Now on its 20th Anniversary of the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival, the Worcester, Massachusetts based concert is proud to announce its come back in April 2018. Scheduled from April 20th to 21st the 2018 installment of the legendary New England Metal and Hardcore Festival will make its 20th anniversary taking place at the newly restored Palladium.

The festival, created by John Peters of Mass Concerts and Scott Lee presently of Sound Rink, began in 1999 and over the years has featured acts from Ammon Amarth to Anthrax, to Between The Buried And Me, and many more!

This years line up has come with just as great names. Featuring Morbid Angel, Dying Fetus, Nile Kamelot, Life Of Agony, Thy Art Is Murder, Carnifex, Delain, Soulfly, Oceano, Fit For An Autopsy, Candiria, Winds Of Plague, Powerglove, Enterprise Earth, War Of Ages, Rivers Of Nihil and many more.

Morbid Angel is a band in the death metal scene that really needs no introduction. Their music has worked as a path way into the uncharted territory of death metal and even in its infancy has inspired many to follow its suit. The band’s 9th studio release Kingdoms Disdained, similar to most of their work, has an unapologetic, raw and furious display of musicianship.

Kingdoms Disdained contains 11 songs in a 48 minute album yet doesn’t have any type of rushed transitions between each song, as they all seem to end and connect perfectly. From the drumming at the forefront of the mix to the vocals and guitar throughout, each arrangement is placed together to create a seamless unique sound.

Given their high accolades from almost every song on the album Morbid Angel is the perfect group to represent hardcore metal at its finest.

Dying Fetus is another great band that represents death metal at its finest. The band originally from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, is known for thier consistently strong song structures, characterized by blast beats, complex riffing, slam riffs and heavy breakdowns. But what always catches fans is their reality-based lyrics characterized by political and moderns themes that are notable in death metal and throughout their 8 studio albums . As an instrumental part of Metal, the concert wouldn’t be a concert without Dying Fetus making an appearance.

Nile is another band said to make an appearance, and we can see why with their track record in death metal. The majority of Nile’s music is written by vocalist/guitarist Karl Sander and works to combine traditional and technical death metal. Much of the lyrical content is based on Egyptology and other ancient Middle Eastern cultures such as Mesopotamia. Nile’s music is characterized by its extreme complexity and speed which it has received consistent accolades for.

Through adding an extra layer of technicality to their structure, Nile has played an indispensable role in making the genre feel fresh again. Albus like In Their Darkened Shrines and Annihilation of The Wicked, that bands like Obscura and Origin arguably use as an inspiration to propel technical death metal into the head banging consciousness.

Each act is bring a different vibe to charge the atmosphere this year, and from our evaluation of just a few of these bands, we are sure that each band will be nothing less than spectacular for both the concert newbies and its returners.

New England Metal and Hardcore Festival Line up:
Morbid Angel
Dying Fetus
Nile Kamelot
Life Of Agony
Thy Art Is Murder
Carnifex
Delain
Soulfly
Oceano
Fit For An Autopsy
Candiria
Winds Of Plague
Powerglove
Enterprise Earth
War Of Ages
Rivers Of Nihil