NJ’s Hellfest returns w/ Prayer for Cleansing, Dying Fetus, Eighteen Visions, Haywire, Balmora, a NJHC showcase & more

The Northeast US festival Hellfest (which has nothing to do with the French festival of the same name) originally ran between 1997 and 2004, first taking place in the Syracuse area before moving to New Jersey in its final year. It was supposed to happen again in 2005 but was cancelled, and now, 20 years later, veteran metalcore label Trustkill Records (who co-sponsored the festival back in the day) and newer metalcore label Elphyra are bringing it back. It takes place from July 4-6 at Blackbox at the Williams Center in East Rutherford, NJ with a lineup that’s split between veterans of the original Hellfest era and newer bands carrying the torch today. Bands are coming from all over to play it but day one (July 4) has a regionally-specific NJHC showcase.

The lineup for the NJHC showcase is Bayway, Folly, Nora, Bulldoze, The Banner, Years Spent Cold, Roseblood, Discontent, XL Bully, Pool Scum, Hindsight, and Manic, and the July 5 & 6 lineup includes a rare reunion set from Prayer for Cleansing, plus Dying Fetus, Eighteen Visions, Disembodied, It Dies Today, Internal Bleeding, Haywire, Recon, Balmora, On Broken Wings, Embrace Today, Zao, Missing Link, The Juliana Theory, onelinedrawing, and more. Tickets for the NJHC showcase on July 4 and weekend passes for July 5-6 are on sale now.

About a month before the fest, the Hellfest 2000 documentary gets a 25th anniversary screening in the fest’s original hometown of Syracuse, with sets from Eighteen Visions, One King Down, Deal With God, With Teeth, GHOSTxSHIP, For I Could Only Dream, and more to be announced. That goes down on June 7 at The Song & Dance, and tickets are on sale now.