This blog specializes in heavy metal music and how it relates to Washington DC and the surrounding area. Featuring info on upcoming metal concerts in Washington DC, Baltimore and Virginia, as well as info on local bands, area concert venues, reviews of live gigs, and lots of give aways.
So by now most of you have probably heard about the passing of Blake Harrison, of Hatebeak, Zealot R.I.P. and formerly of Pig Destroyer. Dude was one of my best friends and news of his passing has hit me pretty hard. I’ve been getting a lot of questions and emails about updates on DCHM’s calendar and right now, I just can’t. I’m not ending DCHM permanently. I’ll get things rolling again (hopefully soon) and I’m not gonna self harm or anything like that so don’t worry about me, I just need some time. Blake deserves a fitting post and this isn’t it, I really can’t muster the words right now. I’ll be at the Solace show at Atlas this Saturday if you wanna talk to me about Blake or anything else. However the main point of this post is that I wanted people to know there will be a celebration of Blake’s life at the Baltimore Soundstage on Sunday, May 24th. I’m reposting the details below, I hope anyone that cared about Blake can attend.
We will be celebrating Blake Harrison on Sunday March 24th at the Baltimore Soundstage. While the final details are still being worked out I would like to invite everyone who loved him.
We will be having a close friends and family remembrance, followed by a celebration of life. (The remembrance is the more formal ceremony).
The close friends and family remembrance will be from 12-2pm approximately.
We will have a brief set change and the celebration of life will begin at 3pm.
The celebration of life is open to everyone who knew and loved Blake. We will have Guinness, non-alcoholic drinks, and some other refreshments.
For the celebration of life, please wear *your* favorite band shirt. I think Blake would really like if someone discovered a new favorite band because he loved everything about music.
(If you are coming to both events, you are encouraged to wear something slightly more formal for the first part and welcome to change.)
We are gathering photos, short videos, and creating a playlist worthy of Blake. If you would like to contribute, please send to:
rememberingblakeharrison@gmail.com
If you feel so moved, Blake would probably like a donation to Vindicated Pit Bull Rescue. He loves Crab so much and really hated breed bans and how people misunderstand brick heads. Or you know, pick something you like. When we were starting our spring cleaning and he was getting rid of some jeans, he’d say “just give them to someone who needs them.” So if you like, and you feel moved to do so, please give to whatever your favorite organization is.
Hell in the Harbor Fest really was a hell of a way to spend Memorial Day Weekend. The entire block of Market Street in front of the Baltimore Soundstage was blocked off and fenced in for the festival. The single outdoor stage located on the northbound lane of Market Street faced North with East Pratt Street to its back which lead to lots of pedestrians hanging around gawking and the bands performing there. The event was sold out and it got pretty crowded in the street near the stage when the more popular bands were playing there, especially since some of the food and drink vendors were located very close to the outdoor stage. That said, it def had the feel of that era of Maryland Deathfest with the single stage outside of Sonar back in the day. Everything went off pretty well it seemed, only one band canceled out of the entire line up and there was even a surprise set by Jivebomb atop a shipping container located inside the fenced in area of the fest. Big props to Adam Savage for putting this all together and to Mike O’Brien at Baltimore Soundstage for letting me cover it (and give away tickets to one lucky DCHM fan!). Below I’m posting just some of my favorite photos and videos that I shot at Hell in the Harbor Fest but you can see all of my photos from the festival on Flickr here and all of the videos I shot at the fest and other shows on my YouTube page here. And if that’s not enough for you be sure to check out other coverage of the fest by people like Melissa Suarez Photography, Hillarie Jason Photography, Return to the Pit / Aaron Pepelis, and Misery Cartel Photos.
Friday the 26th of May was the pre-show for the fest at Baltimore Soundstage. Nothing took place outdoors that night and I only shot a bit of the set of the headliner, the Swedish doom metal band Candlemass. Below is my video of their final two songs, “Solitude” and “Demon’s Gate,” but I also shot footage of their song “The Bells of Acheron” which you can see here.
The first full day of Hell in the Harbor Fest was on Saturday the 27th and the weather was sunny and warm. The first band I caught was the Ohio based death metal band Sanguisugabogg on the outdoor stage. They
Georgia based sludge band Black Tusk put on a super high energy set on the Baltimore Soundstage’s stage. It’s been a while since I have seen them live but their live show has really improved in that time, I was definitely impressed. They also played a new song, titled Brush Fire, which I shot video footage of that you can see below.
Next I saw Maryland’s own Dying Fetus perform their style of slam death metal on the outdoor stage.
The main headliner of day one was the most famous death metal band in the world, Cannibal Corpse! This was my first time catching them live since Erik Rutan joined the band and I’ve got to say they seemed even tighter with him in the line up. In the video I shot below lead vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher challenged the audience to best him at head banging (I don’t think anyone beat him tbh).
Eventually I found my way over to Angel’s Rock Bar inside the Power Plant area to catch Tombs play. They were solid but they had the stage lights turned down low and a ton of fog so the conditions we’re pretty poor to try to shoot anything in.
Sunday the 28th of May was the final day of Hell in the Harbor Fest but had what I considered the best line up of the weekend. The first band I caught was the chainmail wearing blackened speed metal band Demiser from South Carolina inside Baltimore Soundstage. I shot the below video of them including an epic stage dive by DCHM contributor Vivek at the 4:11 mark.
After Demiser I went outside to catch Misery Index on the outdoor stage. They’re always a fun band that is mostly local (founding member Jason Netherton now lives in Sweden) and they always do a good job of song selection for their live shows. Their drummer, Adam Jarvis, had an intense day as he also played with Pig Destroyer, the next band to play on the same stage that day.
I saw Michigan based grind band Cloud Rat perform next inside Baltimore Soundstage, but their set was really short (even by grindcore standards) due to technical issues causing them to start about when their allotted time was supposed to end. Luckily I’ve seen them before but next up I headed outside to catch local grindcore legends Pig Destroyer on the outdoor stage. By this point there were a lot of normies hanging around the outside of the festival watching what was going on not just on the street but even in the nearby stores such as the second story of the Marshall’s. Pig Destroyer vocalist even gave a shout out to all the onlookers on the street and in the IHOP and Marshall’s. The crowd surfers were starting to show up during their set and there’s something very Baltimore about witnessing the Chicken Man crowd surf in front of a Popeye’s. It was a fun set as always
The next band I caught was the Toronto based black metal band Spectral Wound. I had never seen them before and they put on a spooky show with lots of fog. The band came ready to play and their set was tight and very high energy as well. I shot a video of them playing their incredible song “Frigid and Spellbound” followed by a new song that I don’t know the title of, check it out below!
I really wanted to catch all of Spectral Wound’s grim and frostbitten set but I left about four songs in because one of my all time favorite bands to see live was on the outdoor stage at the same time, the legendary Napalm Death! I don’t know how they continue to do it but one of the oldest bands on the bill still puts on one of the best live shows of any metal band in the world. Always intense and fun, Napalm Death blasting out into the Inner Harbor of Baltimore was just awesome. The crowd surfers went wild during their set, the most I saw for any band the entire fest. I shot video of the last nine minutes of their set, which includes their cover of the Dead Kennedys classic Nazi Punks Fuck Off! which you can see below.
By the time Napalm Death ended their set Richmond’s Inter Arma was already on stage inside the Baltimore Soundstage. Another band that I love to see live, this was the first time I’d seen them with a theremin player on stage.
When Inter Arma’s set ended I had just seen several killer sets back to back to back and it was time for a bit of relaxing (read: tailgating) during High on Fire’s set. It’s not that I don’t like Matt Pike’s thrashy sludge band but I have seen them a ton of times in the past. I made it back in time to catch Undeath‘s wild set inside Baltimore Soundstage. The stage divers were going nuts during their brutal set and played a new song, titled “Brandish the Blade” (see it here). The Chicken Man was up to his normal antics and managed to get up on stage with a flag during “Enhancing the Dead” that I captured on video that you can see below.
I headed over to Angel’s Rock Bar for Philadelphia’s Sonja. I had caught them at a house show in Takoma Park back in December but that show suffered a bunch of technical issues so the sound was not idea. That’s fairly typical for house shows but their performance at Angel’s definitely seemed like more of a real show this time.
After Sonja played it was time for New York City’s Tower to close out Angel’s Rock Bar. I wasn’t familiar with Tower but they played an energetic style of traditional metal lead by frontwoman Sarabeth Linden. They were one of those bands that you can just tell is having a blast performing together, really fun to watch. Unfortunately they blew an amp head and while they were figuring that out I headed over to catch the end of Hulder‘s set at Baltimore Soundstage. Luckily I had seen Hulder in NYC back in February with Blackbraid because they cut their set short by about 15 minutes. Kind of a weird way to end the fest but as the lights came on I started doing my goodbyes to people I’d seen there. In all Hell in the Harbor Fest was executed really well. Aside from a few issues about crowding near the outdoor stage, there really wasn’t much to complain about (ok drink prices were pretty high too). I got to see some great performances by great bands, some that I’d seen before and some that I hadn’t, and of course the best part was getting to see a good chunk of the people I typically run into at Maryland Deathfest despite no MDF this year.
The inaugural Hell in the Harbor Fest is just days away now (May 27th and 28th) and with tickets almost sold out I figured now would be a great time to give away a pair of weekend passes to the fest. To really sweeten the deal I’ve also got a pair of tickets to the pre-fest party on Friday, May 26th at Baltimore Soundstage that is headlined by Candlemass. But wait there’s more! I’ll also be throwing in a swag bag full of merch (some of which is still to be determined) that the winner will pick up at the fest. That’s right, the winner gets 2 weekend passes, 2 pre-fest passes and a swag bag of merch! All you’ve got to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me which band you’re most excited to see at Hell in the Harbor Fest! See the image below with set times for the full line up if you need help remembering. Then on This Friday, May 19th at 1pm Eastern, this contest will close and a winner will be selected from all valid entries using Random.org. Be sure to use a valid email you check regularly when you enter so I can contact you if you win. Don’t worry, I won’t add you to any spam lists or sell your info or anything sleazy like that. If the selected winner hasn’t written me back within 24 hours then another winner will be selected. If you can’t wait to see if you win or the contest is already over when you read this, then you can purchase tickets here. Single day tickets are also now available!
Memorial Day Weekend has traditionally been the weekend of Maryland Deathfest every year but the MDF organizers decided to take 2023 off before returning in 2024. That gave local Baltimore venues the chance to book Hell in the Harbor Fest this year which, I gotta say, has a killer line up worthy of the area’s metal fans! Death metal, grind, stoner, black metal, there’s something here for just about every metal head. With three stages, all within a block of each other, the party is going to be raging! So what are you doing still reading this? Go leave a comment on this post and tell me which band you’re the most excited to see at Hell in the Harbor Fest!
I figured I’d put a post together with updates on all the postponements, cancellations, and non-cancellations, in our area due to concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus. I’ll try to keep this as up to date as possible as I get more info about various metal shows in the area.
On March 11th DC’s Mayor Bowser declared a state of emergency and advised that “mass gatherings” (events with more than 1,000 people in attendance) be cancelled by organizers, but it is not mandatory. You can get more info on that here.
Later the same day IMP posted (here) that they will be closing all of the venues they operate through April 1st. This includes the 9:30 Club, The Anthem, U Street Music Hall and the Lincoln Theatre.
Also on the 11th, Italian symphonic death metal band Fleshgod Apocalypse postponed their entire US tour, including their date at Baltimore Soundstage on 3/20. You can read their statement here.
On March 12th Maryland’s Governor Larry Hogan said in a press conference (here) all events with more than 250 people in attendance must be postponed or cancelled. This presumably cancels the upcoming metal shows at the Fillmore Silver Spring, including Overkill on 3/13 and Killswitch Engage on 3/14. I’m still waiting on an official statement my the Fillmore Silver Spring but I’ll update this post with that here when I see it. This also presumably cancels upcoming shows at Baltimore Soundstage, including Thy Art Is Murder on 3/13, and again I’m waiting for a statement from the venue to confirm status. UPDATE: My contact at the Fillmore Silver Spring emailed me to let me know that all shows there through March 31st are postponed. This includes the metal shows Overkill on 3/13, Killswitch Engage on 3/14 and In This Moment on 3/31. UPDATE 2: Baltimore Soundstage has posted that they will not be open for their shows this weekend, which includes the Thy Art Is Murder show. Read their statement here.
Rams Head Live was supposed to host Devin Townsend on 3/16 but Heavy Devy had already canceled his tour (statement here) before Larry Hogan’s order.
The St Thrashrick’s Fest, headlined by Lich King, was supposed to be at Angel’s Rock Bar in Powerplant in Baltimore, but it was moved to the Depot and now finally it has been cancelled. You can read the promoter’s statement about the cancellation here.
On March 13th we started seeing many tours get cancelled, especially those with foreign bands. Devastation On The Nation tour with Rotting Christ and Borknagar, scheduled to be at the Ottobar on 4/5, has been postponed. That tour is planning to reschedule for 2021 at the same venues with the same bands and you can read the statement about that by the tour promoters here.
Sepultura and Sacred Reich have postponed their tour, including their date on 4/8 at Baltimore Soundstage. You can read the statement from Sepultura about it here.
Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum cancelled their tour, despite already being in the US, and this includes their date at Fish Head Cantina on 4/18. The bands seem to be hit quite hard financially because of this and you can read their statement here.
The Rotting Kingdom show at Metro Gallery on 3/29 has been cancelled, however at the time of this writing the tour still seems to be happening, including their date at Atlas Brew Works on 4/1. You can read the statement by the promoter of the Baltimore show here.
Deafheaven has postponed their entire tour, including their 4/6 show at the 9:30 Club. You can read Deafheaven’s statement here.
After the DC Department of Health updated their recommendation to Mayor Bowser, she has now banned all events with 250 or more people in the District (more info here). This falls in line with similar bans in the states of Virginia and Maryland. So basically, the DMV will have no concerts or other events with more than 250 people in attendance in any kind of foreseeable future.
Due to the new ban the Black Cat has announced they will be closed until March 31st and you can read that statement here.
On March 14th Kayo Dot cancelled the remainder of their tour, including their show at VFW Post 9274 in Falls Church on 3/18. You can read the band’s statement here.
On March 15th Ripping Headaches Promotions cancelled their three area DIY shows in March, which are High Command at Atlas Brewery on 3/20, Midnight at Metro Gallery at 3/24 and Morpheus Descends at Atlas Brewery on 3/27. You can read their statement about these shows here.
Perdition Booking cancelled the upcoming Rippikoulu and Chthe’ilist show at the Metro Gallery on 4/9. You can read Metro Gallery’s statement about that here.
DC’s Mayor Bowser has closed all nightclubs and put restrictions on all restaurants and bars in the District. Details on that here.
On May 22nd Rams Head Live in Baltimore posted (here) that all their upcoming events through the end of May will be postponed. This presumably includes Maryland Deathfest, which is scheduled to take place May 21st thru May 24th at both Rams Head Live and Baltimore Soundstage. However, at this time I have yet to see anything official by either MDF nor BSS claiming the entire fest has been postponed.
I’m doing my best to keep up with all the cancellations and postponements but if you hear about one that I haven’t updated on the calendar or here yet, feel free to email me at DCHeavyMetal@Gmail.com
The Baltimore Soundstage has a special 7 event mega ticket deal going on right now (details here). For $150 you can purchase tickets to see all 7 of the listed events (each is on a Sunday night), which would normally cost over $225 if you bought them all individually. I figure the only thing better than this killer deal would be getting tickets to all seven of these events for free so that’s just what we’re doing with this contest! That’s right, this contest will give the winner not one but a pair of tickets to each of these 7 Sunday night events absolutely free! To enter: just leave a comment on this post telling me which of these events you want to go to the most! They’re all listed below this paragraph and you can just name the headliner if you want. Then this Friday, August 2nd at 12pm noon the contest will close and the winner will be selected from all valid entries using Random.org. The winner will receive a free pair of tickets to all seven of the selected Sunday shows at Baltimore Soundstage! Be sure to use a valid email you check regularly so I can contact you if you win. Don’t worry, I won’t add you to any spam lists or sell your info or anything sleazy like that. If the selected winner hasn’t written me back within 24 hours another winner will be selected. If you can’t wait to see if you win or the contest is already over when you read this, then you can purchase the $150 mega ticket from Ticket Master here.
The first event is this Sunday, August 4th. It’s the Summer Slaughter Tour with Cattle Decapitation, Carnifex, The Faceless, Rivers Of Nihil, Nekrogoblikon, Lorna Shore, Brand Of Sacrifice, Devils Reef, Cyber Strike, Denied Rapture and Granite State. Get tickets to this individual show here.
The next event is on the Sunday before Labor Day, September 1st. Russian folk metal band Arkona with Metsatöll, Wind Rose and Isenmor. Get tickets to this individual show here.
Two weeks later on Sunday, September 15th, you’ll catch Max Cavalera in Soulfly along with performances by Unearth, Incite, Prison, Scissorfist and Dark Entity. Get tickets to this individual show here.
The Sunday after that, September 22nd, is Canadian hyperblasters Kataklysm and the long awaited return of Exhorder, plus Krisiun, Hatchet and Radamanthys. Get tickets to this individual show here.
On the next Sunday, September 29th, you’ll get to see Ukranian metal band Jinjer along with The Browning, Sumo Cyco and Silence The Requiem. Get tickets to this individual show here.
The following Sunday on October 6th isn’t a concert but a Blackheart Burlesque performance by the Suicide Girls. They have alt models with tattoos and neon hair colors performing dance routines with nerd culture themes like Star Wars, Rick & Morty and Sailor Moon. Get tickets to this individual event here.
The final event of this mega ticket package is headlined by the Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie along with performances by Korpiklaani, Gone In April and Sekengard. Get tickets to this individual show here.
Those are some awesome events so DO NOT sleep on this contest. Enter below right now by leaving a comment telling me which one you’re most excited for!
The legendary Paradise Lost is coming to Baltimore Soundstage on Tuesday, October 2nd, along with Sólstafir and The Atlas Moth. Their dark style of doom metal is perfect for this season where the weather starts to turn so we’re giving away a pair of tickets to this show to a lucky one of you DCHM readers. To enter: leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite metal band to listen to in the Autumn months. Then on Friday, September 28th at 5pm EST the contest will close and a winner will be chosen at random (using Random.org) from all valid entries. The winner will get two free tickets the show! Be sure to enter using an email address you check regularly so I can contact you if you win. Don’t worry, I won’t add you to any spam lists or sell your info or anything sleazy like that, I hate spam too. If I haven’t heard back from the winner in 24 hours another winner will be chosen at random. If you can’t wait to see if you win or the contest is already over when you read this, then you can get tickets from Ticket Master for $27.50 here.
Paradise Lost formed in Halifax, England, in the late 80’s and is one of the Peaceville Three, along with Anathema and My Dying Bride, who all formed a much darker take to doom metal in the early 90s while all signed to Peaceville Records. In fact it was Paradise Lost’s sophomore album, Gothic, that the genre of gothic metal gets its name from. They’ve influenced countless bands yet somehow Paradise Lost, who still features all their original members aside from the drummer, manage to put out solid material. This isn’t an old band that just plays their old classics, they still put out solid material, including their 2017 album Medusa, which was #1 on Decibel Magazine’s top 40 albums of 2017. In addition to the rare chance to see Paradise Lost in the US the tour has some excellent support acts. Sólstafir from Iceland blends post rock with viking metal, adds a pinch of country western and a heavy dose of melancholy. The opening band is The Atlas Moth, a post metal band from Chicago that has been getting better and better with every album. Now check out these videos of the bands below and leave a comment letting me know what your favorite metal band to listen to in the Autumn is.
DCHeavyMetal.com 