With the first day (April 20) of the 2012 New England Metal and Hardcore Festival having come and gone, the Palladium in Worcester, Mass. saw a long and intense day of heavy music, thousands of rabid fans and some deathly serious action in the pit.

The day started off strong with This Is Hell, Hour of Penance and many others ripping apart the two festival stages. The buzz for Italian death metallers Fleshgod Apocalypse (or Fleshlight Apocalypse as All Shall Perish call them), was huge despite the 20 minute set time and less-than-stellar sound. This is the second time in a row we've seen Fleshgod with bad sound. Can no venue handle the heaviness of this band?!

Other notable performances came from the aforementioned All Shall Perish, Nile and Massachusetts natives, the Acacia Strain. An insane pit and a few of the most memorable moments came from the Acacia Strain as one fan rushed off the venue floor with a broken nose and the band demanding that other acts "keep Christianity out of metal."

Finally, the headlining Black Dahlia Murder swarmed the stage and summoned a massive response from the crowd. Overall, a solid day to kick off the three-day fest, with Overkill, DragonForce, All that Remains and many more to shake the foundation of the Palladium later today.

Stay tuned for more coverage and exclusive photos from the 2012 New England Metal and Hardcore Festival.

Check Out Photos of Day 1 of the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival

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