First up on the Main Stage was If Hope Dies from Syracuse, NY. Playing hardcore as interpreted by true blue metalheads, If Hope Dies plowed through a mighty set of tunes, mostly culled from their Ironclad release The Ground Is Rushing Up To Meet Us. Prior to their set, a brigade of their friend stripped down to their undies and jumped from the audience and into the mosh pit. They all had the words “Syracuse Strip Crew” written on their bodies, and proceeded to hardcore dance all over the Astroturf. Even the girls participated in on the fun, and some of them were even more ferocious when they move around. The headbanging continued onstage, with hair flying everywhere – definitely a lively way to kick off Day Three of Hellfest.

The last time I saw Forever Is Forgotten was at Furnacefest 2003, and the band has really grown tremendously. Based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, these guys filled the Dinosaur Stage with their metallic hardcore sound. The latest addition was lead singer John, performing his third show with the band at the time. A highly charismatic vocalist who brings a mesmerizing intensity to the already dynamic songs, John was once a member of the hardcore outfit A Summary Execution. Being road tested for the vacant vocalist position, John has recently been added as a full time member. Songs performed in their powerhouse set included The Architecture Is Still Burning and Nostradamus Would Have Wanted It This Way. Hopefully the line-up is now stable, because Forever Is Forgotten now has the potential to make a lasting impression on the extreme music scene. Previous albums are available from Thorpe Records. Highly recommended!

Back to the Hot Topic stage to see a new group that I had encountered on the infamous My Space website. Based out of Queens NY, Battle of The Bands winner Endwell delivered an outstanding set, easily demonstrating why they won a coveted Hellfest time slot over dozens of other bands. Playing with the versatility and experience of bands twice their age, Endwell display a ton of energy and definitely have the material to back it up. Featuring both clear and screamed impassioned vocals as well as some really terrific musicianship, Endwell is certainly getting their name out there. Even with heavy competition from three other stages, quite a few friends and fans turned up to see who were otherwise unknown and in search of a record label. With shows this exciting, expect Endwell’s unsigned status and anonymity to end very soon. Fans of Atreyu and Poison The Well would do themselves a big favor in checking these guys out.

Ferret Records may always be counted on to the find the very best in hardcore music, having introduced music fans to awesome bands such as A Static Lullaby and Funeral For A Friend. Misery Signals from Milwaukee is another Ferret band poised to make a big name for themselves. Their latest CD Of Malice And The Magnum Heart was an exercise in sonic devastation and was produced by Strapping Young Lad front man Devin Townsend. Bringing on the mosh with stunning results, Misery Signals tore through a set of tunes and impressed the hardcore masses with their tighter than hell delivery. Incessant touring and positive word of mouth should help to bring this band to the top of the hardcore heap. Forthcoming tours include opening slots for Six Feet Under and Dillinger Escape Plan.

Hailing from Daytona Beach, Florida, The Autumn Offering is a young band that shows a great deal of promise. Their sound is a hybrid of hardcore and Swedish metal and their live show will make you want to bang your head into sheer oblivion. The moniker may sound emo, but there is nothing about their music that would even suggest such a reference. Revelations Of The Unseen has just been released on the Stillborn Records label and the songs sound tremendous in live setting – highlights being The Great Escape and Deflowered. Fans of As I Lay Dying and Black Dahlia Murder will want to check into the brutal sounds of The Autumn Offering.

The days of Fear Before The March Of Flames playing their apocalyptic post-hardcore meanderings to empty houses are rapidly coming to an end. During their Hellfest appearance, many in the audience knew the words to the songs performed from their Equal Vision/Rise Records release Odd How People Shake. The new compositions are even heavier, and the room literally shook when tunes such as Hey Kid I’m A Computer and Consequences David were unleashed upon the Hot Topic stage. One of the most thoroughly innovative bands in the extreme music scene, FBTMOF is an explosive musical force. These guys are not afraid to challenge genre conventions, tossing them back out at their unsuspecting audience with fiendish glee. Their new album Art Damage is due out any day now, and should be well worth checking ot. Be sure to catch FBTMOF on the forthcoming Equal Vision tour.

Another attack of sonic post hardcore arrived, taking the form of From A Second Story Window. Placing two mini trampolines on either side of the stage for audience members to catapult off of, a meticulous security confiscated one prior to the start of the their set. This did not prevent Second Story or the audience from going out of control, starting from when the guitarist fell off the stage, all the way to their chaotic grand finale. The musicianship in this band is technical and superb, and the room rumbled as the band performed songs from their Blackmarket Activities release Not One Word Has Been Omitted.

DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN/BAD LUCK 13 RIOT EXTRAVAGANZA

In one room, Bad Luck 13 Riot Extravaganza were playing their final show, literally tearing the place apart. When their set was cut short, a near riot ensued. The Hot Topic Stage was left in ruins. On the main stage, the Dillinger Escape Plan was somewhat more orderly. The band has grown tremendously since their early days, and presented an astounding set. Fear Factory played the fest out, not allowing fans to jump from the stage, supplying a rather tepid end to three days of great bands and random chaos.

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