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Live photos of Electric Wizard

On Wednesday, April 1st of 2015, UK based stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard played to a sold out crowd at the Baltimore Soundstage. The place was crowded, I’ve never seen it so packed before, but the band put on great show and played those super fuzzy riffs for about an hour and a half. The band had a video projection behind them for the entire show, which mostly showed clips from old exploitation films of nude blond women dancing around with psychedelic patterns superimposed. I didn’t get there in time to shoot locals Satan’s Satyrs, who are opening for the entire tour, but it was cool getting to see their bass player, Clayton Burgess, perform with Electric Wizard. The last time Electric Wizard played the US was also in Baltimore when they headlined Maryland Deathfest in 2012, and they didn’t tour the US around that show, it was a one off performance. Combine that with the fact that Electric Wizard hadn’t played in the US for many years prior to MDF due to problems getting visas, and people were hungry to see these guys in action. Considering that, it isn’t much surprise that their merch sold out very quickly, only a few Electric Wizard tote bags and black light posters remained by the end of their set and all of the t-shirts were long gone. They played a lot of their classics that night, like “Dopesmoker” and “Satanic Rites Of Drugula” and I think most people left pleased with the set list overall (you can see the entire thing here). Whether you got to attend this epic show or not, I hope you enjoy the photos I shot below. If you’d like to see more of them just go here.

April 9, 2015
Categories: Baltimore Soundstage, Concert Reviews, Doom Metal, Stoner . Tags: Baltimore Soundstage, Doom Metal, Electric Wizard, Stoner . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: Leave a comment

Inter Arma ticket give away

Inter Arma at DC9

One of Richmond’s sickest bands, Inter Arma, is playing DC9 on Monday, April 13th and we’re so psyched about this show that we’re going to give away a free pair of tickets to it to one of you lucky readers! To enter: just leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite band from Virginia, Maryland or DC is (it can even be your own band you self promoters). At 5pm this Friday, April 10th, a winner will be chosen at random (using Random.org) from all valid entries to win the tickets. Be sure to enter using 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, I hate spam too. If I haven’t heard back from the winner within 24 hours another winner will be chosen at random. If the contest is already over when you read this, or you just can’t wait to see if you win, you can buy them from Ticket Fly for $10 here.

Inter Arma, who are currently signed to Relapse Records, is a hard band to pin a subgenre on. The best thing I have been able to come up with to describe them is to say they sound like a really pissed off Neurosis. Their live shows are always intense so don’t skip this one. Also on the tour with Inter Arma is Yautja, a Tennessee based sludge/grind band that is named after the species of alien in the Predator movies. The local support on this bill comes from the excellent Drugs Of Faith. The band has developed a sound known as grind n roll that is just as angry, but quite a bit more catchy, than your standard grind band. This is a pretty awesome bill and you’re not going to want to miss any of these bands so get there early! Now give a listen to these tracks by the bands below as you leave your comment telling me your favorite area band from VA, MD or DC!

Inter Arma – ‘sblood

Yautja – Denihilist

Drugs Of Faith – Insanity

April 7, 2015
Categories: Contests, DC9 . Tags: Drugs Of Faith, Inter Arma, Yautja . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: 19 Comments

Review of Foehammer by Foehammer

Band: Foehammer
Album: Foehammer
Release Date: 7 April 2015
Record Label: Grimoire Records
Buy digital or CD ($7) or cassette ($6) on Bandcamp: Here
Buy vinyl ($15) from Australopithecus: Here

Cover of Foehammer by Foehammer

This post is the debut piece from new DCHM contributor Buzzo Jr. Those of you that already know him can back me up that this guy is really passionate about his metal, and I think that he’ll do just fine here. In this post he’s writing about Foehammer, a new band in our area, though the members have been active in our metal scene for some time. Some of you may remember that they were the opening act at the DCHM Holiday Party last December at the Pinch. So take a few minutes to read his words about Foehammer’s debut and of course be sure to stream some of the tunes at the bottom of the post too.

One of the many things the DMV area is well known for is its fantastic doom metal scene. There is no short supply of bands worshipping at the altar of Tony Iommi with fuzz-fueled riffs in the area. One of the newest releases to do so is the self-titled EP from Foehammer, hailing from Annandale, Virginia. With only three songs on the album, each surpassing nine minutes and the final track at a whopping 14, these guys really know the meaning of slow, heavy doom.

First and foremost, the most important thing in all of doom is you’ve got to have solid riffs. And boy do Foehammer deliver. While very simple in structure, every single riff from Joe Cox’s guitar comes at you with full force, lingering on and setting the stage for the next. At some points the riffs sound almost trance-like, and influenced by drone bands such as Sunn O))). The basslines on the record are equally heavy, providing even more distortion to the already low and deep guitar tone. Many funeral doom acts tend to over-distort the bass in order to add to the overall “heaviness,” but end up sounding way too muddy. Foehammer fortunately avoids this misstep and keeps the bass at a perfect level of fuzz, the result being basslines that are clear and audible, but not overpowering the rest of the instruments. Another thing that sets Foehammer apart from other doom bands playing right now would be the vocals. Jay Cardinell’s vocals are not your typical doom vocals in the realm of Wino or Bobby Liebling, but are more reminiscent of death metal bands such as Incantation. The gurgling, low growls at times invoke images of a demonic cauldron, bubbling with an ominous mixture inside. Quite fitting for a band that takes its name from Gandalf’s sword from the “Lord of the Rings” series. Finally, Ben Blanton’s drumming on this record adds the final much needed element to the mix. Each time one of his sticks hit down they hit hard, creating a pounding procession of tribal-like grooves.

The songs, while limited in number, are all slow, heavy, and relentless; hardly ever straying from the set path of full on distortion-laden riffs and pounding drums. The only time the album does quiet down is during the halfway point of the song “Final Grail,” when a beautiful acoustic passage suddenly comes in. The contrast with the acoustic section demonstrates how crushingly heavy Foehammer’s sound actually is once the riffs come roaring back. A minor gripe I have with the album is that while the songs are great, the acoustic section in the first song is the only time the band seems to mix it up, with the rest of the songs not showing much variety in their structure or sound. Apart from that small issue, the album still delivers on what it intended to, and if you’re a fan of incredibly heavy doom in the realm of Samothrace, Conan, Buried At Sea, or even more melodic acts like Pallbearer, then I highly recommend this album.

Foehammer’s self titled debut is a great offering of slow, fuzzy funeral doom that’s bound to shake your speakers and probably your skeleton as well. You can pick it up on April 7 on CD, cassette, or digital download through Baltimore based record label Grimoire Records, or on vinyl through Australopithecus Records.

April 6, 2015
Categories: Album Reviews, Doom Metal . Tags: Buzzo Jr, Doom Metal, Foehammer . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: Leave a comment

24 hour ticket give away

There a couple of shows coming up at DC9 in the next week and for you fans that check in to DCHM regularly we’re doing a very short give away for tickets to both shows! On Sunday, March 29th you can catch Miami’s Torche, always a high energy live show, at the venue and on Thursday, April 2nd, Brooklyn’s Liturgy will be there. To enter just tell me which show you’d like to win a pair of tickets to (you can enter for both if you’d like as well, tho different winners will be chosen for each show). But hurry, the winners will be chosen TOMORROW, Saturday March 28th, at 5pm EST, so don’t sleep on this!

The winners will be chosen at random (using Random.org) from all valid entries to win a pair of tickets to either Torche on 3/29 or Liturgy on 4/2. Be sure to enter using a valid email you check regularly so I can contact you if you win, and be sure to check it this weekend, especially if you’re entering for Torche because the show is on the next day. 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 don’t hear back from the winners new ones will be chosen. I’m keeping this one short today but be sure to check out these sick Torche and Liturgy songs below and tell me which shows you’d like to see!

Torche – Loose Men

Liturgy – Father Vorizen

Torche – Healer

Liturgy – Generation

March 27, 2015
Categories: Contests, DC9 . Tags: Liturgy, Torche . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: 8 Comments

Electric Wizard ticket give away

Electric Wizard at Baltimore Soundstage

You may have heard that Electric Wizard is returning to Baltimore, this time to play at the Baltimore Soundstage on Wednesday, April 1st, 2015. And you may have heard that this show is already sold out. These things are true but we here at DCHM wanted to give everyone one last chance to get into this show so we’re giving away a pair of tickets to one of you lucky readers! To enter: just leave a comment on this post telling me what was the best sold out concert you’ve ever been to. At 5pm EST this Friday, March 20th, a winner will be chosen at random (using Random.org) from all valid entries to win the tickets. Be sure to enter using 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 I haven’t heard back from the winner within 24 hours another winner will be chosen at random. This is your last chance to get Electric Wizard tickets so don’t put it off!

Electric Wizard last played in Baltimore in 2012 as a headliner at that year’s Maryland Deathfest. It was the UK based stoner/doom metal band’s first time in the US in many years. They’ve finally put out a new album since then, last year’s Time To Die, and now they’re finally coming back to the US for a tour. This will be our area’s only stop for the tour and as you can imagine, it sold out pretty quick. The opening band for the tour is actually a local band from our area, Satan’s Satyrs. The throwback band has become a favorite of the guys in Electric Wizard, so much so that Satan’s Satyrs bass player Clayton Burgess is now also playing bass for Electric Wizard. If you’re looking for a night of down tuned fuzzy riffs then you don’t want to miss this concert! This show is going to seriously kick some ass so check out these videos by the bands playing and leave a comment below telling me what your favorite sold out concert was!

Electric Wizard – Satanic Rites Of Drugula

Electric Wizard – Black Mass

Satan’s Satyrs – One By One (They Die)

March 16, 2015
Categories: Baltimore Soundstage, Contests, Doom Metal, Stoner . Tags: Doom Metal, Electric Wizard, Heavy Metal, Satan's Satyrs, Stoner Metal . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: 28 Comments

Live photos of Behemoth and Cannibal Corpse

The Behemoth and Cannibal Corpse dual-headlining tour stopped at the Fillmore Silver Spring on Monday, March 2nd, 2015, and it was a great show! Death metal fans were treated to two titans of the genre and the bands didn’t disappoint. This was the first time I have seen Behemoth since the band’s main man, Nergal, recovered from cancer. I have to say the Polish band’s stage show has really improved since the days they used to open for other bands all the time at Jaxx! Behemoth played a lot off the new album, The Satanist, but old fans were treated to some older classics like “Chant for ΕΣΧΗΑΤΟΝ 2000” as well. Cannibal Corpse put on a brutal show as always. While I don’t think they were bad I still think they’re a better show in smaller venues where the band is closer to the audience and the place is a packed, sweaty mosh pit from stage to exit. Still, they’re always tight and it was cool that they mixed things up by closing their set with “Devoured By Vermin.” The lighting for Cannibal Corpse wasn’t the best for shooting but I did get a few shots, Behemoth was much brighter and had a lot of stage props as well (including Nergal’s mic stand that he must have purchased from Cobra Commander’s yard sale). Unfortunately I didn’t get there in time to catch openers Tribulation and Aeon, the latter of which I really wanted to see, but early start times aren’t the best for week nights in this town with the crazy traffic we get. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the photos I shot below of Behemoth and Cannibal Corpse.

Cannibal Corpse: