m.-midnight, sold out/waitlist at sicknewworldfest.com, Las Vegas Festival Grounds.

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