Something that Upheaval Fest, in Grand Rapids Michigan did that I wish other festivals would follow suit, was tap into the local rock & metal scene and showcase them. One of the featured hometown bands for this two day festival was Heartsick, and they brought out the Michigan hardcore.
Just before their set, I had the pleasure to speak with frontman Alfonso Civile and went into great length on the Michigan metal scene, specifically on local producer Josh Schroeder as he has a huge hand in the sound for this band.
Now even though Heartsick was completely new to me prior to coming to Upheaval, they are complete veterans in the Michigan scene and brought a fan base that rivaled the main stage acts.
When Alfonso came to the stage, the hometown crowd was already in a frenzy, just waiting for that first guttural yell to happen and start the mosh pit. Even coming up & down the hill 5 times, Alfonso mentioned in our interview, his intensity on stage did not falter as he crowd surfed during songs and even even came inside the pit. I am also 100% sure Heartsick did the first wall of death for 2021, and it was a beautiful sight to see.
Their sound from studio recordings to live performance was even better than I was anticipating it to be. Amazing clean vocals, a monstrous guttural yells, disgusting breakdowns, and a stage presence like they were the headlining act, make Heartsick a band to experience.
Checkout our interview below for all things Heartsick and be sure to stream their new E.P. Cinco on all platforms now. They also will be doing a fall U.S. you with CombiChrist, check for dates near you.