They’re not underground. They’re not obscure. But Primus, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer have never followed a straight line — and that’s exactly what makes them essential.

It’s just past 5PM on a perfect May Saturday at MMRBQ, and Fat Mezz has already played twice. The second set just ended, this time on the smaller stage, and the air still crackles.

Bordentown, New Jersey. Not exactly the epicenter of anything but Wawa runs and sun-bleached nostalgia. But tonight, in the fluorescent-lit bowels of Bordentown High School, something is happening.

Bordentown High School shouldn’t be the setting for a religious awakening. But here we are. Fluorescent lights humming above a polished auditorium stage, red curtains drawn back like a velvet portal to hell.