Bands – D Bloc, Vigilante, Moral Pollution, MarrowBone, Escalation of Force, Everything Evil, Ante Up, Red Ice, Hostile, Drop Rate, Hog Hunter, Brugada
Venue – Historic Masonic Temple
Location – Bay City, MI
Concert Date – November 8th, 2025
Words & Photos – Porous
Winter is coming. And last Saturday night, I chose to keep warm at the Historic Masonic Temple theater in Bay City, Michigan. XLNC were throwing a show with TWELVE bands of the hardcore and/or metal persuasion over the course of only SIX hours. It was going to be back-to-back pandemonium and there was no way in hell I’d miss this. But since there are so many incredible acts to cover, let’s just get right the fuck to it.
BRUGADA
First up were Brugada. They kicked things off in the “Red Room”, which was technically the smaller of the two stages that evening. This room was darker, felt louder, and there was no escaping any onslaught that should erupt. For the show’s opener, there was already an impressive crowd assembled to witness Brugada’s incredibly infectious brand of metal. The four band members played their damn hearts out and those catchy heavy hooks in their songs dug deep into all of us. So, hey… go follow Brugada and check out their latest single “Cold”. It fucks.
HOG HUNTER
Now it was time for the Masonic’s main hall to get (*ahem*) hog wild. I believe Hog Hunter referred to themselves as improvisational grind at some point, which is not a subgenre I typically listen to, but it is beyond fun to experience live. I recognized the guitar player from another local band, Piss Soup. Over the course of the set, the lineup shifted around and we got to see multiple miscreants on the mic (and drums) completely eviscerating any “normal” expectations of what music should sound like. And I mean that as the highest compliment. This is a band to be experienced @hoghunter
DROP RATE
The instant Drop Rate started playing, it took me back to the first time I heard Snapcase’s “Progression Through Unlearning” in the late 90s. Although the four in this band are not just some worship act. Drop Rate has built upon that fun hardcore punk sound and brought a more positive energy to the room which helped balance out a show like this. If you’ve somehow not heard Drop Rate yet, that is your homework this evening: Listen to Twin Charm Volume 1 released in September via Setterwind Records.
HOSTILE
If someone had told me afterwards that this was Hostile’s very first show, I wouldn’t have believed them. But it’s true. Some bands just “have it”. I did not hear a single flaw in that live performance. Hostile had the whole hall wrapped around their fingers over the entire 25 minute set. Everyone was into it. Banging their heads to the infectious riffage. Marveling at vocalist Aubrey’s sweet stage presence. They don’t even have a track released yet! But you know they will soon, so give Hostile a follow because you won’t want to miss this when it drops.
RED ICE
Let me ask you something. Do you like hockey and Turnstile? If yes, then you’d love Red Ice. If not, you’d still love Red Ice. These five were one of my favorites of the night. My god, their energy. Absolutely unreal. And it took place in the smaller of the two rooms, so it was even more palpable. Red Ice were definitely one of the more melodic hardcore bands on the bill, and as I’ve said before, I fucking love that balance at a show. If anyone had been feeling any sort of down before that day, they most def would’ve been riding a high afterwards. So keep Red Ice on your radar. I guarantee whatever new shit comes out next from them will be fire
ANTE UP
Up until this point in the evening, I’d been having a really good time running around taking photos of the various bands and catching up with friends. But then Ante Up came out on that main stage and showed everyone how it’s fucking done. Now I was having an amazing time. These guys have been doing this shit for years, and it shows. The crowd knew it too and were totally down to ratchet up the aggression. Ante Up’s vocalist Critter roared those lyrics from that stage while the band pummeled the crowd with some of the heaviest breakdowns I’d heard in quite some time. Follow Ante Up and listen to their latest full-length L.I.F.E from Upstate Records.
EVERYTHING EVIL
This is who I was most stoked for: Everything Evil. The five play a style of metalcore that reminds me of Converge and Every Time I Die (two of my all-time favs), so it’s sometimes difficult for me to focus on photography while Everything Evil is making my blackened heart feel alive again. On stage were Joey, Anthony, and Joe expertly shredding away at their guitars (and our ears in the most delightful way). Bringing up the rear was Teddy fueling the entire thing behind that drumkit. And then running around the room like a bat out of hell for most of it was Wedge on vocals. His old band ForDireLifeSake was a big influence on me, and I can’t thank him (and the rest of Everything Evil) enough for continuing to make some of my favorite music. Check out their split with Moral Pollution. Do it or I’ll hunt you down.
ESCALATION OF FORCE
“Pain is the only thing that makes me feel alive.” Truer words were never spoken. Escalation of Force are the real fucking deal. When they came out on that stage, you could feel the energy shift even more in the extreme. Their vocalist TJ spent most of the set pacing the pit, while a broken ballet of flailing limbs and floor punches whirled around him. Everyone talks about this renaissance of hardcore in these last few years. Especially Michigan hardcore. Escalation of Force is one of the reasons why. Check out their latest EP “Justice Through Violence”, released on Death Farm records. But more importantly, go experience them live. They have a bunch of shows coming up, so open your precious little social media app, and hit the follow button so you don’t miss Escalation of Force next time.
MARROWBONE
I didn’t get to catch all of MarrowBone’s set in Bay City last Saturday night, but from what I saw they killed it. Then brought it back to life just to kill it again. The Historic Masonic Temple’s red room was packed and long hair (often dreads) whipped around wildly. These four from Saginaw were the death metal band on the bill and gave me that dose of blast beats and brutality before heading back to cover more hardcore bands. Don’t sleep on MarrowBone, as they are what nightmares are made of. Or something like that. Just listen to their latest release Ad Astra // Per Aspera and you’ll understand.
MORAL POLLUTION
Of the 12 bands that played last Saturday night, “Moral Pollution” have the best name. But they also put on one of the best performances that evening. It was fast and angry, and their vocalist would accept nothing less than total chaos from the crowd. This was the first time I got to witness Moral Pollution and it will not be the last. If you like your hardcore to veer into d-beat and crust territory, this is the band for you. Listen to Moral Pollution. Listen to their split with one of my other favs from the show, Everything Evil. Do it. Do it now!
VIGILANTE
I remember going up to Jack’s Record Stache in Flint a couple years back and Jerry recommending Vigilante’s “False Gods of War” tape. Not only did I trust his judgement, but the album art was perfect and so I bought the damn thing. Man, these guys are heavy as all hell. Their vocalist Hunter paced around the Masonic’s red room that night like he was looking for blood. I think it scared some people. As they should be. But there were enough who knew the deal and shit livened up the last half of their set. Do the thing and follow Vigilante if you want to see one of the hardest bands around right now. Also check out their latest EP from early 2025, Fear of Defeat.
D BLOC
Motherfucking D Bloc. I don’t have the words. Seriously. And it’s not because I just wrote about the other 11 bands that played Bay City’s hardcore fest last Saturday night. To say D Bloc’s shows get raucous is the understatement of the century. They are a battlefield. If you want to experience a special kind of (usually) mutual violence, go see this band. If you have any physical medical conditions though… still go see them, maybe just stay in the back. And from what I’ve gathered, this show was somewhat tame compared to what usually goes down when they play in their hometown, Detroit. But if you’re unfamiliar with D Bloc, throw on their latest single “Wrong Path” and turn up the volume to an uncomfortable level while you make plans to behold their next bloodbath.
That was honestly one of the best nights I’d had in a while. The Historic Masonic Temple in Bay City was such a cool venue for all this. The promoter, XLNC, and all the staff were incredibly welcoming and accommodating that entire evening. I got to see old friends and make some new ones. Support local music.
NO AI WAS USED FOR ANY OF THIS COVERAGE. A HUMAN BEING USED THEIR OWN BRAIN
Follow @porousphoto on Instagram to see more photos from the show.
Biography: Porous has been possessed by heavy music for the vast majority of his life. For a good chunk of it, that love was exorcised by playing metal, punk, and hardcore with other musicians. Nowadays Porous writes/records music mostly on his own, but engages with the community by supporting/encouraging other artists, and one of those ways is through writing! In early 2025 he joined MoshPitNation to contribute album/show reviews, concert photography, and hopefully an infectious love for sincere heavy music. For more photography, visit his digital portfolio.
