Nick: As a native New Englander, I’d have been pretty remiss to not be at the Palladium as much as possible. I’d find myself driving the 45 minutes up from Rhode Island at least a couple times a month like clockwork. Metalfest on its own is a great thing for the region, (nevermind the funny, serendipitous thing that was being in the same room as these dudes years before I ever knew I’d be working with them) but the amazing thing about the New England metal  community is that the atmosphere at NEMHF is the same as any given Palladium gig. It’s really the only place to be for metal south of Boston in the region; truly in the middle of nowhere for what it’s worth, Worcester isn’t exactly a destination in itself but is a halfway point for almost everyone traveling in any direction. This leads to the people that come out being fervent in a way that I’ve never seen elsewhere, complete with its own set of unique characters. (I’ve moshed with the same guy in corpse paint at everything from Behemoth to Chevelle – if you’ve ever been to a show there, you know who I’m talking about) The metal radio friends that I made while going to Palladium gigs for WXIN, my alma mater station in Providence were just as valuable. I know I definitely diverted the conversation away from NEMHF as a whole, but to anyone else from New England reading this who isn’t coming to the fest as a visitor to the area, you know as well as me that, cheesy as it is to say, it’s a family out there that’s not limited to one weekend.