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Jamband prodigies The McLovins announce lineup changes for 2012

In surprise to fans of the McLovins, the trio of music prodigies from Hartford, CT, the band announced a lineup change. Jeff Howard, guitarist known as AxLovin will be leaving the band following their December 30th show at Pearl Street in Northampton, MA. Jeff was one of the founding members of the group, which became an online sensation when they posted a basement cover of Phish’s ‘You Enjoy Myself’, played so well that the band quickly grew an online following and soon began playing shows as their tour allowed. Recent years have seen the trio perform at StrangeCreek, Gathering of the Vibes, numerous shows at Nectars in Burlington (where Phish got their start) and venues across New England and New York State.

On a personal note, it is sad to see Jeff leave the band he founded. When I first saw the video, I was in the midst of planning the book release party for PhanArt at Revolution Hall in Troy. With Phish cover band The Flow, from Long Island, slated to play the show, I inquired about having The McLovins open for them. Greg Bell handled everything and they opened up the show, with Jeff, Jason and Jake giving an all instrumental performance for the 200+ in attendance. With Jake unable to sing due to a passing cold, the three members stuck to their instruments and played their first set outside of Connecticut. Playing Oye Como Va, Caravan, Birdland, Cissy Strut, Cliff of Dover, originals Purple Trees and Guillotine Machine and a set ending You Enjoy Myself, the audience was enthralled and the possibilities for this trio became endless. Having seen the band grow from Internet sensation to bona fide jamband has been quite a ride.

NYS Music wishes Jeff the best in the future and looks forward to seeing The McLovins new lineup performing across New York in the coming year.

Statement from The McLovins, 12/17/11

The McLovins Announce Changes for 2012

Citing the need to focus more on school and other interests, Jeff Howard, the beloved guitarist for The McLovins, will be leaving the band following their December 30th Pearl Street performance. We are sad to see our close friend and bandmate, Jeffrey, leave. He is a truly remarkable guitarist and has been an integral part of an extraordinary journey that the McLovins embarked on three years ago. We will always share incredible memories of that journey, and we want to sincerely thank Jeffrey and wish him all the best in the future.

As The McLovins move forward, we are also excited about our new lineup for the band. Beginning December 31, the McLovins will evolve into a four member group. Seasoned guitarists Justin Berger, originally from Philadelphia, and Atticus Kelley, from New Britain, Connecticut, will join the band, bringing with them significant performance experience. Justin, who has played with bands in the Philadelphia area, is currently at the Hartt School of Music and will also be sharing singing with us on stage. Atticus, a multi-instrumentalist, is a studying at the Hartt School as well and will also add singing depth to the group.

The band is so thankful for the love and support from the McLovins families, fans and friends who have helped to bring us to this point in just three short but amazing years. We look forward to continuing our journey, seeking venues beyond our New England base and great opportunities in 2012.

Happy Holidays and Peace to You All,
The McLovins

December 18, 2011
RED FANG to open for the Eupropean leg of Mastodon tour.

It is no surprise that Red Fang was selected to open the American leg of Mastodon’s tour. The two bands are very similar in style and equally diverse from both a vocal and musical standpoint. For many metal fans, this is actually something of a dream pairing. With a recent press release, the band announced some other good news. “”The US tour we just did with those guys was one of the best ever, so we are thrilled to be continuing this magical journey with Mastodon in Europe!” Now the Europeans will get to witness the front line assault of the Mastodon-Red Fang pairing that ripped this country to shreds.

If you are not familiar with the sound of Red Fang, descriptions are long and plentiful. The sound of the band owes some pilgrimage to the altar that the whole sludge metal movement has crafted. It is easy to see the modern era influences such as Kyuss, the Melvins, and Mastodon within the band’s sonic wallop. Of course, Black Sabbath seems to loom large over the legacy here as well. In any case, the band crafts well thought out bursts of progressive glory. On their latest record, Murder The Mountains, the band has raised the bar of musical excellence within their camp. Everything on this record is of a quality that is nothing short of spectacular. Like Mastodon, the choices made in choosing the correct production team, have aided in the overall upswing of the material written. Chris Funk and Vance Powell have been involved with the production of many great albums by artists such as the White Stripes, Kings Of Leon, The Decemberists, and the Raconteurs. They work their magic here with unlimited promise. Tracks like the mega evil Throw Up, and the incessantly catchy Waves, are on a whole different level of studio shine without visionary compromise.

Although the band will not be going on tour again for awhile in the states, I highly recommend that you check out Murder The Mountains in the meantime. We will have more on Red Fang in the near future as we are hoping to bring you a dual feature with members of the band and Mastodon.

For more information on RED FANG:
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/redfangband

-Erik Jensen

December 17, 2011
THE SAFETY FIRE reveals new album artwork and track listing

THE SAFETY FIRE recently issued a press release updating the media about their plans to release a new record. I am being told that this collection of new tracks is going to be of great pleasure to long time fans, and mind blowing to the uninitiated. After sampling the album’s first single, Huge Hammers, I am convinced that we are going to be hearing a record full of highly innovative madness. Check out the press release below: “With their expansive atmospheres and soaring melodies, THE SAFETY FIRE has pushed the boundaries of technical progressive metal in the ever-growing British progressive music scene since their inception in 2006, and now the band is finally ready to release their first full-length album, Grind The Ocean! As the epic sequel to their critically acclaimed EP Sections, Grind The Ocean will be released on February 27th in Europe and February 28th in North America, so be prepared for THE SAFETY FIRE’s new progressive metal masterpiece coming soon!” “THE SAFETY FIRE guitarist Derya “Dez” Nagle produced and mixed Grind The Ocean as part of his “BlackBear Productions” operation, through which he also produced bands such as RISE TO REMAIN (Century Media), THE HAARP MACHINE (Sumerian), and PALEHORSE (Eyesofsound). The track-listing for the album is below:

Grind The Ocean track-listing
1. Huge Hammers
2. Floods Of Colour
3. DMP (FDP)
4. Anomalous Materials
5. Animal King
6. Circassian Beauties
7. Sections 8. Seagraves
9. Grind The Ocean

For anxious fans that can’t wait for Grind The Ocean’s release, the album’s first single, “Huge Hammers”, is now available for purchase on iTunes. THE SAFETY FIRE will also be premiering their music video for “Huge Hammers” in the coming days, so stay tuned for even more new material from the band coming soon!” Stay tuned in the near future for an album review and possible interview with the band.

-Erik Jensen

December 17, 2011
Mike Gordon at The Egg in Albany, December 11th, 2011

Among the Phish side-projects that have stood out and been fan favorites, Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon have had the greatest response to their work outside the box of Phish, working with friends and musicians they admire and creating a sound that is separate and distinct from that of Phish. Mike Gordon’s current band includes Scott Murawski from Max Creek on guitar, Todd Isler on drums, Tom Cleary on keys and Craig Myers on percussion and represents Mike’s musical evolution outside of Phish. He has dabbled in movie making with Outside Out and Rising Low, played acoustically with Leo Kottke (and should be returning the studio with him soon) and assembled Ramble Dove, a slightly more country sounding band in 2006. However, none of these acts allowed Mike to spread out his wings and improvise in a style akin to his playing with Phish but not mimic his role. Here, Mike is in the lead, calls the shots and plays new songs for fans and tunes from his solo catalog, including his latest release Moss. A crowd of 700 filled into The Egg for Mike Gordon Band on December 11, 2011 for a great sounding room and were granted a stellar show full of twists, turns, fun and jamming throughout.

“Horizon Line” had a nice jam out of it but remained unfinished before moving into the powerful number “Only a Dream”, found played by Phish only in the studio release Party Time. The benefit of seeing Mike (or Trey for that matter) is catching some of the songs that Phish has yet to play but fans long to hear. The added bonus to a Mike show is hilarious banter, this time with a request for the audience and band to only speak in three letter words, and avoid conjunctions. After this funky lecture, “Deranged” led the way with a sweet jam to lead into the song that built and built, reminding me of a Talking Heads tune with the percussion and patience in the jam. “The Way it Goes” by Gillian Welch debuted with Phish in September in Colorado with Mike singing vocals and showed the extent to which Mike brings the songs he wants to play more with his side band, adding hope to fans that we might hear this gem of a cover in the next few weeks at Madison Square Garden. The light country-twang to the guitar from Murawski was replicated neatly while Gordon took the vocals and sang with fervor. “Just a Rose” brought Murawski to the vocals, a funky number that had the band and crowd bouncing in unison, complete with a brief “Blackwater” (Doobie Brothers) tease.

The second set started out with the oft-Phish covered “Funky Bitch” by blues legend Son Seals and the set never seemed to end from there on out. “Sugar Shack” came next, followed by the most unique cover of the year, Alanis Morissette’s “Hand in my Pocket”, again sung by Murawski, but with a different bit of force behind the vocals, gritty and bluesy, a bit jagged and with a proud response from the crowd. The end of “Hand in my Pocket” got dark and funky before getting spacy and moving into “Dig Further Down”, where numerous members of the audience caught a subtle yet distinct teasing of the “Rebel Theme from Star Wars” by Cleary on the keyboard, providing room for the rest of the band to improvise alongside him before segueing back into “Dig Further Down”. “Skin it Back” (Little Feat) has been a sporadic Mike staple at shows dating back to the 1980s and many who weren’t fortunate enough to catch this band had to settle for Halloween 2010 in Atlantic City or re-listen to Ian’s Farm from 1987. Mike introduced the final song of the night, “The Who’s Won’t get Fooled Again”, as a song he used to play in his high school band, a fresh and spot on version that brought the house to their feet.

To cap it all off, Mike told the crowd he was going to bring a friend out from high school to sing on the next tune, which led to Steve Pollak aka The Dude of Life to come to the stage, take the extra mic in hand and sing the words he penned years ago to “Suzy Greenberg”. The crowd was jumping up and down at this debut performance that capped off an epic night. Pollak spoke rather than sang the lyrics, but when it’s your song, you can do with it what you want; no one in the crowd argued with him in this instance. The night ended on the highest of notes and I now understand the argument that ‘Mike Gordon Band is better than Trey Anastasio Band’, although I don’t take sides. Mike’s band is fresher, more psychedelic and jammy than Trey’s big band project. I love em both, but it was Mike who finally brought the dude.

Setlist:

Set 1: Horizon Line, Only A Dream, I’m Deranged, The Way It Goes, Just a Rose, Voices, River Niger, Don’t Do It -> Horizon Line

Set 2: Funky Bitch, Sugar Shack, Hand in My Pocket, Dig Further Down, Crumblin’ Bones, Skin It Back, Hap Nappy, Won’t Get Fooled Again

Encore: Suzy Greenberg*

*Mike Gordon debut, with Steve Pollak (The Dude of Life) on vocals.

December 16, 2011
COSMONAUTS “The Demise of Daniel Raincourt” is an epic indie rock treasure; purely infectious

Glens Falls, NY has been housing an epic indie rock treasure in the form the quintet Cosmonauts. Their upcoming release entitled “The Demise of Daniel Raincourt” (Jan. 14^th, 2012) contains five tracks of intricate story-telling ear candy. Ethereal layers of tasteful and coherent instrumentation serve as the stage for massively memorable and dramatic vocal hooks. The dark, cryptic melodies cleverly employ rich dynamic changes and spoken background parts, all of which are sure to have anyone singing along by their second listen. The singer occasionally sounds pleasantly akin to Andrew McMahon of Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin. The lyrics lay out chapters to an ongoing character narrative, not unlike Coheed & Cambria that forms another unique characteristic to Cosmonauts’ material.

As if the clever songwriting were not reason enough to check it out, the production is spot on, clear, and adds all around to the bands desired tonal vibe. While only five tracks, “The Demise of Daniel Raincourt” definitely weighs into the full-length bracket, with most tracks over five minutes and the last exceeding nine. From the ominous verses and purely infectious, soaring vocal climaxes of the first track (Daniel’s Letter), to the twisting turns and goose-bump raising movements of the closing/title track, the record has a firmly definitive vibe and feel to it, without sounding at all like a bunch of all-to-similar songs, a plague of many modern bands across the genre lines. These guys pull from a wisely vast span of rock, pop, indie and various stylistic influences to accompany their schooled variety of instrumental additions to the usual guitar/bass/drums; including delicate piano to head turning flamenco guitar riffs. Several sudden time and feel changes within some songs almost throw the listener off briefly, but are precisely executed and impressive.

Listening to the record from front to back yields a very smooth and complete listening experience, as each unique movement seems to flow into the next. This band without a doubt is a threat on all plains, from diverse and tasteful musicianship to powerhouse vocals and song-crafting prowess, and will certainly be making a stir anywhere they bring this music. The band has put out a steady flow of material in their brief career so far, and has already independently moved well over 1,000 copies of their debut E.P. They also have a 7’’ out on Kentucky based Little Heart Records. Watch out for these space age rock contenders, Cosmonauts doesn’t seem to be leaving orbit any time soon.

For more on the Cosmonauts –
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CosmonautsMusic

-Chris Parmelee

December 15, 2011
Ken Delaney and Joe Sweet of NINE BALL discuss reconnection; upcomming release

In the early to mid nineties, grunge and alternative metal ruled the airwaves! In upstate New York, there were definitely some bands that were catching the attention of the recording industry. The movement was on! Utica was the home of Nine Ball! They were one of the bands that you went to see, and envisioned playing to a much larger national audience. The band was aggressive, progressive, and lyrically and vocally so far beyond their peers, that I still have a tough time not believing that they were not on the national stage. Towards the end of the nineties, the band called it quits and left a bevy of fans upset and hungering for more. Well, close to fifteen years later, they will get their wish! After playing the clubs for the past year, Nine Ball released their new CD in June! And, quite simply, it is a monster of energy! I was able to catch up with Ken Delaney and Joe Sweet recently to get the scoop on all things Nine Ball!

Erik: How did Nine Ball come together as a group in the early 90’s?

Ken: Nine Ball was the vision of Joe, and Scott. They had put together the original version of what we call 9 Ball in the early 90’s. They played alot of shows in the area, and picked up a large following at the time. Joe, and Scott decided that they wanted the band to go in a different direction musically, and parted ways with their guitar player, and drummer at the time. Joe had his mind set on one guitar player Jay Wiley to fill the spot, and Scott had suggested that Joe get in touch with me to fill the drummer position. We clicked instantly, and began writing song after song.

Erik: When a band is gaining the momentum you were as a group in the 90’s, what made you call it quits back in the day?

Joe: Back in the 90’s there was a lot going on. I’d have to say it was a combination of a few things. For starters, we were very young and still learning who we are and who we wanted to be. Some of us moved on to have families and explore that side of life. It was very difficult to do both at the time. And for me, my outlook on life was changing. I felt like a lot of the questions I was asking were being answered and my music was becoming less aggressive. Plus back then, there was still smoking in all the clubs. That made it very hard on my throat night after night. I thought there was no way it could last if I keep going that route. Performing is a big part of my life and I have to stay healthy in order to do it full time.

Erik: I know that you guys were looking to do different things after the break up of Nine Ball? How did your other projects come about after Nine Ball’s split?

Ken: I think it was a combination of many different things. Some of us went on to other projects, and some of us decided to take a break from music all together. Joe decided to pursue a different style of music, and started a great project called Jomamma and the Funkdaddys. I went back to my metal roots, and hooked up with two great musicians to form a band called Duck Duck Goose.

Erik: What made you guys re-connect and decide to put this band back together?

Ken: It all started with a text message between Me, and Joe in October 2009. We were getting alot of requests, and motivation from friends posting stuff on Facebook about how they would like to see a Nineball reunion. During our text conversation we agreed it would be fun to give it a shot, and see if we could spark some interest. I figured it would be worth a shot to reach out to Scott, Nineball”s original bass player, with a text and see if he would be interested in getting Nineball back together. He responded with a Hell Yeah within seconds. So with three past members of Nineball set to go, the big question was who would we find to play guitar? Both of Nineball”s guitar players from the past were in other states, and doing other things with life. We tried out a couple of local guitar players that did not fit what we were looking for. In December 2009 Joe suggested that he would reach out to one of the area’s most talented guitar players (Dallas Sheppard) and see if he would be interested.. Dallas said he would join the group for the reunion show that we had scheduled at The Electric Company on Febuary 12th. 2010 and within 2 weeks Nineball was rehearsing for the show..

Erik: For me, you guys were an important part of my music seeking youth? I remember my first show was the NORML benefit at Atlantis back in 93 or 94. Did you guys catch any grief from fans and friends to re-unite during the long time apart?

Ken: During the 15+ years that we were apart, I know that I was confronted by many old fans, and friends of the band, and I would say that it stands true for all of us. We had a really loyal fan base back in the 90’s that never wanted Nineball to part ways when we did. It seemed like every time I ran into someone they would always say Nineball should get back together.

Erik: Obviously, there is a new member that joined the fold. Could you tell me a little about him?

Ken: Our guitar player Dallas is the only one in the band that is not a former member of Nineball. Dallas is one of the area’s most respected guitar player’s. When he joined Nineball, he was in three other bands ( Band Whore) as we call him. He is without a doubt the best choice we could have made to fill the spot. He has added so much to our sound with his techniques, style, and sound.

Erik: Your new CD is due for release in June, can you tell me about the process of putting this album together?

Ken: We all decided it was time to record our first album in August 2010. We set a goal of getting in the studio the beginning of 2011. We decided that we would record some old material, along with the new to give this album some history of Nineball. Next was deciding on where we wanted to record the album, and It was a clear cut choice to all of us that we wanted to do this album with Jocko at Moresound studios in Syracuse. Jocko had reached out to us, previously and said he was really interested in working with us on this project. We scheduled 4 days in February, and decided that we also wanted Jocko to produce the album. The album was completed in five full studio days, and we worked our asses off to get it done in 5 days. Drum tracks were done in 9 hrs. Bass in 1 and a half days, and guitar, and vocals covered the rest. If anyone knows Jocko, they know how amazing he is at his craft. If you don’t know! You need to! We could not be happier with the finished product. We decided to have Brendon Flynn ( Jocko’s Roommate) do the artwork for the cover after looking at his artwork in the studio.

Erik: This CD is a very cohesive piece of music that soars musically, vocally, and lyrically. Some of it seems quite personal, and even autobiographical in many senses. Can you tell me about the origin of the song’s themes!

Joe: The older material mostly comes from a part of me that was questioning things. As young adults I think it’s very important that we question things. I’ve questioned everything from Religion to Government just to make sure that I feel that I’m doing the right thing, and that I can make decisions that I can live with for the rest of my life. That’s how we get the answers that we are looking for. For example in the song “Enterprise” I was really searching for enlightenment. I knew in my heart that there was something there but just didn’t know what yet. So I questioned…because I wanted to know more. It was a burning desire I had as a youngster. The newer material like “Martyr, Soldier Boy and Stand Up” comes from a different perspective. It still has that edge with a touch of anger, but ultimately I’m more confident in my beliefs. Not as much questioning and more reasoning. For example “Soldier Boy” reflects my feelings about our troops still being at war while our government has claimed victory. There has been no victory if we are still at war. Like the war on terror or the war on drugs. We still have hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters still over seas when they where promised they would come home. We seem to shift the war from one country to the next. They never really come home. My heart goes out to them and I pray for their safe return.

Erik: What can we expect from Nine Ball this year?

Ken: We are already set to start writing material for our next album, and plan on hitting the studio early next year. We are booking alot of shows throughout central NY to support our CD.

For more information on NINEBALL –
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nineballrocks?ref=ts

-Erik Jensen

December 14, 2011
GALLERIES “It’s all in the timing” EP is intense; sure to impress

The post punk movement is alive and well, and really taking hold in Upstate, NY. Add another formidable band to a list of intelligent riff monsters in our region. The 5 piece Oneonta band, Galleries, is sufficiently astute in the game of raucous 3 minute mini anthems. Their full length feature album, Breathe and Repeat, drives this home with confident authority. Not content with resting on their laurels, the band recently completed their newest EP, It’s All In The Timing. Recording and releasing two different records in one year can be a daunting path. Galleries seems to have been able to pull this off quite effortlessly. In the process of recording their newest release, they were also able to grow by a mile musically. I think that is what I find most impressive about this band overall.

It’s All In The Timing is 4 songs of high quality, high intensity, in your face power punk. The track, Two More Years, is a great example of a slow tempo half song that lunges into a another galaxy with it’s Dead Milkmen style relentlessness during the remainder. Strategy is great within this band, and they deliver more of the same on other tracks like Last One Out, and A New Beginning. Of significant note, is the song Payback. This track is easily the best on this EP. It is complex and filled with gang style vocal madness that is up their with the best in the industry. It also shows that while there is a formula in place, the band does not get stale within the boundaries they have set for themselves.

The EP is available for download on ITunes, and it is unclear when the piece will be officially released in physical form. For now, I highly recommend that you spend a couple of dollars and download these tunes online. I promise you it will be worth the scratch.

Tracks:
Two More Years
Last One Out
Payback
A New Beginning

For more information on Galleries –
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/galleriesny

-Erik Jensen

December 14, 2011
METALLICA releases Beyond Magnetic EP

“Metallica have released a four-song EP, titled Beyond Magnetic, today. The four previously unreleased tracks were recorded during sessions for their 2008 Death Magnetic album, but didn’t make the cut at the time. The EP will be available exclusively on iTunes for one week only.

“During the Death Magnetic album sessions in 2007 and 2008, we originally recorded 14 songs,” said the band in a statement. “When it came time to pick the songs for the final album, we decided on 10 songs that you’ve all come to know over the last three years. Some of you may have heard bits and pieces of those other songs on ‘Mission Metallica’ (remember ‘Mission Metallica’?!) or heard rumors about them during the recording process, and wondered, What ever happened to those other four songs???.

“We kept them in the vault and decided to pull them just for this special celebration, so here are the four leftover tracks from the Death Magnetic sessions. They are ROUGH mixes, unfinished to their original degree of mixing from March ’08. These four songs were released as gift to our closest fans, the members of our Fan Club, to enjoy. Now they’re being made available to you.”

The thrash legends played one of the tracks each night during their 30th anniversary celebration concerts at the Fillmore in San Francisco last week. The band were joined for the performances by a host of special guests, including former members Dave Mustaine and Jason Newsted, Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford, Jerry Cantrell, Glenn Danzig, and Kid Rock. The shows closed with drummer Lars Ulrich telling fans to anticipate news in mid-January, 2012, about something special happening next June.”

Beyond Magnetic Track List:

1. “Hate Train”
2. “Just A Bullet Away”
3. “Hell And Back”
4. “Rebel Of Babylon”

Source: http://www.revolvermag.com/news/metallica-release-beyond-magnetic-ep.html

-David Garlow

December 13, 2011
ENGLORIA’s “drive” EP is poised for greatness; road trip worthy

Albany, NY based Engloria is on a distinct path for greatness within the national music scene. Judging by the response to their current studio release, the Drive EP, the industry brass are poised for a major label bidding war.

The songs on the Drive EP do not signal the re-invention of the wheel. You will hear the formulaic luster that catapulted the likes of artists like Chris Daughtry and The Goo Goo Dolls. These bands, like Engloria, share a similar style of writing up tempo and easily digestible power pop songs. Engloria can also can pen a killer power ballad, another trait that the aforementioned bands did with excellence. In this genre of over saturation and cookie cutter-like production, this band will rise above. I say this because the band writes nothing but tight little nod your headers. It is jubilant music, even when the music signifies love lost. That is a skill learned through incessant songwriting. Creating a vibe of joy in heartache takes maximum effort. The ability to create that vibe makes the song, Made For You, a ready for radio hit. Up tempo material like the song, Drive, show the more aggressive side of their repertoire. It is radio anthem driven and sits alongside such as it’s parallel equal.

The time is now to check these guys out. I have always found it fun to watch the success of a band ready to break out. With an increasing amount of airplay on terrestrial and internet radio sources, the public has definitely put the label of “Most Likely To Succeed,” next to their names. More than likely, with an exclamation point. Engloria’s increased pattern of spreading out within the touring game is paying dividends. That point is on display in New York City, where they are slowly building a mini empire of new fans.

I highly recommend this band when you are preparing to take your next substantial road trip. Bring a copy of the aptly titled Drive EP. It just night make your day.

James Stewart – Vocals, Guitar, Keys
Devon Scott – Guitar, Vocals
Michael Gleason – Bass
Brandon Stewart – Drums

More information on Engloria-
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/engloriamusic

-Erik Jensen

December 13, 2011
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE to headline New England Metal and Hardcore Festival

Killswitch Engage has been confirmed as the headliner of the 14th Annual New England Metal and Hardcore Festival.

The festival helped to launch the career of the Westfield, Mass., band and the festival vets went on to sign with Roadrunner Records. With over 1.5 million records sold in the United States alone and a Grammy nomination under its belt, the band will return to the NEMF stage in 2012.About this homecoming of sorts, vocalist Howard Jones said, “Yup, trouble’s brewing. It’s been great to have time off, but now it’s back to business. All the guys in KsE are truly excited to be playing NEMHF again. It’s like old times: hanging out with your friends, but they have mustaches now. Come on out, bring a friend and let’s make some sweat!”

Also headlining the biggest and longest running metal festival in America for 2012 is The Black Dahlia Murder. Lead singer Trevor Strnad sums it up best: “It has always been a huge pleasure to play New England Metal And Hardcore Fest… I can’t thank them enough for involving us again. Some of my fondest drunken memories are from NEMHF… I’m looking to rack up a few more!!! Come out and bang your heads til they fall off. I’ll meet you by the sausage man!”

The 14th edition of the festival, which will take place the weekend of April 20-22 at the Palladium in Worcester, Mass., will also present a host of other festival vets and up-and-comers:

The lineup for for Friday, April 20th includes The Black Dahlia Murder, The Acacia Strain, Oceano, All Shall Perish, Nile, Skeletonwitch, Lionheart, Fleshgod Apocalypse, First Blood, Molotov Solution, The Contortionist, Reign Supreme, Conducting From The Grave, Fit For An Autopsy, Incendiary, Palehorse, Hour Of Penance, Legion and Relentless.

On Saturday April 21st we have a very special headliner that we will be announcing on January 2nd. The other bands we can confirm for Saturday are Overkill, iwrestledabearonce, Protest the Hero, Periphery, Bane, Shipwreck, Cruel Hand, Aborted, Blackguard, The Mongoloids, Belgardor, System Divide, Naysayer, The Greenery, Diamond Plate, Rotting Out, Expire, Elitist, Trump The Harlot, Manners and Malefice.

Bands scheduled for Sunday April 22nd are Killswitch Engage, Every Time I Die, Vanna, For Today, Chelsea Grin, Sleeping Giant, Stick To Your Guns, Attila, On Broken Wings, Mychildren Mybride, For The Fallen Dreams, Texas In July, Upon A Burning Body, Volumes, Like Moths To Flames, Hundredth, No Bragging Rights, Counterparts and Gideon

“This year’s lineup came together very well and we are very proud of it,” said festival organizer Scott Lee. “New England Metal And Hardcore Festival is a fan driven festival and the bands we have put together are a good representation of that” adds John Peters – MassConcerts owner and festival co-founder.

Tickets for the festival will go on sale Friday, December 16 at 10 a.m. Ticket prices are: $40 (Friday), $45 (Saturday), and $40 (Sunday) or $115 (three-day pass).

Sponsors this year include All In Merch, Monster, Tama, Ibanez, Zildjian, Metal Blade Records, Break Thru Music, Shook Clothing and many more to be announced including some amazing vendors.

Source: http://lambgoat.com/news/17345/New-England-Metal-and-Hardcore-Fest-line-up

-Brian Lawrence

December 13, 2011