Ozzfest 2004 was pretty damn heavy. Phil Anselmo returned to the stage once more, this time with Superjoint Ritual. Rob Halford filled in for Ozzy and played with Black Sabbath for a night.
Add Slayer, Dimmu Borgir, and Black Label Society to the mix and you’ve got one hell of a show.
And that was just the main stage. Otep, DevilDriver, Lamb of God, and Hatebreed returned to rock the second stage with newcomers Lacuna Coil, Throwdown, and Atreyu. On previous lists, there were plenty of groups that had disbanded, gone on hiatus, or fell off the map completely. Fortunately for us, almost all of the bands that played Ozzfest 2004 are still active today. Let’s check out the three (besides Black Sabbath) that are the outliers.
Bleeding Through
These guys enjoyed a solid run from the millennium until just recently, putting out seven hard-hitting studio albums between 2001 and 2012. Coming off the release of 2003’s This Is Love, This Is Murderous, Bleeding Through made an impact on the side stage and would return to Ozzfest once more in 2006 in support of their highest selling effort, The Truth. Just a year after they released their last album, The Great Fire, they announced their disbandment in 2013 and played their final shows in 2014. Vocalist Brandon Schieppati is currently unleashing hell with The Iron Son.
Magna-Fi
Based in Vegas, Magna-Fi offset the brutality of bands like Unearth and Hatebreed with a more melodic, alternative set list. Though they only released two albums between 2002 and 2007, their music is catchy and it’s surprising that they didn’t find more commercial success. If you’ve got a little over an hour you want to fill with easy listening, play Burn Out The Stars and VerseChorusKillMe back to back.
God Forbid
Listen to Gone Forever and you'll hear why God Forbid made it on the 2004 tour. Going through their discography, it's hard to find an album over their 17 year career that didn't warrant their inclusion on any given metal festival of the last two decades. Reject The Sickness is a great debut and some may find that the lyrics of their concept album, IV: Constitution of Treason, are increasingly relevant today. Although their popularity only increased after their their tours on Ozzfest, and later Mayhem Festival, one year after they released their sixth studio album, Equilibrium, the group called it quits. Thankfully, former God Forbid members can be found today in Bad Wolves and Vagus Nerve.
Many of the bands from this edition of Ozzfest are still going strong. Superjoint Ritual and DevilDriver are touring together later this month, as are Lacuna Coil, Every Time I Die, and Hatebreed, respectively. Slayer and Lamb of God just finished their latest run. Dimmu Borgir is working on a new album and Darkest Hour just released a short documentary chronicling their history. All is quiet from Throwdown's camp and since Zakk Wylde is back with Ozzy, we shouldn't expect news from Black Label Society right away. Aside from a few exceptions, the bands from Ozzfest 2004 are still churning out some excellent metal.
Check out our previous Ozzfest Where Are They Now? lists here. Or better yet, share your favorite memories from Ozzfest 2004 in the comments!
