Metallica and My Chemical Romance will headline Aftershock 2021, the first line-up announcement has confirmed.

Both bands were due to top the bill at the 2020 edition before it was shelved due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The festival is currently planning to return between October 7-10 2021 at Sacramento, California’s Discovery Park, global health crisis permitting. Promoters have said any necessary social distancing guidelines will be followed at the festival.

Rancid, Social Distortion, Machine Gun Kelly, Suicidal Tendencies, L7, Limp Bizkit, The Offspring and more will also feature at the event. Metallica are due to perform two unique sets over the festival’s four days, while an as-yet-unannounced reunion performance will come from a secret guest on the day that My Chemical Romance headline.

ROCKERS. Your Aftershock 2021 lineup is HERE and we cannot wait to see you all next October. Passes on sale NOW, https://t.co/y6P8JKownW ? pic.twitter.com/xQbYekEicD

— AFTERSHOCK FESTIVAL (@AFTERSHOCKSAC) October 22, 2020

Tickets are on sale now and can be secured with a $20 (£15) deposit, with monthly payment instalments beginning in December. For tickets and more information, visit the official Aftershock website.

Meanwhile, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett has spoken about a collection of horror-themed songs that he’s been working on, calling them the best of his career so far. Two of the four songs have been written with composer Edwin Outwater.

“One of them is called ‘High Plains Drifter’ and the other one’s called ‘The Incantation’,” Hammett explained. “They’re not done yet. [They are] still in the rough mix stages. I mean, I have to get the rough mixes, but I have four tracks now.

“And the four tracks are like four different movies, man. They’re not movie soundtracks; they’re like movies. They tell a story.”