Hatebreed @ Underground Arts.

Text and images by Mina Lee.

On a humid Friday night, Connecticut metalcore crew Hatebreed took over Underground Arts, performing before a chaotic sold out crowd.

It was a restless mass of mostly large, male, sweaty bodies in Tap Out T-shirts, hyped up on Monster, thrashing and pushing each other to hits such as “Destroy Everything” and “I Will Be Heard.”

“If you don’t leave with swamp ass, we didn’t do our job,” frontman Jamey Jasta said midway through the set.

The moshing reached a fever pitch, ultimately morphing into a violent pit with spin kicks and rapid punches. Shirts were shed and the slippery venue floor became hazardous. Burly men slipped into each other and they seemed to revel in the fun.