The sound of guitar and drums beckoned the crowd that had formed outside the venue back in, and not a few hands started pulling out ear plugs. What came next though was something like the theme song to a superhero movie. After the initial laughs, Smuther’s music was fast and loud, and their control of the rhythm and tempo made the dark space feel like it was about to explode, and explode it did, whenever Smuther wanted it to.

Power Trip came up next, and the interplay between the drums, guitars, and vocals was devastatingly beautiful. The back and forth over what will dictate the tempo and rhythm created a terrific tension. The release of that tension in the form of sharp drums over the guitar and vocals created music that was heavy, but quick and crisp, and the crowd responded with approval.

After a short break, Hacked Apart took the stage and sent a wall of furious sound crashing into the audience (and I mean that in a very good way). All the music came together nicely, and the band’s excellent stage presence and intensity helped create mayhem in the already chaotic Bullet Farm.

There was still more to come as headliners Noose Sweat had the last set of the night. The powerviolence band played ridiculously fast, blasting their instruments and vocals.  What felt like thousands of musical notes were being sprayed aggressively into the Bullet Farm at once, but all were still ordered into a superb whole as they made impact with a charged up audience that was clearly enjoying the music.

The atmosphere was great and there was a strong sense of community. A fan got up to the stage during Noose Sweat’s intense set, gestured for permission to contribute to the vocals, and was met with approval from the band and the audience. Many people went up to the band after the set was done to chat and it didn’t seem like people wanted to leave the venue. There were even some compliments going around — “You go hard in the mosh!,” “You too man!”

All the bands put on a fantastic show. For Noose Sweat, this show kicked off their West Coast tour and if you get a chance to see them (or any of the other bands) play, it would be a mistake to let that chance go.