New England Metal and Hardcore Fest has long been my favorite show of the year. Among its many great qualities, one that stands out and separates it from other similar events: if you want to get a good snapshot of what's happening in heavy music right now, NEMHF is the best place to get it. At one point, you could look to Ozzfest's second stage for this sort of thing, but with the quality of the larger festivals on the decline, the mid-size venues tend to offer a lot more, at a much better value.
Scott Lee has managed to blend the raucous environment of underground Hardcore shows with the thrilling theatrics of a great Heavy Metal concert. It takes what would otherwise be more purist events like "This is Hardcore" on one hand and "Maryland Death Fest" on the other, and brings both sides together. For someone like me who considers himself in both camps, the event has become absolutely indispensable. Last weekend, I went up to Worcester, Massachusetts to see the first two nights of the event. I've pulled some reporting together for you in case you couldn't make it.
Friday
After a long drive from Connecticut, spent listening to the news of the manhunt in Boston, I made it to The Palladium just in time to see Municipal Waste hit the main stage. I've seen these guys several times now and generally know what to expect. Not that this is a bad thing, as I have fond memories of seeing them in at the festival in 2009, dressed as hippies in an effort to lampoon the event taking place next door at the DCU center. As always, they delivered the goods with favorites like "Unleash the Bastards", "Headbanger Face Rip", and "The Art of Partying", mixed in with plenty of snark in between songs. One remark that singer Tony Foresta uttered puts the band's perspective on metal in a pretty clear view: "You guys watch that show Ghost Hunters?…Well you better watch out this place is haunted…haunted by all the shitty Metalcore bands that have played this place!!!" This may have been a little elitist on his part, but at least the band had a great performance to back it up. The confetti explosion at the end didn't hurt either. Speaking of thrash by the way, one of my favorite performances of the entire weekend came next with Exodus. This was actually kind of unexpected, as I'd never been a huge fan. But Gary Holt's guitar sound was just so perfect and the entire band put on such an awesome show that I can't wait to see them again.
As for the second stage- I'd arrived at the venue a bit late, and was only able to catch a short sampling of Death Before Dishonor before Trap Them got on stage. Of all the bands of their ilk (Nails, Black Breath), Trap Them has always struck me as a poor man's Converge, even with strong offerings like last year's Darker Handcraft. But the band did put on an impassioned set, especially with the guttural convulsions emanating out of the lead singer. Anyway, it was the last three bands on the main stage I was really pumped to see.
It had been a few years since I'd seen Everytime I Die, and I'd since then become an even bigger fan than I was back then. So while they definitely had a strong, energetic set, the band didn't quite get me as pumped as I'd hoped. I couldn't really hear Keith's vocals very well and something about the band just seemed a little subdued. Though it was fun to go crowd surfing to "Ebolarama" again like I had when I first saw them back at Ozzfest 2004. Hatebreed was up next. Again, Hatebreed is a band where you basically know what to expect. Not much has really changed with the band in recent years other than the fact that Jamie has switch from his signature black baseball cap to a thick black bandana. However, this was definitely the most positive performance I'd ever seen from the band. Hell, Jamie was practically smiling through the entire thing and thanking the crowd in-between every song. One thing that I also liked was his encouragement to the crowd: "I want to see everybody move to this song, karate pit, push-pit, circle-pit, I don't care, it's all moshing to me." That should settle that stupid dispute. Another notable thing about their set of course was the celebration of 16 years of Satisfaction is the Death of Desire with a set packed with classics: "Puritan", "Before Dishonor", "Empty Promises", "Betrayed by Life", and "Last Breath".
And then there was Anthrax to end the night. Great as they were when I saw them in 2010, my seats high up at Nassau Coliseum where not really the best place to enjoy an Anthrax show. This time I was able to "Get Caught in a Mosh"…for real. Hearing my favorite Anthrax song, "Among the Living" was a nice touch too. Joey Belladona, a singer many fans' opinions tend to diverge on, was absolutely fantastic. He's three years older than when I last saw him, and yet actually sounded three times better this time. It's good to hear a singer at his age still hit the high notes and get the crowd all pumped up at the same time. Though there was a bit of irony in Joey dedicating "I Am the Law" to the Boston Police Department (who had just captured the bombing suspect around that moment).
Saturday
My buddy Bryan and I got to the show on Saturday in time to see Within the Ruins on the main stage. I've never really been a huge fan of Within the Ruins, but I had some interest in watching them since my longtime friend Jon Grande used to be the lead singer. Though certainly not bad, both Within the Ruins and the indistinguishable After the Burial put on a good series of warm-up sets for the crowd at best.
Besides, it was seeing Goatwhore on the second stage that I really cared about. Putting Goatwhore on the second stage is an interesting decision, kind of like putting the meat next to the salad bar (why my brain shot to that metaphor I'm not sure, you be the judge). As a metal band, you would think they would be better suited for the main stage, but I have to say their raw, no nonsense form of Blackened Death-Metal proved an awesome presence in the smaller space. My buddy and I stayed on to watch Murder Death Kill provide a healthy serving of beat-down hardcore before heading off for some food with Graham Hartman from Loudwire (also formerly of Metal Injection).
After catchy a moment of Alpha & Omega, we moved up to find a good spot to see Terror. Standing in front of us was a man who must have been in his early 40's with his teenage son next to him. He was a journalist and photographer from a small Colorado newspaper who, having to normally write about Indie shows, was pumped to be covering some music he actually really liked for once! Interesting to find who you run into at shows like this. Though I don't envy anyone who had to take photos during Terror's set, as the pit in that environment can be a battle for survival, much less a battle to save your nice camera equipment. A true showman, Scott Vogel certainly lives up to his reputation as a drill-sergeant of modern hardcore.
Back on the main stage, I didn't exactly know what to expect from Katatonia. Their thoughtful, introspective approach makes for great music played on record, but how would this translate live? After all, they tend not to focus too much on their first couple albums when playing shows, so how would they energize the crowd. The best way I can explain it is that somehow, the power of the music's depth produces such a mesmerizing energy that your eyes are glued to the state. And I was sober, mind you, so you know a band passes a pretty crucial test when they don't need their fans stoned for them to enjoy themselves.
And while we're on the topic of altered states of mind, The Dillinger Escape Plan came on next. So…I'd never seen Dillinger live or ever even watched live footage before, so I had no idea what to expect. Apparently the show I saw was tame compared to what they usually do. If that's the case, I need to see these guys again and again because they were by far my favorite performance of the weekend. For once, here is a band that was actually unpredictable on stage. When you see them, you don't actually know what's going to happen next because the band is absolutely out of their minds. In the middle of the first song, the guitarist just jumped right into the crowd. Singer Greg Puciato managed to do this several times himself without flinching and also mounted the speakers while holding the microphone with his lips and screaming from the back of his throat. Finally, a band you know feels alive while playing, and makes you feel alive while watching! And of course, it was awesome to finally hear "43% Burnt" and "Farewell, Mona Lisa" in concert as well.
Opeth has been catching a lot of heat lately for stylistic changes made both live and on record. In fact, before they went on, Bryan told me how last time he saw them, they played no songs with death growls. Not one. Luckily that was not the case this time, but you could somehow tell that on those songs, Mikael seemed less than enthusiastic to have to play them. It's as if through his body language he's trying to say "I'll play this for you because I want you to have a good time, but I'm kind of over this". However, when I get to hear "Deliverance", "Ghost of Perdition", and "White Cluster" in one set, there isn't much for me to complain about. Mikael is of course know for funny banter while on stage, and I managed to write down a few zingers:
"So, how does it sound? Somewhere between…shit and awful?"
"This song might not be suitable for this venue but…fuck it."
"This is an acoustic guitar, in case you guys don't know."
One curious song on their set was an acoustic version of "Demon of the Fall". You read that right, Demon of the Fall…rendered in acoustic. While the verses sounded kind of cool, the chorus didn't feel quite right with it's bombast and growls extracted from it. But otherwise, they brought their set to a rousing end with "Blackwater Park" and my weekend at the festival was done.
Due to other obligations, I was not able to stay for night three to see DRI and Trapped Under Ice each for a second time. And this also leaves Suicidal Tendencies, Incendiary, and Sick of it All on the list of bands I still need to see. After another awesome year at this festival, I can at least knock a few bands triumphantly off of that list.
(Photos courtesy of Return to the Pit)
For an interesting look at the show's history, check out the below video:
