This DVD chronicles the infamous Hellfest hardcore music extravaganza held every year in Syracuse, New York. This is the first time a DVD was released to try and capture the essence of this crazy 3 day festival with over 3,000 rabid fans present to witness some of the freshest bands in the scene. While there were some delays in getting Hellfest 2000 underway due to the large walk-up of kids the promoters were fortunate enough to move it last minute to a larger venue. A ton of bands are given the opportunity to share a brief interview and then there's a song or two live from every band including big names and/or killer performances from Converge (who are the only band not interviewed), Poison The Well, Eighteen Visions, Buried Alive, Shai Hulud, Brother's Keeper, Walls Of Jericho, Bane, One King Down, Killswitch Engage and more. While the sound may leave a bit to be desired here and there this is still a true testament to an exciting genre and festival for either the die-hard fan of it or the curious onlooker. As extras there are some additional live clips, audio commentaries and band info.

This DVD features 37 songs; but not 37 songs from 37 different bands. There is 37 songs from 15 bands. This is my biggest complaint about the Hellfest DVD. There were so many great bands there that could have had atleast one song included on this DVD. I know it's because Trustkill put out this release but, in my opinion, more bands would have made this release a whole lot better. However, for what this dvd is, it is incredible. It's just amazing to see such a high calibur project being completed in hardcore. It definitely sticks out above anything that has been done before it. This dvd will lead to bigger and more elaborate projects in hardcore, and I have to give props to trustkill, high roller, and radiotakeover for creating something like this that will be the start of high tech. hardcore videos and such. Everything from the packaging to the dvd interface are really nicely done, and these things also contribute to the quality of this release. But anyway, the audio on this DVD is perfect, it captures the live sound of the bands very well. Occasionally, you can tell where they didn't dub the audio perfectly with the video but it is really a minor detail because for the most part, it's flawless. There is like 4 different cameras that switch back and forth, so you get multiple views of everything that is going on which lets you experience it from different perspectives. The way the songs go is: it starts off with the band talking about what they think of hellfest, or how they drove far to play, or whatever. Then it shows them play their song. Then the next band goes. This goes on for about 26 songs. My personal favorites on this dvd would be Shai Hulud playing "Solely Concentrating on the Negative Aspects of Life", Everytime I Die playing "Your Touch Versus Death", Eighteen Visions playing "The Psycotic Thought That Satan Gave Jesus", Converge's "Conduit", Walls Of Jericho's "A Day and a Thousand Years", and Hope Conspiracy's "Escapist". There's plenty of other awesome songs though. Anyway, this dvd is highly recommened to everyone. Check it out.

There's alot of interest in DVD technology these days, the ability to advance your viewing pleasure and enhance a film to an extent where it becomes alot more interactive. Anyway, this DVD captures one of America's largest and more intense hardcore festivals for everyone in the world to see, if like myself you didn't get to experience it first hand then this is the next best thing. Quality wise, the interviews and band performances are captured reasonlably well and the intensity can almost be felt (i'm telling you, watching those kids stage diving and going insane sent shivers up my spine) and the sound quality is really pretty good considering it's a live recording. Anyway, the bands that are being showcased here are like a who's who of the US underground HxC scene. You've got passionate performances from Converge (simply a must see moment, the last performance of the DVD is Converge's 'The Saddest Day' which will take your breath away and re-instill your faith in hardcore upon viewing), Brother's Keeper, Poison the Well, Reach The Sky, Shai Hulud and a shit load more which will have you standing up and thrashing around your living room. As far as documentaries go this is up there with the best, this is for the kids by the kids which is a really cool thing to see, everyone's having fun and the atmosphere is pretty intense. As is kind of standard with the DVD format you get a few interesting extras on here, a feature length directors commentary which is enlightening and you've got a few extra songs thrown in by Shai Hulud, Brother's Keeper, Buried Alive, Converge, One King Down, Poison The Well, Reach The Sky and Walls of Jericho. So, is this any good? Is it worth shelling out a few notes for? Well, if you like all aspects of the hardcore scene then this is simply a must buy. I'm not sure if a video format of this will be available but for now, this DVD is awesome.

Hands down -- I'll swear on my grandparents' grave or even, gulp, the Holy Bible -- this is by far one of the BEST DVDs I have ever encountered. Professional, chock full of goodies and a strong documentary style makes 'Hellfest' a most essential purchase for any real hardcore or noisecore fan. Filmed at last year's legendary Hellfest, a hardcore/punk-rock festival in Syracuse, New York that almost didn't happen, we follow the cameras as they go inside the mosh pits, shoot interviews with bands off-stage, and otherwise capture the whole chaos of the festival. Director/editor Dog Spangenberg has done an amazing job of capturing these bands in their own environment, bringing the viewer right on stage as these bands lash out at the audience with their intensity. Watching bands like Walls of Jericho, Converge, Buried Alive, Poison the Well, Brother's Keeper, and so many more going ballistic is totally worth it. Included within the DVD are audio commentaries from the director and the bands who participated, extra songs only available on DVD and lots of other goodies. If you call yourself a fan of this genre of music, then it is your duty to get 'Hellfest.' It is just magical (and memorable) watching the madness unfold. Damn, I wish I had gone to the festival. Kevin Stewart-Panko was there. He still reminisces about the show. Damn, him too.

There is a reason why we rarely review music video's, cause usually they suck your Grandpa's wrinkled left nut. Generally speaking music videos are always the "popular bands" doing stupid shit like trashing hotel rooms, and seeing middle aged road whores shaking their saggy tits. All in all, these videos rarely are about the music...until now! The Hellfest DVD is aptly titled; it truly is like a journey through hell. The interviews will give you a peek into the world of most of the bands on the video. Like the van wreck Idle Hands was in, the goofy side of Nora, the difference between Overcast and Killswitch Engage. They did a great job of showing who these people are, like the enthusiasm of Ian (Reach The Sky), and the intelligence of Mike Ski (Brothers Keeper). Unlike other video's, the Helfest DVD gives the bands an opportunity to educate you on who they are instead of popping each others butt boils.The music is just sick. Every shot of Converge's live set has bodies flying. Bane mashes with precision. The lead girls in Idle Hands and Walls Of Jericho show that hardcore is not just a testosterone thing. My boy Carl in Nora unleashes a fury all his own, while the guys of Poison The Well play one of the best songs of the night "Slice Paper Wrists". Fans of old Pantera will love the set Killswitch Engage puts forth, it is bruising and one of the highlights. Eighteen Visions if you have not heard them is one of the best hardcore bands around. The evidence is right here. Oh and then there is Boston's own Reach The Sky. I have yet to touch on One King Down, Buried Alive or Shai Hulud, but that's not to take anything away from those bands. If just feel like a pussy wearing a skirt and shaking pom poms. So with that I will shed both and say, forget all those other shit ass music videos; this DVD/Video is the next best thing to being at Hellfest. Go get it kiddies!

When I first heard that Trustkill Records was making a DVD/VHS documentary of last year's Hellfest, I was really siked about it because I didn't get a chance to attend it and unfortunately won't have a chance to either again this year. Upon watching the DVD version I purchased from the Relapse Record store in Philadelphia, I thought that the footage captured was remarkable and looked to me like an official bootleg of last year's giant three day hardcore fest. The DVD version is fantastic. You can skip whatever band's you don't want to watch and each band is divided up into a different chapter. There is also a feature that you allows you to access each song the respective band plays on the DVD and hear some commentary by the bands themselves. You can also view the entire documentary with the director and crew commentary as well. There is a ton of bonus footage to be seen also, which is great about the DVD version because I would assume the VHS version doesn't have any of this. The only thing I didn't like particularly too much about this documentary is that there is primarily only Trustkill bands on here. I think there is like argulably 6 or 7 bands from the Trustkill roster on here. On top of that, bands like Shai Hulud who have released something with Trustkill in the past. I pretty much baught this DVD for the Poison The Well footage and I think that, and Bane's footage as well were the best on here. The crowd definitely gave it up for Bane during "Can We Start Again?" There were pile on's and everything else you can imagine. There is some really stupid shit on there like Killswitch Engage or Eighteen Visions that could have been replaced by like The Dillinger Escape Plan or another band that didn't make it to the documentary. I would have loved to see Dillinger on this thing, but I guess since they're not affiliated with Trustkill in any way, they didn't make it. I know there were tons of complications with the venue and promoters so that may have had something to do with it as well. Before each band plays their respective song on the documentary, they usually have some brief scene introducing a few of the band members. Brother's Keeper ranted about why they played a set of all Misfits covers, which I thought was kind of lame. I'm not really an avid van of them anyway. But some bands just say ridiculous shit like Eighteen Visions and some bands were just too rockstar to say anything at all like Converge. That kind of pissed me off as well. But the Shai Hulud and Poison The Well scenes made up for it. What pissed me off even more was that from how the director and crew represented the fest from last year, even though I heard a lot of bad shit about it, it was generally an awesome time and made me want to go this year more than ever. I even saw some kids I knew in the crowd from last year. From the DVD, the crowd looked to be going nuts and steadily getting their mosh on throughout every band's set. The place was pretty damn big, and fit about 3,000 sweaty hardcore kids. It looked to be about 6 or 7 different pits of people dancing and giving it up for their favorite bands. I would have to say, if there's not that many bands playing that you enjoy, just go for the experience itself. If you're not totally sure if you want to go, pick up this DVD and it'll give you a great deal of insight on the entire atmosphere of Hellfest. Give it a chance and pick this up.

The rise of Hellfest from a 3-band basement show to a 60+ band 3 day extravaganza is one of the most amazing examples of DIY capturing the spirit of not just bands, but an entire movement.   Primarily composed of “heavy” and “metal-tinged” hardcore bands, Hellfest has become one of, if not THE, must see event of the year.  So, a stroke of fuckin’ genius was at work when it was decided to capture the spirit, performance and excitement to film.  Given that we have little or no video footage documenting the ever-emerging scene (with the exception of ‘Release’; the Victory Records document), ‘Hellfest 2000’ is as important as it is enjoyable. Filmed and edited by Doug Spangenberg (who graced us with the incredible ‘Instrument’ documentary on Fugazi), ‘Hellfest 2000’ is ripe with five cameras jockeying for position amidst the chaos of some truly memorable sets.  After viewing this a number of times, I keep going back to certain performances that really transferred well in the audio department.  Because of the nature of this brand of brutish hardcore, there is a tendency for some seriously muddled walls of noise; partly due to the material presented, and in part due to sound.  It’s tough to capture all the nuances of many of the bands presented in a video presentation, with the shouts of frenzied crowds and a soundboard that was undoubtedly loud as fuck.  But those bands who’s music involved the dynamics of slower or softer parts, really came through well.  And even the most blood-pumping brutality of bands like Converge are anchored by their top-notch energy and uncompromising assault.  It seems that the bands at Hellfest came to rock the fuck out…and rock they truly did.  While I wish there were a few more crowd shots (as most the action is pointed toward the stage), you can firmly feel the pulsing energy that was just beyond the reach of the well-paced cameras. Beginning with a short documentary-like introduction into the festival that almost wasn’t, we are treated to some cool shots of the crowds arriving, hanging out, and waiting word on what was to come.  The reason such images felt so right, was the intimacy of the moments that were to come.  The sense of solidarity and partnership between fans, bands and promoters is truly apparent, and gives the viewer the feeling that, in simply watching this, you are part of a much larger scene of people brought together by a common love of hardcore. Prior to each performance, we are treated to some brief band interviews that work out pretty well; never too long, and more often than not, the impact of the show and what it means for these bands to be participating is one of genuine enthusiasm.  Buried Alive are a fuckin’ crack-up, Bane are inspiring, and Reach the Sky should run for president (their honesty and awe is a true highlight).  Probably the least known of the bands on the DVD (and the only one I hadn’t heard prior to this) was Buffalo’s Every Time I Die, who’s comments regarding an odd-placed bulldozer as their means of transportation, was a fucking killer ice-breaker, and made me really enjoy their track. As for performances, even at it’s most docile (Idle Hands), the bands seem to be having a great time.  But as I said before, dynamics really stood out here.  Poison The Well are simply heart-stopping, as the subtle bridges of “Slice Paper Wrists” and “Nerdy” attest.  And an entire venue singing in unison “I remember the d-a-a-ay”, from “Slice Paper Wrists” was chilling, and keeps my belief that these guys are, hands down, one of the best live acts around.  Shai Hulud, who I had previously given only minor attention to, skyrocketed to the top of my “to get” list with an incredible couple of tracks.  Top-shelf sounds from Walls of Jericho (Candace is a fucking insane front person, singing atop a sea of hands riding the crowd); Eighteen Visions (who never cease to bring some personality to the show); Nora (who just plain rock); The Hope Conspiracy (who easily demonstrate their brilliance despite their infancy as a band); and of course, you can’t even blink during the rip roaring noise that is Converge and Buried Alive.  Both are unbelievable despite the tendency for chaos getting the best of the mix.  Killswitch Engage play a rather meaty number “Vide Infra”, that makes one wish there were more of them.  “Gravity Wins Again” by One King Down looks like it was done early in the day, with little in the way of the crowd, and yet, “More Hate Than Fear” is an fiercely pummeling performance that looks like everyone realized they fucked up missing the first track, and were making up for it.  While there are differences of opinion concerning Hellfest vets Brothers Keeper doing a full set of Misfits covers, I will just say that, despite their decent performance, I would have preferred their own stuff, and it looks as though many of the crowd though the same.  But the spirit of the show goes to Reach The Sky and Bane; Reach the Sky for their inspiring remarks and a sincere appreciation for what Hellfest was all about.  And Bane for simply ripping the fuck out of the joint, and whirling the entire venue into a frenzy of monumental proportions during “Can We Start Again?”. Both the VHS & DVD versions of ‘Hellfest’ contains the tracks shown in the track listing.  However, the DVD version is jam packed with so much more, it is worth picking up a player just to see it (or both versions until you get a DVD).  Extras on the DVD (actual shit you want to watch!!!) audio commentaries (different than the pre-song banter) by Bane, Nora, One King Down and Poison The Well.  Feature length Director and crew commentary; motion menus, chapter selections and movie trailer; bonus song from Bane, Brothers Keeper, Buried Alive, Converge, Eighteen Visions, Nora, One King Down, Poison The Well, Reach The Sky, Shai Hulud and Walls of Jericho; digital suround sound, band information and more…totaling over 150 minutes. While ‘Hellfest 2000’ is a great tribute to the show, it would seem capturing such a vast experience could have included a few more acts.  Granted, all the bigger names are here, but there are a number of up and comers who, I am sure, played many great sets as well.  It would have been nice to see some of the new faces.  But there is only so much time, and so much equipment.  But feel free to put me down for the 10 CD box set should the footage ever surface.  Yes, ‘Hellfest 2000’ is not without its flaws, but they are minor at best. But in terms of capturing the spirit and some flat out fantastic performances, this is one to watch repeatedly and feel a part of this thing called hardcore.  A must own piece of history…