Chelsea Wolfe & Youth Code @ The Sinclair

This might've been the show of the year for me. Chelsea Wolfe brought Halloween to Boston early at the best venue in the state with support from Youth Code. Both brought the Sinclair to another world and destroyed a sold out crowds hearing. Grab a seat, this will probably be the longest review I've written, I'll try to be as detailed as I can.

Youth Code
Genre: Industrial/Electronic/Hardcore FFO: KMFDM, Skinny Puppy, Earth Crisis

If you're like me, you probably found out about Youth Code from the tour they did with Code Orange. I listened to them not knowing what to expect, but as soon as I heard Consuming Guilt I knew I would want to see them (too bad they dropped the Worcester date). Luckily I got to see them play here. When Youth Code walked out, Ryan George (ex-Carry On) stood behind his soundboard in a Jesus pose and Sara Taylor stood on the edge of the stage with both her fists in the air wearing a shrt that read "EAT MY ENTIRE FUCK" and makeup that from my perspective made it look like she had a Chelsea Smile. Sara stood triumphantly and said "Lets fuck this place up" and Youth Code began, blaring their beats loud as the lighting followed with making it feel like you're at a rave but pissed off. Sara's vocals sounded like a slap to the face in audio form with how aggressive she sounded but didn't miss a single beat or note and basically sounded like a recording with all the effects. Ryan would constantly be making motions like you would expect a villain in Dragonball Z to make when they get more powerful and his vocals you could tell he was screaming as loud as he could but with the effects on his mic, he sounded like a muffled voice yelling to you on the phone. No matter what beats were being played by Ryan, Sara always had a way to move with them whether it be two stepping, bouncing, headbanging, or acting out what she was screaming, but other than that she might have been spitting straight up in the air only to either catch it in her hand or purposely let it fall in her face. One thing I do want to point out is she would be upfront with the stage presence you would expect from someone fronting a hardcore band. At one point the speaker, stage right stopped working mid-song, and when the song ended Ryan was trying to fix it while Sara watched like a disappointed mother. Ryan faced the crowd and said "Pretend I broke a guitar string" and Sara gave him the sarcastic "Oh you broke a string? Really? Wow." Sara would say stuff throughout the set about how much Youth Code supports the LGBTQ+ community and said she likes to bring her gender into her music, and stated how honored they were to open for a woman like Chelsea Wolfe. One more thing, if you haven't heard Youth Code and you looked at the genre I put down and saw the FFO Earth Crisis, and you're wondering how is this duo hardcore? Its easily heard in the recordings but seeing Sara's movements live really makes the hardcore influence stick out even more. It may have been electronic but multiple songs would have drum beats and slow parts very reminiscent of bands like Earth Crisis. If you enjoy hardcore but want something different, Youth Code is the band for you, seeing them perform was definitely a cool experience.

Chelsea Wolfe
Genre: Atmospheric/Gothic/Neo-folk/Doom/Ambient FFO: Emma Ruth Rundle, Type O Negative, SubRosa

I could've watched this set forever. The day before the show I saw Jesse Leach from Killswitch Engage post on instagram about how incredible she was in New York. He said she put on a powerful performance even when she's not moving, and also stated he's seen her before but that night was "next level". As soon as I read this I could not wait to see her. One word I need to steal from Jesse is powerful. Powerful is the most accurate thing you could possibly say about this woman. Her set began in complete darkness with one light shining behind a giant circle hanging over the stage imitating what looked like a lunar eclipse with a slight fog effect as well. Chelsea and her band walked out and the crowd was literally howling, like actually howling like wolves. Chelsea walked out wearing a gothic black dress that would drag across the floor, and wore black make up around her eyes. She was the most beautiful demonic entity I have ever seen in my life. Visuals are everything to this woman. There was one straight line of lighting going across the stage that would change color rotate accordingly to the songs as well as the stage lights. The regular lights would even be blinding occasionally no matter where in the venue you stood. Chelsea's movements were so fragile but said so much, it was as if she was a statue carved out of a tree possessed by a dark and evil spirit. The backing band would move with the music occasionally, but Chelsea clearly had her own way of showing her aura. If her movements weren't powerful enough, then her voice was. That soothing, beautiful, haunted voice. I felt like she was two inches away from me, singing me to sleep and softly caressing my face, only to put a curse swearing my devotion to her for all eternity. If you listen to Chelsea Wolfe, you know the song Carrion Flowers. I have never heard anything heavier than this. Just hearing the bass drop in the beginning of the song could make your ears bleed. One thing that would grab my attention was the drums. The drums could go from being a steady mellow beat but then progressive turn into thunder and with the lighting and constant visual of that foggy lunar eclipse, you wouldn't know the difference. The crowd howled after every song as if they really were hounds and Chelsea was the moon. When she played her new song Vex, Sara from Youth Code came back out and did a guest spot. She even did two encore songs that I missed apparently. This show was one of the most incredible performances and way more than just music. Chelsea Wolfe's music is something I've never heard anyone else come close to making, and is definitely a personal favorite. Seeing her live really was as Jesse Leach said, next level. The crowd was a cast of characters whether they were dressed up in ritualistic clothes and wearing face paint or not, it was a huge variety of people. On top of that there was a warning at the merch table that read "Merch is limited, buy now or suffer" and surely enough it sold out just as fast as the show did. Give Chelsea a listen, go see her live. Chelsea Wolfe will rule the world one day.
 

Pageninetynine and Majority Rule at Great Scott

....I'm still speechless. Well, grab your black skinny jeans and hold back those tears because we're going back to the late 90's/early 2000's for some skramz. The entire show was as flawless as it was unbelievable. Both Pageninetynine and Majority Rule reunited for the first time in over ten years, (excluding the on off reunion of Pg.99 in 2011) for a short tour to benefit MIRA, a charity for refugees and Immigrants and every show sold out. TAKE THAT DONNIE TRUMP! Feel free to learn more about MIRA and do your part to help the cause.

http://www.miracoalition.org/

Majority Rule
Genre: Chaotic Hardcore/Screamo FFO: Loma Prieta, Kodan Armada, Deadguy

Majority Rule began with their vicious style of screamo immediately roping in everyone's attention. If you've heard their recordings, while the style is incredibly unique, the production and quality is not as good as you would hear today (not a bad thing), however, when played live you hear the full force of the instruments and see the chaotic rage through the body movements of the band. on thing Majority Rule does often is play riffs that can be off time, and each riff that was played was flawless and not a single beat was skipped giving Meshuggah a run for their money. The endless energy coming from the crowd made the experience even more memorable. I'm sure everyone had the same mindset: "This is a once in a lifetime event, I will never see this again" the entire crowd was just as chaotic as the band and screamed every word. At times, the vocalist/guitarist would randomly start playing drums. Majority Rule played a very long set for a hardcore band (over an hour) I looked at my watch and it was already 11:30, and Pg. 99 was just setting up.

Pageninetynine
Genre: Screamo/powerviolence/grindcore FFO: Raein, Orchid, Enemy Soil

I'm still speechless. In order to keep from repeating myself, recording production, and whatever that I said about Majority Rule also applies to Pg.99. That being said, from the very beginning of the first song my only reaction to this set was: "Holy fuck! I'm seeing Pg.99! This is fucking incredible!". The sound was loud and blaring to the point where it hurt (and I was wearing ear plugs) but the sound was so perfect I heard riffs I didn't even know were in half the recordings. The crowd was just a tidal wave of kids going for the mic, even doing back flips off stage, occasionally both vocalists would even join in. It was so energetic that after the second song they band said "We're all here to have fun but keep in mind we are in a small space so please be careful and don't get hurt" Ironically enough I don't think anyone even got hurt throughout the whole show. Pg.99 played probably just as long if not longer than Majority Rule and even got an encore to play two more songs. The set ended almost at 1am which did seem rather appropriate for skramz, then again I am too young to be a skramz kid so what do I know. Tons of energy from everyone in the venue I would put this in the top 3 of the year ( will be posted in December).

Praise, FREE, Abuse of Power, Vantage Point, and Pummel @ Hardcore Stadium

Another hard rockin' gig put on by the stupid idiots from Triple B Records and the last show of the summer slam weekend. Everyone was having fun all night to every band, and two touring bands from Oklahoma were added last minute (Piece of Mind and Upright). the two will not be included in this review but if you enjoy heavy bands I'd recommend them both.
https://pieceofmindhc.bandcamp.com/
https://uprightok.bandcamp.com/

Pummel
Genre: Hardcore/Crossover FFO: Forced Order, Leeway, Cro-Mags

Pummel started the Boston wave for the night. Pummel is a rather newer band, to my knowledge who play hardcore with a thrash metal edge, favorable to anyone who has a Slayer patch stitched on a jacket. Their sound gives off a good NYHC vibe, and you could tell each member was full of passion as they played. For a newer band, the crowd was still reacting positively with some movement and mic shares. Catch these guys at venue near you.

 https://pummelhardcore.bandcamp.com/

Vantage Point
Genre: Hardcore/Hardcore Punk FFO: In My Eyes, Inside Out, Stop and Think

I know I've reviewed Vantage Point before and probably had a different FFO but they're starting to become a favorite for me to see live. Each time Vantage Point plays, they seem to have more and more energy and of course always put their heart into the set. Vantage Point opened with a Turning Point cover (I didn't realize until I was told by a friend) which immediately got the crowd moving. Vantage Point played a few new songs off a promo that was released last week that definitely keep the Boston hardcore vibe going. If theres one thing that will always come to my mind when I think of this band, its definitely Russel's presence as he performs, always spontaneously running back and forth, jumping up and down, I'm shocked at how he doesn't tire out just from a few songs. Always a fun time to see these guys play.

 https://vantage-point.bandcamp.com/

Abuse of Power
Genre: Hardcore FFO: Fury, Turning Point, Have Heart

Abuse of Power from Atlanta was next. This is another band that is slowly becoming a crowd favorite and has surprisingly played Hardcore Stadium more than you would think. Abuse of Power got the crowd wild with their modern aggressive hardcore with a slight melodic edge. Each time these guys play their sets get better and better. Boston tried to make Abuse of Power feel at home. Everyone rushed for the mic for every song they played and there were two steps all around. This band doesn't even need to try to their best for a good crowd reaction far from home.

https://abuseofpower.bandcamp.com/

FREE
Genre: Hardcore FFO: In My Eyes, Turning Point, Bane

Another current favorite of mine for Massachusetts hardcore. FREE is another band whose sets get better and better as they go on. To start, vocalist Patrick Flynn shouted "This is for Massachusetts hardcore!" and proceeded into MA Flex. The song being an anthem the crowd opened up a huge pit and piled up for the chance at the mic. Patrick has reputation of giving inspirational words during his set and stated FREE was meant to be an acronym: Free to be, Right to Choose, Equal to me, Equal to you (as written in the song We Live Free). He stated hardcore is for the youth and its not about trying to get on Warped tour or anything, and gave an appreciative shout to Andy of Praise stating he's done a lot for hardcore. He said a lot and I apologize for not being able to remember it all clearly. The gist of it was basically to keep hardcore alive. FREE of course ended the set with the song We Live Free, and of course this is the signature sing a long song with an even bigger pile up of kids screaming "WE LIVE FREE!". FREE is an incredible band both on the record and live that whether you like them or not, you will see what the hype is about.

https://freehc.bandcamp.com/

Praise
Genre: Melodic Hardcore FFO: Turning Point,  Chain of Strength, GIVE

Praise was the last band to go. In my opinion Praise is probably the ultimate hardcore sing a long band. Not a lot of moshing anything just good vibes, good friends, and good songs. Praise are also a very unique hardcore band playing a very melodic style with indie and 90's inspired riffs and self persevering lyrics. The crowd was up front and personal during the set singing every word with the guitar melodies that you could fall asleep to, and if I recall cprrectly they also played a cover near the end of the set, can't say I recognized it though. Praise don't play shows as often as others and haven't come to Boston since America's Hardcore Fest back in December and the fans having building tension ever since and showed just as much passion as the band. If you hear of Praise playing near you, I would recommend seeing them, it might be a while before they come back.

https://reactrecords.bandcamp.com/album/leave-it-all-behind

Trapped Under Ice, Fury, Freedom, and Firewalker at the Middle East

Hardcore heroes Trapped Under Ice tore up the downstairs venue of the middle east with support. The show was as wild as you would think with TUI's first Boston show since the hiatus and the ever growingly popular Fury and Freedom and the brute force of Firewalker. Part of Triple B records' summer slam, with Big Contest, Glory, and Ammunation playing an after show down the street at HC stadium (unfortunately I did not attend) and Praise, FREE, and Abuse of power w/ support the next day (will be reviewed next time)

Firewalker

Genre: Hardcore Punk FFO: Chain Rank, Leather Daddy, Bikini Kill

Firewalker opened up the night with what I thought was their best sounding set yet. Firewalker played their brand of hardcore with just plain mean sounding riffs, aggressive drumming, and absolutely angry vocals. Unfortunately to the crowd, their sound was not what they were used to and didn't seem to amused compared to the other bands (their loss). There were a bunch of girls, and a few guys, rushing for the mic for certain songs and still moshed. Firewalker has a reputation of getting the girls involved in hardcore and write songs about equality and women's rights. Firewalker played a short set but still filled with just as much energy that they have for any show that they would play. Personally I consider this band very underrated and hope their set left a mark on the crowd that night.

https://firewalkerhc.bandcamp.com/album/firewalker

Freedom

Genre: Hardcore/Hardcore punk FFO: Warzone, Breakdown, Underdog

Freedom was up next. Personally I was surprised at the reaction this band received. To my knowledge I associated Trapped Under Ice fans as the kids who are into the heavier side of hardcore and basically disown the punk side but a great portion of the crowd got down and dirty with them. Freedom broke into their aggressive hardcore songs about perseverance and patriotism with the crowd slamming into each other with just as much energy, especially during Freedom Slam. Primarily they played a lot off of Pay the Price which in my opinion was the best release withe just a few new songs and USA Hardcore songs sprinkled in. They even threw in a cover by the band Rixe and said its for the old school fans, unfortunately this was not a very old school crowd and no one really reacted to the cover. over all Freedom had tons of energy with the crowd with plenty of stage dives, moshing and pile ups for the mic.

Fury

Genre: Hardcore/Hardcore punk FFO: Free At Last, Protester, Abuse of Power

Fury definitely prepared the crowd for TUI. A very wild performance by another band that surprised me with the crowd reaction. The crowd probably had double the energy they had for Freedom during this set. Fury had a strong reaction from the start with the crowd mic rushing for just about every song and tons of movement in the pit. At one point there was a pileup of kids that got too out of hand that a security guard seemed to get pulled into it. Another guard had to come to rescue him and calm everyone down. I remember seeing Fury when they first started out and not many people even knw who they were, they've come a long way since then and it shows. With their growing popularity, I hope it influences people in the heavier side to get into for hardcore on Fury's side (it probably won't but whatever).

Trapped Under Ice

Genre: Hardcore FFO: Turnstile, Angel Du$t (literally the two bands combined)

Trapped Under Ice haven't played Boston since 2013 I believe, and fans have been waiting for them ever since. As soon as Justice walked out, the whole room erupted none stop into endless ruckus. Everyone no matter where they were knew every word to every song and every mosh riff it was ridiculous. Mosh pits formed out of nowhere in random spots, a few people got carried out, a friend of mine told me there was even a fight 10 seconds into the set. Trapped Under Ice proved they are still the kings of modern hardcore joining together multiple crowds from different branches of hardcore and came close to if not selling out the venue. Ending with the song Pleased to Meet You, everyone screamed at the top of their lungs "You Shake my hand, say pleased to meet you, look me in the eyes, I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!" and no matter where you were you were moving. I haven't seen TUI since high school so I'm gald I got to see them once again but deeply regret missing the after show hope you weren't dumb like me.

Negative Approach, Bloodclot, Opposition Rising, and more at Hardcore Stadium

The ultimate hardcore punk lineup in Boston. The legendary Negative Approach comes to the hardcore stadium with Bloodclot, a new band with members of legendary NYHC bands, and of course Boston's very own Opposition Rising, Panzerbastard, Buried Dreams and Ritual Blade. This was another show I was late to, so unfortunately Ritual Blade will not be featured.

Buried Dreams
Genre: Heavy Hardcore/Metalcore FFO: Buried Alive, All Out War, Rude Awakening

Probably the band that stood out the most at the show, Buried Dreams played second this night. You could tell they had a lot of fans in the crowd ready to have fun during the set. Featuring members from other metal and hardcore bands throughout Massachusetts, Buried Dreams play a style that is very heavy and riffy put still remains more on the hardcore side. Frontman, Austin Sparkman, spoke out and asked "how many of you consider us a metalcore band?" not sure if he was kidding or not but it gave everyone a good laugh. With the heavy breakdowns, all the fans were moshing with no remorse and hitting hard, at one point, Austin even joined in on the fun, and moshed while still singing. Tons of people were going for the mic. Buried Dreams ended with the anthem appropriately titled "Buried Dreams" where no mic was needed to hear the crowd scream "BURIED DREAMS MOTHERFUCKER!" and then proceeded into the final song.

https://burieddreams.bandcamp.com/album/winter-demo

Panzerbastard
Genre: Crossover Thrash/Hardcore Punk FFO: D.R.I. Amebix, Motorhead

Panzerbastard was next on the lineup. Another band consisting of members from various metal bands from Boston, Panzerbastard play a brand of crossover thrash metal that is very fast and reminiscent of the 80's. Frontman Kpanzer pointed out how excited he was to be opening for Negative Approach and stated that if it wasn't for them, none of these bands that we know and love would even exist considering it all started with them (amongst other bands). Now having being a band from Boston for over 10 years, they have some loyal fans who are always ready to dance for them. I'm pretty sure every song the played involved circle pits, and everyone spilling beers on the floor from all the ruckus, definitely an eighties vibe from the crowd and music. As many could tell, Panzerbastard are very heavily influenced by the great Motorhead and actually ended with a cover of Iron Fist. Kpanzer said before the cover " if you know the words, there are three available microphones up here" and surely enough members of the crowd got there chance to sing a Motorhead cover.

 https://panzerbastard.bandcamp.com/

Opposition Rising
Genre: this band hates genres and I will respectfully not give them one FFO: Toxic Narcotic, Discharge, Conflict

Definitely another set to remember from the night was the performance by Opposition Rising. a prime example of punk rock at its finest, they would constantly say how much they hate genres, cops, and of course the world. Tons of fans were there circle pitting for every song and dancing for every breakdown, and the frontman would constantly say, "if you don't dance you don't get a cover". with the aggressive fast riffs and catchy choruses, Opposition Rising is the type of band you don't need to hear beforehand to have a good time at one of their shows. You could tell that some of the crowd just wanted to get the mic and only knew the repetitive choruses. When the moment came, Opposition Rising ended their set with the cover they promised and well enough it was the song Asshole by the vocalists old band Toxic Narcotic. If there's one Boston band that represents punk in every aspect, it's definitely Opposition Rising and if you hate everything as much as they do I highly recommend checking them out when they play again. Everything is free on their bandcamp and They will be playing Hardcore stadium again with Kill Your Idols Oct.7


https://oppositionrising.bandcamp.com/

Bloodclot
Genre: Crossover Thrash metal FFO: Cro-Mags, Leeway

Bloodclot is a new band out of NYC featuring John Joseph of Cro-Mags, and Todd Youth of Warzone, Agnostic Front, and Danzig and needless to say, it doesn't sound all to different from any of the bands they were in. If you could imagine Cro-Mags releasing another album but more on the thrash side but still having that NYHC edge, then that would be Bloodclot. Although not very many have listened to the new album, circle pits were still going on for each song with a little moshing every now and then. What peaked my interest was John's comments about punk and hardcore. He would talk about when he would play with Cro-Mags in the 80's in places very similar to the Hardcore Stadium, and pointed out one of the members of Bloodclot was actually in the video for We Gotta Know and now he's playing with one of his heroes. He mentioned a Bad Brains show in boston from the 80's and said who was there... the room fell into complete silence, until one guy said "it ain't Judas Priest". Overall, although Bloodclot's music was very enjoyable, I thought the cool part of the set was hearing about hardcore in the 80's.

Negative Approach
Genre: Hardcore Punk FFO: Black Flag, Agnostic Front, Bad Brains

Of course the real heroes of the night were the almighty Negative Approach. Some could recall when they played the hardcore stadium before at the AHC kick off, the bassist specifically said to keep the light on so he could see. The only reason I bring that up is because it was the first thing that came into my mind and I thought if he is going to still be like that, and right when they started, the lights went out and i saw him looking back and forth realy fast and I just thought, yep. Now personal jokes aside, Negative Approach without a doubt proved that they are still a huge pinnacle in hardcore and punk, there wasn't a single song played where there wasn't a tidal wave of people going for the mic. There were people jumping from the couches (myself being one of them) to get on top of the crowd, people swinging from the ceiling, bouncing off the walls, and just plain jumping from any elevated point they could find just to get a chance to sing. There was so much energy you could see the moisture from everyones sweat building up on the mirror behind the band which was pretty gross but, since when is punk about being tidy or anything. If there's anything else I could say about this band, I guess it would be that 30 years worth of experience in punk definitely pays off. the crowd was as wild that night as it could be back then. I never would've thought I would be lucky enough to see this band twice.

Davefest II

The first of many reviews!




To anyone who doesn't know, Davefest is an annual show to celebrate Mourned drummer Dave Coughlin's birthday, and needless to say, Dave knows how to party. With the help of his fellow bandmates, the second Davefest was booked with a mixed lineup at Boston's one and only Hardcore Stadium.

Field of Vision
Genre: Heavy Hardcore/Metalcore FFO: Hatebreed, All Out War

Opening the show was a new band out of Weymouth featuring Dave and Brendan Coughlin, as well as CJ Romeo filling in, from Mourned and everyones good friend Neil Murray on vocals. This was Field of Vision's first show luckily they had a decent crowd for the first band to play. To begin Neil said the words "Take care of each other" then proceeded into crushingly heavy riffs that only a few saw coming. With only a few songs written they also added a short cover of Tear it Down by Hatebreed. Overall the slow heavy riffs paired up very nicely with Neil's angry voice. Bonus points to them for being the only band on the bill with every member wearing Adidas. Field of Vision have a demo being recorded soon but still have t shirts available if you contact one of the members I'm sure they will be happy to help you out

Taman Shud
Genre ; Sludge Metal/Post Metal/Metalcore FFO: Poison the Well, The Ocean, Black Sheep Wall

Next on the bill was Taman Shud, a two piece from Walpole. Only judging by one EP the crowd had no idea what they were in for when this band came on. Appearance wise, Taman Shud turned a lot of heads considering every member wore  a ski mask during the performance except drummer/vocalist Zach Ganshirt who wore what looked like a potato sack covered in blood on his face as well as a Jonas Bros. t shirt that I know for fact he wears with pride. A very unique performance was given considering there was a different vocalist for most of the songs. The band opened with a Black Sheep Wall cover which was probably one of the heaviest songs played all night, then proceeded into a new song with Billy Nicholls of Mourned filling in Vocals. Next was a cover of the songs Concubine and Fault And Fracture by Converge with fill in guitarist Geo Hewitt on vocals. Converge being my favorite band, I was very excited for these covers but unfortunately it seemed like I was the only one. Playing a few more original songs as the set progressed, the PA was unfortunately having problems picking up the vocals, however this is no problem for Billy as for the last song he threw the mic down and growled as loud as he could. Even though the sound eventually shut off on the mic, Taman Shud are definitely a band one should experience live and the new songs are not to be slept on.
   
https://tamanshudma.bandcamp.com/releases

Vantage Point
Genre: Hardcore FFO: In My Eyes, Stop and Think

Vantage Point was up next. Being the only punk band on the lineup, a majority of the crowd was not used to their sound. Frontman Russell starts off by telling everyone "Please move closer I promise no one will mosh into you" an unusual thing for a hardcore band to say but nonetheless, he kept his promise. Vantage Point began with their brand of fast and aggressive hardcore and Russell's fast paced movements that Boston is known so well known for. The crowd liked what they were hearing. One of the last songs Russell explained was personal to him and it was about his father and his relationship. I talked to a few people after the set more used to the heavier side of hardcore to see what they thought, and most of them enjoyed the change of pace and definitely liked the fact that Russell wasn't afraid to put his emotions into the set. Vantage Point have a three song demo available now with new stuff to come and will also be playing with Violence to Fade, Red Vision, and Jinx on 8/2 at Dudley-Gendron post in Sutton MA.

https://vantage-point.bandcamp.com/releases

Mourned
Genre: Death Metal FFO: Behemoth, Dying Fetus, Napalm Death

The Stars of the show. I'm gonna dive right in to this one. Frontman Billy starts off by saying happy birthday to Dave then the music begins, the lights were off and all around us was absolute darkness and other metal cliches. If you've been to a mourned show you know what to expect. Destructively heavy riffs followed by evil black metal inspired parts with lots of blast beats. The crowd loved it and the pit got more and more rowdy as the set went on. At one point Mourned surprised everyone and covered Ov Fire and the Void by Behemoth, a very appropriate song to cover based on their sound, and also played their own song Ravenous Torment with a special guest spot for Taman Shud vocalist Zach Ganshirt. Throughout the set Billy would purposely say cliche things any commercial metal band would such as growling "Who is ready for the almighty Floods!?!" or "This next song is called...AAAAARRRRHGHGHG!!!" and it was hilarious. Mourned currently have and ep and a two song promo featuring songs on their new LP coming soon, and will be playing with Condor (Col.) at Ralphs Rock Diner in Worcester 7/1

 https://mournedma.bandcamp.com/

Floods
Genre:Heavy Hardcore/Metalcore FFO: All Out War, Kickback, Recycled Earth

The headliner was the return of Floods. Opening with their crushingly hard riffs the whole crowd reacted as you would, the pit was an all out brawl. You could tell the fans have been heavily anticipating the reunion as a good portion of the crowd was upfront trying to the mic and eagerly trying to get the guest spot for the song Devil's Rhythm. A great performance and crowd reaction was unfortunately cut short due to a huge misunderstanding between people moshing and Floods ended their set, and the show was over. Even with an abrupt ending Floods proves once again why they were and still are the kings of the south shore, and definitely made Davefest II a show to remember.

https://floodsma.bandcamp.com/