The crowd fell silent for a millisecond — just enough time for three figures standing on stage to ready their instruments. The light hum of a guitar distortion, the gentle caress of a cymbal and the crackling of microphones filled the air in an instant. The slow countdown of a metronome, ticking every other second, could not be heard but was felt in the crowd’s anticipation. Static. Then, without warning, a guitar riff broke the silence. The drummer found his line; the crowd roared with arms and legs flailing in a two-step motion. Chaos.
The occasion came courtesy of Slaughterfest Vol. 2, an annual hardcore music festival held every year at the Shredder — the self-proclaimed “heaviest hitting venue” in Boise. Bands from across the Treasure Valley and beyond gather at the venue to celebrate genres that often fly beneath the radar: punk, death metal and grindcore.
A community of artists who use hard-hitting instrumentals and reverberated vocals to reflect the state of current-day America with angst, nihilism and irony rests at the heart of this scene. Their music creates a safe space for people to express pent-up emotions and find belonging…