By Jennifer Russo

I must admit that it has been years since I have only attended one day of the three-day Metalfest. Unfortunately this year, my calendar was less than cooperative, but Saturday’s show certainly did not disappoint. From the music to the audience to the drinks and the mayhem ~ it was a pure sensory overload at The Palladium in Worcester (and that’s a good thing).

Some friends who attended Friday night’s show told me that it was just the reprieve they needed as Boston searched for the marathon bombing suspects and that several of the bands mentioned the event. Hatebreed dedicated a song to Boston, and, like an army of true metal fans must after a day of being locked indoors, unleashed pit action ensued. I’m told that Anthrax, one of the pioneer bands of thrash metal, also dedicated a song to the Boston Police Department and played just as well as they did decades (yes, decades) ago. Seriously, these guys will be playing from the grave for my great-grandchildren someday. They just never stop.

On Saturday, I arrived early, ready to roll and desperately needing the taste of Crown and Diet on my tongue. I arrived to hear Totality playing on the main stage, a band I have never heard of before, but actually really liked. The audience hadn’t really filled in yet, but I give the guys credit because they played like the place was completely full. Upstairs, I caught the last song from Saving Grace, who was tearing up the stage and getting a younger audience engaged right from the get-go. Props to the Rock and Shock table, which ran a raffle the entire day to raise money for the marathon victims and their families and offered some stellar merch and free band signings. Though I tried to pull the Rock and Shock lineup info out of the woman behind the table, I was unsuccessful ~ she was a good secret-keeper (damn it).

From the back of the room, I saw a band approach the main stage. Thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me, I blinked a few times and wondered if something had been slipped into my drink. But no, there really was a band of dudes that looked like they should be on Harleys, dressed in bumblebee costumes. Seriously? I look at a fellow photographer buddy who reads my mind entirely (** why the hell are we not taking pictures of this?**), and we both booked it down to capture the phenomenon. It was Trollfest ~ really good despite the oddity, I have to say. I stay to see the band Heidevolk, a band from The Netherlands that I had heard of, yet never heard, and I was impressed. Traditional heavy metal, pagan-style and brutal, they attracted a lot of people to push toward the barricades. Fit for an Autopsy has always been a good band, so I listened to them play while I enjoyed another drink and contemplated pizza.

Wandering upstairs, I was surprised to see how insanely crowded it had gotten up there; when I stepped in, I couldn’t see the stage or the bar over the sea of people. City in the Sea had just taken the stage. They started playing and I immediately saw that they are the type of local band that is on the verge of greatness. They just have that “thing” that you know people want to hear; I look forward to seeing where they go from here. Downstairs, I caught most of TÝR’s set ~ another band I have heard of before, but have not ever seen play live. Hands down, my favorite band of the entire day ~ true Viking metal ~ so unique, breaking down genre walls into dust and leaving only excellence in their wake.

Upstairs, Battlecross and Goatwhore offered back to back sets of the type of music everyone paid to see: an unadulterated concentration of strong talent and amazing energy. Why these bands were upstairs is a mystery to me, but they packed that little room full of people who refused to stand still and gave performances worthy of a festival stage that plays before thousands.

Another trip downstairs (seriously, I should have worn a pedometer to see how many steps I took throughout the day) led me to my place of refuge for the rest of the evening. The main events of the night were all true to form: Massachusetts boys, Within the Ruins, did their home state proud, as they always do when they play here, setting the mood for Born of Osiris, which came out swinging ~ death core at its finest and backed by perfectly technical, unblemished instrumental. Ensiferum and Katatonia did a great job driving the aggression in each of their sets ~ with true heavy sound that was uncompromising and metal- forward. The Dillinger Escape Plan was their normal, ridiculously energetic and crazy selves, adding a bit of humor to the mix and getting the crowd so pumped that they lingered at the stage after the set was complete, as if they were waiting for an encore.

A security guard had mentioned to me earlier in the day that Opeth was doing a long set with a lot of acoustic style music, and I have to admit that I was worried about that dynamic after a day full of utter edge, but to put it simply: I thought it worked. The underlying gothic and “evil” sound that Opeth has been known for throughout their long stint in the industry was still prevalent in their set and closed out the night nicely in my opinion.