The Concert Reader Reviews:

There are currently 1 Reader Reviews of this tour.
Average Rating: 5
Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this tour

Solomon's Review (4/5 & 4/6/02, The Palladium, Worcester, MA):
After witnessing the NE fest last year, did I have any expectations this time around? Not really. Granted, I was anxious to see some familiar acts and maybe pick up on a few unknowns, but it was the same place, same setup, and the drill was all familiar, now. The vendor area was still crammed into a crummy hallway space upstairs. Getting up and down the steps was a major expedition, and I think I only ventured up there once the whole time. Crap, I'd already spent "a buck or two" getting there, and I didn't want to spin my wheels too long burning a hole in my pocket with CD's, shirts and videos, anyway. I also feel kind of bad about not hitting the second stage more often. A few minutes of Blood Audio was all I caught, and I was impressed by their weird industrial/sample/metal mix. Actually, I have to feel sorry for all the bands who played the second stage, since it's kind of an oversized closet tucked in a corner with limited floor space. Of course, finding a suitable venue for this type of event is a pain, I'm sure, and the two stage deal is still a good bet. That way, you can always catch somebody playing while another is setting up. Oh, yeah, and I was glad to see a sizable crowd show up to this event. You'd think that with the traumatizing events of last year and the general slump in the music industry, people might stay away from even a non-commercial metal festival. Wrong! From an eyeball's glance, the place was just as full as last year.

photos by CYN
Averse Sefira

Okay, bands. I have to say there were a few bands that really had attracted me to the Fest in the first place: Soilwork, Arch Enemy, and In Flames. In Flames was almost cheating, since I'd seen them a few times before and fully expected them to kick ass, and that they did. Crap, even the balcony was full for this performance. As a side note, I have to say I dug the backdrop with the band's name done in "Star Wars" lettering. Damn, should've picked up the shirt, too! The Swedes were in fine form, with Anders pouring water over his head and shaking around in his nifty God Forbid/G.I. Joe shirt, telling people in the balcony to "put the fruitbaskets down" and join in the mayhem. It's unfortunate the Flames had to play so late as a headliner to a tired crowd that had already witnessed twelve hours of controlled violence. Still, they pushed on through like troopers, playing all of your favorite Top Forty Hits from Hell. Wow, they didn't open with "Bulletride," but came out of the gates (haha) with the yummy "Behind Space." The night proceeded with (in no particular order) "Only For The Weak," "Pinball Map," "Episode 666" (more 'Whoracle' stuff, please!), "Ordinary Story," "Artifacts of the Black Rain" (a surprise, but no "Jester Race," damn it!), blah, blah, and the set ended with the always heavy "Colony." The lack of an encore was almost blasphemy, but considering the late hour, I'm forgiving them this one time.

Overcast

I don't know why Arch Enemy wasn't the headliner on Friday, but that's the way it works sometimes. No offense to Cannibal Corpse who, despite my un-death metal ways, actually kept my attention and had a good sound that night. You gotta love a band that can actually write songs called "I Cum Blood" and act serious about it. Alright, yeah, Angela's hot. Okay, dammit, I said it. The exposed mid-riff and "Diva" shirt was kickin', but "pretty is as pretty does," and this band has the goods. Aside from some kinda goofy, repetitive facial expressions and mike-stand gynastics, girrl power was in full effect. Mike, Chris, Daniel, and Sharlee barnstormed through a cool list of tunes that made sixty minutes blow by like nothing. "Ravenous," "Burning Angel," "Bury Me an Angel" (are these guys prejudiced or something?), "Dead Bury Their Dead," "Diva Satanica" (no shit), etc. A little disappointed there was no "Dead Inside" or "Savage Messiah," but I guess the last one is a little slow for such a high-intensity set. Soilwork put on a good, high-energy show, even if the sound mix was pretty distorted. Hell, with fifteen minutes to set up, what can you do? "As We Speak," "Needlefeast," "Bastard Chain," and "Like The Average Stalker" all whetted my appetite for the band's upcoming U.S. tour. Sweden, once again "rules the planet."

Pessimist

There were plenty of other notables. In fact, despite the presence of Swedish heavyweights, and if I had to pick a grand winner for the weekend, it'd be Lamb of God. I'd heard maybe one song from them before Saturday night (can't remember the name, but they played it, yay!), but they made me a believer. Better go get 'New American Gospel' right now, kids. Maybe it's cheating I was in the front row taking pics and felt the full force of the guitar crunch, or maybe the fact the singer honored me by using my upper torso as a lunch pad into the crowd, but those guys are nuts. The guitars were just brutal with thrash/hardcore/whatever intensity, and just seemed so straight-out METAL. Vocalist Randy Blythe jumped in-and-out of the crowd and seethed with a psychotic tendency that put many of the frontmen (sorry, frontpeople) to shame that night. Overall best performance, in my opinion. Expect Lamb of God to do great things, my children.

Pig Destroyer

Overcast, local metal heroes who included singer Brian Fair (Shadows Fall) and Metal Update's very own Scott McCooe on guitar, commanded the crowd with their definitive brand of metal/hardcore. Brand New Sin gave the Fest some needed metal groove, sounding like a really amped-up COC. Dark Funeral exuded black metal mystique, and Rain Fell Within were very good, as well. Gothic metal can be kind of awkward live, and RFW had about as much energy as a funeral, but I guess that's the point. With not just one, but two female vocalists, these folks were overachievers, only playing about two songs because they're so damn long. The second tune, "In My Dreams," was particularly moving, and you have to give the band some big points for playing such dreary stuff on a night of almost pure aggression.

Pissing Razors
The New England fest is a well-produced event, and I hope it grows in the future. Three bucks for bottled water sucked, and a larger venue with better acoustics might be in order, but this is no big deal considering a Massachusetts town of 75,000 hosts this thing in the first place. Three cheers for Worcester!

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