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.
This Friday, August 1st, will be the first Bandcamp Friday since May of 2025! For those that don’t know, on Bandcamp Fridays the Bandcamp music site drops their cut from any sales that happen in that 24 hour period, so bands get 100% of the share of each sale (minus credit/debit card fees if you pay with one) which makes it a great day to support bands and buy some new music! To that end, I thought I’d round up a few local metal releases that have come out since the last Bandcamp day.
Obsidian Blade is a new local band with a trad metal/NWOBHM vibe but the members have all been involved in other bands in the DMV scene for some time. They’ve started playing out live a bit but so far this is their only recorded song available, and it dropped on June 10th.
The Borracho guys are at it again with their repetitive heavy grooves as their new full length album that releases on August 8th, though you can pre-order now and enjoy the 3 preview tracks right now.
Kontusion finally dropped their debut full length album on July 25th and man is this some back-to-basics filthy, brutal death metal! None of that spacey death metal that is in vogue to be found here.
Cemetery Sex is a local goth band and their debut album is dropping August 1st. The album showcases Anastasia Noire’s beautiful vocals that soar over the rainy-day vibe guitar riffs.
The most intense music in this post comes by way of Blood Monolith on their debut album that dropped on May 16th. This has been one of my favorite albums to drive around blasting this summer!
As The Sea Parts is a black/death band that formed in the 90s, went on hiatus for about 20 years or so, and finally dropped their debut full length on July 11th. The album has former Dying Fetus drummer Erik Sayenga on drums and sick cover art by Mark Riddick!
Fresh off their appearance at this year’s Maryland Deathfest, I.C.E. just released their third full length on July 11th and their frigid black metal riffs will def keep you cool in the dog days of summer.
If you dig instrumental metal with a fiddle then be sure to check out the newly remixed version of Seasick Gladiator‘s self-titled debut from 2017 that just dropped on July 12th.
That’s what I’ve got for now but if you know of any other metal releases by local bands since the last Bandcamp Day, or any that are pre-orderable just email me at DCHeavyMetal@Gmail.com and I’ll add them to this post!
Don’t forget that this Monday, May 5th is Cinco de Mayo and you be able to catch the depressive atmo-black metal band Sadness‘s tour at Songbyrd that night! The Texas band is headlining a killer line up that night which includes Barbelith, Curse and Torvus and because I want to make sure people don’t overlook this sick show so DCHM is giving away a pair of tickets to one of you lucky readers. To enter just leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite depressive, atmospheric or just generally mopey band is. Alcest, The Cure, Xasthur, Deafheaven, it all counts! Then on Friday, May 2nd, 2025 at 5pm Eastern the 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. When you leave a comment you must click the little email icon and enter your email in (only I can see the email address you enter) otherwise I won’t be able to contact you if you win. 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.
Sadness formed in the Chicago area but has since moved their project to Texas where in just 2024 alone they released 3 full length albums! Barbelith is a Baltimore based black metal band that started out with a more raw sound but has since gotten much more atmospheric in their musical direction and I can’t recommend the 18 minute single track EP Deathless Master enough! Also from Baltimore will be the duo Curse, who have a more synth based sound but bring the sorrow just the same. The local openers on this one, Torvus, are not to be missed either. Their catchy take on the goth metal sound is as inspiring as it is depressing. If you haven’t heard of any of these bands please take some time to check them out below and then enter to win a pair of tickets to this stacked line up on May 5th at Songbyrd!
Well it’s 2025 now and I’m very behind on my 2024 best albums stuff so I thought I’d get a jump start on my best albums of 2025. This isn’t some lame list of my most anticipated albums of 2025, no this beefy list the best albums that are already released in 2025 as of January 1st. If you’re looking for fresh new tunes to ring in 2025 I got you!
Beatrix – Deathsent Ceremony
High energy blackened thrash EP from Finland that is over almost as quickly as it starts. Start the new year off with something fun!
World Eaters – Hounds of Blood
This album is re-recorded versions of this Canadian Bolt Thrower worship band’s best songs.
Vosh – Vault Vol. 1
Repulsion’s drummer and his wife started a goth band here in DC and their cover of Ozzy’s Shot in the Dark is worth the price of admission alone!
Estuarine – Corporeal Furnace
Bass driven tech/proggy death metal from Tampa that reminds me of some unholy cross between Primus and Beyond Creation, and it’s just a buck for the digital album!
Trollskogen – Snøen Kommer
This Norwegian black metal band’s debut full length is raw and chilling but with strong song writing, like a lo-fi version of Paysage d’Hiver.
Honorable mention: Spectral Lore – IV (Part 1)
Technically this anti-fascist black metal band dropped their album in the evening of December 31st but I’m unsure if it was already past midnight in their time zone, so I’m listing it here. Massive, epic songs with a decent modern recording, a surprise release that won’t have shown up on any 2024 end of year lists but should have!
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!
Today is another Bandcamp Friday, which means today until 3am Eastern time Bandcamp waves their cut from all music and merch sales on the site. I just thought I’d mention a few new releases from local bands of the metal variety that you can support this Bandcamp Friday (or afterwards as well). Let me know if there’s more releases from the past month that I should add.
Goetia is a new death metal band that includes members of Genocide Pact, Deliriant Nerve and Perpetuated. Their debut release dropped today and is available digitally or on cassette.
Local stoner band Borracho just dropped two new instrumental songs last week which are their most spacey tracks yet! It’s just $3 too.
Life is an Option is the DSBM side project of Zak Suleri, a musician who is involved with a bunch of local doom bands like Torvus, Et Mors and Foehammer. This project’s debut just released on April 21st.
Local thrash metal band Ninth Realm just dropped a new split with the British band Inhuman Nature earlier this week that you can pick up for just $2.
Mast Year lies somewhere between post metal and noise rock. Their debut album, Knife, was released on April 7th via Baltimore label Grimoire Records and is available on CD as well as digitally.
Falls Church based sludge band dirt eater released two new songs on April 21st and you get them both for just $5.
Local progressive metal band Wings Denied released a new song on April 7th that you can get for just $1.
And if all of that isn’t enough be sure to check out Weedian‘s newest stoner and doom metal compilation. This one features 39 tracks by 39 different bands from Virginia and West Virginia including the likes of Windhand, Karma to Burn, Cough, Earthling and more! It’s name your price and all tracks are posted with the permission of the bands.
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