Day 1:
At five o’clock in the evening, on Friday, September 15th, masses of music fanatics flooded the streets of Worcester, Massachusetts. What for you ask? The first day of the highly anticipated return of the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. Held at the Palladium Outdoors & created by Scott Lee and Mass Concerts, this two day event housed local food, brews, various vendors, three stages and over thirty incredible acts!
I was a bit concerned when I got the press materials from Grove Street’s The Path to Righteousness (UNFD) as it stated that these English lads were looking to deliver something that blended elements from Hardcore, Metal, Hip Hop and other nineties buzzwords. Hell, I believe the copy read something like “the Beastie Boys with breakdowns, Pantera with prose,” and suddenly a giant exclamation point jolted out of my head like it was a Hideo Kojima production.
Bursting onto the scene, as Potteries pounders Black Coast did with Outworld their 2021 debut, is one thing, keeping the momentum going is another, and from the onset of the raging ‘REAL (Are You Listening)?’, it’s clear the five-piece contemporary metal outfit are not just looking to do that, but they intend not to waste the opportunity this five-song offering gives to remind people just how good and how potent they are ahead of any subsequent longer releases.
