MONTAGUE — Marking the end of a pandemic-induced hiatus for the annual RPM Fest, metalheads camped out and jammed out all weekend long at the Millers Falls Rod and Gun Club.
“I’ve been looking forward to this for three years,” said Steve Foley, a member of the Nashua, New Hampshire-based experimental thrash metal band Epicenter. “This is the party of the summer.”
Labor Day weekend marked the sixth annual RPM Fest. The music festival featured more than 50 “heavy” bands, including metal, punk, rock, thrash hardcore, psychedelic and ska.
“I love heavy metal music because it is an expression of extreme,” Foley said. “It is about seeing how far you can take music.”
“Everyone is thrilled to be back after two years,” commented RPM Fest co-founder John Gulow. “It’s a big reunion for the New England music scene.”
A sentiment that was repeatedly echoed at the festival was a feeling of camaraderie throughout the crowd.
“This music has always been geared toward misfits and loners,” Gulow said. “Now we get together and enjoy art in various forms. … That’s powerful.”
The festival featured three stages. Most bands were from around the Northeast.
“I love that this festival is so local,” said Taylor Scott, a member of the Boston-based band Gravitation. “The people who put it together put their heart and soul into it.”
Along with the local feelings of the festival, another prominent feature is the self-run atmosphere.
“This is completely DIY. If people didn’t come together and volunteer in their free time, this event wouldn’t happen,” said festival volunteer Robert “Robo” Ives.
Brian Westbrook, co-founder of RPM Fest, echoed the sentiment. He thanked the volunteers for their hard work, and pointed to how their contributions showed the strong heavy metal community of western Massachusetts.
“There is nothing more punk rock than DIY,” commented Melissa Thyden, a vendor at the festival with the clothing companies Cosmic Unicornz and Mall Goth Trash. She sold handmade clothing and accessories.
For the weekend, Gulow said, festivalgoers got to see both sides of people, with many commenting on the friendliness among attendees.
“You get to see the lightness of people and their aggression,” he said.
The organizers are happy about how the music festival has grown, and hope it can continue to grow in the future.
“I hope more people will see what we are doing and keep growing,” Westbrook said. “Hopefully, eventually be nationally known.”
Bella Levavi can be reached at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.