Sweet Home Massachusetts
August 29, 2007
I enjoyed my last discussion about pits so much, I decided to write some more about them. This time specifically around bands from Massachusetts, and the awesomeness that is Mass. Metal.
For those of you who don’t know, Massachusetts has a long (in comparison to the average lifespan of a rock band) history of supplying the People of our oh-so-conservative commonwealth with “aggressive” music. In the late 70’s to mid 80’s it was Hardcore Punk. Now we seem to have a whole lot of a metal subgenre called Metalcore.
Quick definition – “(also known as hardcore metal) is a fusion genre, combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. Defining the metalcore sound is not an easy task; various bands have fused a hardcore punk sound and attitude with many different types of metal, thus creating a simpler and more mainstream genre that is more palatable to the general public.” Source – Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalcore)
Metalcore and Deathcore are two genres that make the pit enthusiasts quiver at the loin, This is the music almost entirely made for moshing. Heavy chugging, breakdowns, and double bass drums pounding harder than the heart of a squirrel running across the highway.
Massachusetts has produced some of the most notorious in the scene, such as:
- The Acacia Strain
- All That Remains
- Bury Your Dead
- Converge
- Diecast
- Killswitch Engage
- Ligeia
- Overcast
- The Red Cord
- Shadows Fall
- Since the Flood
- Unearth
A few months back, I camped out at NEMHF ‘07 (New England Metal and Hardcore Festival) for the weekend and got the chance to witness some of these bands in action and got a taste of Masshole moshing tactics, which I can’t really give too many details about it because we also brought 5 cases and enough jello shots to fill a Styrofoam cooler. But, I distinctly remember getting the wind knocked out of me for Since the Flood, a bloody nose and lip for the Red Chord, and my face ripped off for Unearth. Not literally, but it felt like it. I had a buddy with me during all of this and he had to be the most banged up S.O.B. I have ever seen walk away from a pit. First, picture a guy about 6′2″, 150 lbs, dbl 0 gauge plugs, and snake bite lip piercings, this guy is beyond drunk and he can barely walk straight due to a mix of not sitting for about 14 hours and nothing to eat except a hearty helping of spiked jello.
Red Chord comes on stage, we’re going batshit crazy, I think I seen 3 or 4 pits open up before they started the set, just because of the amount of adrenaline and anticipation from the crowd knowing that Red Chord always starts their shows with metal so brutal it makes you want to kick a litter of puppies into a bonfire. Job for a Cowboy, not a MA band, had the same effect. With these two bands playing back to back, My friend left the pit with:
- no sweater
- no t shirt
- no wifebeater
- no shoes
- missing half a pant leg
- one sock
- torn lip ring
- both plugs missing
- one earlobe torn from his head
- bloody nose
- and one mild concussion
Ding, Ding is right, and the best part was when I asked him if he wanted to go sit down he told me “Not until after I see Unearth… just gimme a beer and a cigarette, I’ll sleep it off later” Amen buddy, you sir are, in fact, a true metalhead.(and idiot)
I am also a follower of the MA local scene, most of the bands from where I live are generally one of three genres. Grindcore, Metalcore, or Deathcore. A personal favorite of the Central Mass. local Metal bands is Anomia, I don’t know their myspace off the top of my head, but I’m sure they would be fairly easy to find with what you already know about them. Some other really good local mass bands are Pillar of Autumn, Beautiful Gorgeous, Stoic, and Judecca. There are Dozens more that I could ramble off, and maybe someday I will, but for the sake of length, I’ll end with this… “Limp Bizkit still sucks d*ck!” – Zakk Wylde
