Though the extreme metal calendar in North America has long been dominated by Maryland Deathfest in May and Decibel’s own Metal & Beer Fest in March, a new festival has sprung up to cater to metal heads and crusties residing in the country’s heartland. 71 Grind is a fully D.I.Y. metal festival being held on June 8th-10th in scenic Colorado Springs, CO. The festival, now entering its fourth year of existence, is put together strictly using local resources with no corporate sponsorships whatsoever. 71 Grind aims to expose bands to local venues in the Colorado Springs area and serve as a gateway between the local metal scene and nationally touring bands. As festival founder Bryan Ostrow puts it “This festival is in the evangelical hotbed of Colorado Springs, CO. We like to show people that there is more here and there are awesome bands, a killer scene, and cool local spots”
But don’t mistake its emphasis on local venues and bands as it being some rinky-dink metal festival. 71 has previously featured performances by bands such as Full of Hell, Thou, Conan, Phobia, Bell Witch, Primitive Man and Cloud Rat. This year’s lineup looks to build upon that impressive resume with bands such as Infest, Despise You, MDC, Noisear, Vermin Womb and a special collaboration set between Transient and Bastard Noise. The full lineup is available on the festival’s Facebook page.