DEVIL’S HOPYARD / DIRT – THE WOLF DEN IN MOHEGAN SUN
By Donna Marie Eriquezzo
Its not an easy drive to Mohegan Sun to attend a show at the legendary Wolf Den on a Sunday evening but definitely worth it to see Ct own Devil’s Hopyard and Dirt perform. So I arrived early and already quite the crowd was gathering in the Wolf Den. Its so exciting to see local bands play at this venue.
First on the stage was Dirt. They came out on stage with their hit “Vultures” and wow they sounded amazing! The best I’ve ever heard them sound! Then they went into “Empire of Sand” which is hands down one of my favorite songs by Dirt. If you have never heard them you need to check them out on all streaming media or YouTube.
Dirt is a heavy-hitting rock and metal band based out of CT. these guys are so high energy and so much fun to see. Their latest album, Hell is Frozen was released not long ago and it is hands down, their best album by far, with Ray Sylvestre destrying it on vocals, Ralph Guzzi and Scott Kadish on guitars, Fred “Freddy Fingers” Bemis on bass, and Paul Bourdeau on drums.
Next they went into “Dead or Alive” followed by their title track ‘Hell is Frozen” and they are killing it and really pulling people into the Wolf Den. You can tell that the band absolutely loves what they doing and they were born to perform. They recently returned home from a tour in Europe with Marco Mendoza and the fans loved them over there.
Next they performed “Dark Side of Heaven” followed by “Stairway to Valhalla”, “Paralyzed”, and ”Rock Ain’t Dead” which is my other favorite song by Dirt. Oh, who am I kidding, I love all of their songs. I’m telling you these guys do not have one bad song!!! Every tune is a hit that should be on the radio as far as I am concerned. Their last song of the evening was “Switchblade Renegade” which always has a lot of crowd participation. This is such a catchy fun song.
Dirt has a rockumetary out that you can see. It’s a full show on YouTube from the Milwaukee Metal Fest this past month and they have a HUGE benefit show coming up on Oct. 3, 2026 at the Cellar on Treadwell. Get your tickets soon as this show will definitely sell out for sure! Come join the rest of us “Dirtbags” that enjoy their music as well as their friendship. These guys love their fans and treat them great!! Thank you Dirt for another great show!!
Next on the stage is Devil’s Hopyard which is a Ct based groove/thrash metal band and wow!!! They started their set with “Nerve Gas” and the crowd was going nuts banging their heads and really getting into the music. Brian Reed is a phenomenal front man, and Devil’s Hopyard as a whole is very energetic and crowd engaging. These guys are emerging artists and they are wicked good.
Next on the set was “Still Alive” followed by “No Place Like Hell” which is hands down my favorite song by Devil’s Hopyard. It’s heavy and the energy is infectious especially with James F Valli on bass. He works the stage like crazy performing helicopters etc. He is an amazing bass player.
Jordan Parsons who plays guitar is also fantastc and his hair is flying the whole time. Sean Nolan slayed it on drums for sure. The next song was “Killer Within” followed by “Satan’s Only Hope”, “Day of Reckon” followed by my other favorite which is “Infectious Black” and lastly was a Sepultura cover called “Territory”. Devil’s Hopyard really pulled in a crowd and gave everyone a Sunday night to remember.
Both bands really gave it their all and the crowd loved both bands even though they are different genres. It was a great evening and so worth the drive to the Wolf Den. If you haven’t seen these bands be sure to follow them on social media and attend their shows! It was so nice seeing so many support local music!
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