Ah, the bittersweet last day of the 2013 Maryland Deathfest. Who will you be scrambling to see? There are a lot of good bands today, and if this was the only day you bought a ticket for, you have made a good choice. Entrances open at 1:15 pm
Rumor has it that the members of Speedwolf are the drunkest metal band in Denver. TRVE Brewing has even named a beer after them called Death Ripper Ale. Let’s see how hungover they are from Saturday. 1:50 – 2:25 (Sonar Stage 3/Inside)
This will be one of the last shows Ilsa will play with their current lineup as they will be using a new guitarist going forward. Or at least, that’s the rumor I heard. Maybe the previous guitarist, Garrett Underwood, has already handed over the duty to Dom Romeo, the “dom” of A389 Records. 2:00 – 2:30 (Baltimore Soundstage)
Cruciamentum equals heavy old school, slightly melodic, death metal. I don’t know if I can handle this so early in the day, but I will try. 2:40 – 3:20 (Sonar Stage 3/Inside)
Tinner comes from Finland. They bring d-beat, masks and a lot of attitude. 2:45 – 3:25 (Baltimore Soundstage)
France’s Glorior Belli recently went through a Southern-fried black and roll phase. I hope they are out of that. I like their “older” more orthodox black metal. I plan to check them out and see. 3:30 – 4:15 (Sonar Stage 2)
Contrastic may be one of the few grindcore bands I like. Experimental and challenging, they seem to be pulling the best from a lot of genres (deathmetal, grind and electronic, industrial, jazz, and the kitchen sink) and creating something really unique. 3:35 – 4:10 (Sonar Stage 3/Inside)
Midnight plays black and roll with speed metal overtones. And they wear black masks. I am never a fan of that look, but they sound pretty good so I will check them out. 4:15 – 5:00 (Sonar Stage 1)
Kromosom came all the way from Australia to play some hardcore punk for you. You should go see them. I wish I could be in two places at once. Maybe I will be. – 4:15 – 4:55 (Baltimore Soundstage)
Gride are super fast somewhat melodic grinders from the Czech Republic. But I don’t speak Czech. 5:00 – 5:40 (Sonar Stage 3/Inside)
Pagan Altar have been around forever honing their special brand of British doom metal, but in all that time they have never been to the USA. So you better check them out. 5:00 – 5:50 (Sonar Stage 2)
Iron Lung are two guys making powerviolence in my living room. Yeah, I wish. But it is astonishing how much aggression and power can come from just two, nice normal looking gentlemen. 5:50 – 6:25 (Baltimore Soundstage)
Sacred Reich plays politically aware thrash metal with a bit of humor and a lot of heart. 5:50 – 6:45 (Sonar Stage 1)
No fest would be complete without some epic power metal. The legendary Manilla Road plays the traditional kind with soaring guitar riffs, beautiful vocals and lyrics you can understand. – 6:45 – 7:40 (Sonar Stage 2)
Integrity is a well-respected hardcore band that has been terrorizing audiences since the late 1980s. They call this hardcore, but I just think they are a great rock and roll outfit. 6:45 – 7:35 (Sonar Stage 3/Inside)
Sleep. What can I say? Slow, contemplative, heavy, unprecedented stoner sludge. You don’t need any “enhancements” to listen to this band, but it helps. 7:40 – 8:40 (Sonar Stage 1)
How many times has Bobby Liebling been brought back from the edge of destruction to play with Pentagram for you? Too many to count. They will be premiering their new guitarist, I would imagine. 8:45 – 9:45 (Sonar Stage 2)
Candles, robes, blood. This is black metal. This is Ascension. 8:50 – 9:40 (Sonar Stage 3/Inside)
Magrudergrind grew out of the prolific Washington, D.C. hardcore, punk and DIY show scene. They have released about a million records and have a strong following and for good reason. Expect continuos stage-diving. 9:00 – 9:35 (Baltimore Soundstage)
I would have given a lung to have seen Venom play on a cruise ship, but all I have is this video. Oh well. They pretty much invented the term black metal. Enough said. 9:50 – 11:00 (Sonar Stage 1)
Citizens Arrest is punk rock the way I remember it. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and nostalgic and like I might even want to stage dive (I won’t). They are godfathers of the NYC hardcore/punk scene. Why are they playing during the set of another band I want to see? Kill me.- 11:00 – 11:45 (Baltimore Soundstage)
Note: Set cancelled due to visa issues. So enjoy this video. The second wave of black metal brought forth Carpathian Forest. This is their first time on American soil. Get in that tent! – 11:00 – 12:00 (Sonar Stage 3/Inside)
I have seen Converge. Their style of chaotic hardcore is not really my thing. But don’t let me stop you from enjoying their set, which concludes this installment of the Maryland Deathfest. – 12:00- 1:00 (Baltimore Soundstage)