Metal Head Holiday Gift Guide 2023

Nothing rings in the holiday season like unbridled capitalism and this year is no different! Metal heads are notoriously hard to shop for because we like weird crap that you often can’t just find on Amazon, so I’ve thrown together this list of some suggestions for the metal head in your life, or ya know, just get this stuff for yourself because we all deserve some joy in our lives. Oh, and don’t forget that Thanksgiving metal playlist I made a few years back that you can listen to here.

First up, music always makes a great gift but figuring out which specific albums someone wants can be hard. Gift cards to iTunes or similar music services often won’t be able to access those underground metal bands we all crave so see if your friend has an account on Bandcamp, which lets you see their “wishlist” and even make purchases to their account from that list. Bandcamp has been dealing with lots of layoffs and other internal turmoil lately (more info here) but they’re still kicking right now so use this resource while you can. Just go to Bandcamp.com/username/wishlish (and insert your friend’s Bandcamp username in the address of course).

Concert tickets! We’ve got an entire calendar of upcoming metal concerts in the DMV area listed here but a few choice selections for next year that would make great gifts include Municipal Waste at the Black Cat on 2/15 (tickets here), Judas Priest at the MGM Casino in National Harbor on 5/19 (tickets here) or Machine Head and Fear Factory at the Fillmore Silver Spring on 2/12 (tickets here).


Check out this Motörhead holiday shirt available in the band’s merch store here.


Iron Maiden is selling this “fire globe” featuring the artwork from their Number of the Beast album and it is available here.


Slayer has this intentionally hideous Show No Mercy ugly holiday sweater and another holiday t-shirt, but sizes are already selling out on those. They’ve got a 6 inch tall Show No Mercy ornament as well, all available here.


Sleep are selling these glass ornaments featuring the lungsman from the cover of their Dopesmoker album available here.


Who wouldn’t love this ornament featuring Darkthrone drummer Fenriz and his cat, available here.


The Australian Simpsons themed band Dr. Colossus has these Bonestorm shirts available in black and green and as both long and short sleeve, based on the classic Simpson’s holiday episode Marge Be Not Proud. Sizes are selling out already so go find them here.

Integrity has this absolutely garish stocking available featuring their iconic fanged skull logo as seen on their Systems Overload album cover. Order one here.


Wintry themed death metal band Frozen Soul sells windshield ice scrapers with their name on them (get one here), or if you’d prefer something more for the warmer months they also have branded coolers (available here).


Party thrashers Municipal Waste always have some of the sickest merch around and this holiday season is no different. It’s hard to pick just one but the Grim Reaper flipping you off while riding a jet ski beach towel is incredible. Find those here but don’t sleep on their branded Snuggies either, which you can find here.


Did you know there’s a Cannibal Corpse coffee? Available as beans or in cans, Beheaded Brewing is made by Concept Cafes Coffee and unlike many of the other metal bands that have made novelty coffee blends, this one has been a hit so they keep making it! Get it on the Concept Cafes website (here) and check out some of the other bands they offer coffee for, like Ministry and the Cavalera brothers.


Undeath is another band with lots of fun merch and recently I’ve been eyeballing the Rochester based death metal band’s pint glass that is available here.


If you’ve got a friend with a new member of the family and have no idea what to give new parents, keep in mind this branded Amon Amarth baby pacifier featuring Thor’s hammer Mjölnir, which you can get here. Because nothing says proper child rearing than Viking metal merchandise!


Did you know that local metal head and current Virginia state Senator elect Danica Roem has her own metal shirts? With artwork inspired by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s Rat Fink character and campaign stops listed as tour dates on the back, you can’t go wrong with one of these shirts, available here. And if you want to know more about Danica’s story check out her book Burn the Page here. It’s highly recommended and definitely not just because it includes a shout out to yours truly in it.


Wait, are we talking about reading now? Alright let’s get to the literate part of this holiday gift guide. You’ll definitely want to check out Life?… And Napalm Death, long time Napalm Death bass player Shane Embury’s autobiography, which is available in both signed and unsigned versions here.


It’s no secret that I’m a huge comic book nerd reader and while there have been many bands of late selling their own graphic novels they all have one thing in common: they pretty much stink. Top tier writers and artists don’t usually touch these things and even if they do it’s pretty hard to translate sick riffs and bitchin’ drum fills into pictures and word balloons. Murder Falcon is different though, created by current Transformers writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson as a personal passion project, the comic follows a group of friends in a metal band (named Murder Falcon) and discusses something I think all metal heads can relate to, how the brutal music we love helps get us through the hardest times in our lives. Oh and it’s also action packed and full of references to real metal bands like Dio, Power Trip and Khemmis! Right now the complete collected edition hardcover is on sale for just $11 from Image Comics here. And if that’s not enough comics action, be sure to check out Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman’s post-apocalyptic action comedy title Battle Pope which you can currently get the entire series of for just $5.49 here!


Don’t forget you can gift a subscription to Decibel Magazine which any metal head is going to enjoy. They’ve got both a regular subscription as well as the premium subscription that includes the exclusive flexi-disc vinyls, both options are available here.


We done talking about reading now? Cool. Now feast your eyes on this amazing dueling wizards shirt by the Denver based doomed metalers Khemmis which is available here while supplies last.


Who besides the Prince of Darkness himself would merchandise a plush bat toy with a removable Velcro attached head? Find it in Ozzy’s shop here.


If you’re looking for something extra brutal to decorate your wall be sure to check out local heavy metal artist Mark Riddick’s newest line of skate decks which just dropped at Board Pusher here.


Speaking of decorative skateboard decks be sure to check out the officially licensed decks over at Check Your Head, who currently are selling skate decks by bands like Celtic Frost, Sepultura, Wormrot, Deicide, Fit for an Autopsy and more, all in their online store here.


And last but also probably least, I finally put together a Red Bubble store to sell DCHM and Metal Embassy merch online. Right now I’ve just got that classic Abe Lincoln in King Diamond corpse paint design by Joshy of Ilsa on a shirt, but I’ll have more designs up soon (including some new ones), I promise! Plus there’s a few stickers. Anyways, check it out here.

November 21, 2023
Categories: Shameless Promotion . Tags: , . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: Leave a comment

Borracho ticket and prize pack give away!

Local stoner/doom masters Borracho have released their 5th full length album, Blurring the Lines of Reality, and on Saturday, September 9th, they’re holding an album release show at the Runaway in Brookland! DCHM are long time fans of Borracho so I’m excited to be giving away a pair of tickets to the album release show as well as a prize pack that includes some sweet swag like a signed copy of the new album (on your choice of vinyl or CD), a Borracho t-shirt in the size of your choice, a Borracho sticker and high fives from the band! All you’ve got to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me your all time favorite album by a local musician. Then on Wednesday, September 6th 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. 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.

Borracho album release shows are always must-see events but let’s not forget about the two other bands on the bill. Direct support comes from the Frederick, Maryland, based stoner band Faith in Jane. Faith in Jane is a stoner/doom band that I’ve booked myself in the past and I swear they get better each time I see them. The opening band is DC’s own Sorge. They bring a psychedelic vibe to their brand of stoner jams and make this a must see bill from top to bottom. I’m not sure what else there is to say about this killer line up other than to leave a comment telling me what your all time favorite album by a local band is. Don’t forget to check out these killer tunes by the bands on the bill too!

September 1, 2023
Categories: Contests, Doom Metal, Local Band Info, Shameless Promotion, Stoner, The Runaway, Washington DC / Maryland / Virginia Metal Scene . Tags: , , , , , . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: 2 Comments

Weedeater ticket give away!

“Dixie” Dave Collins is bringing his band Weedeater to the Black Cat on Thursday, August 31st! We’re hoping you’re as hungry for those yummy stoner riffs as we are so DCHM is giving away a pair of tickets to this very concert! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite stoner album of all time is (by any band). Master of Reality, Welcome to Sky Valley, Dopesmoker, or even Weedeater’s own Jason… the Dragon, any killer stoner album counts! Then on Monday, August 28th at 5pm 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.

North Carolina’s sludgey stoner band Weedeater always brings the riffs but there’s two other sick bands playing as well! Touring support comes in the form of a rare chance to catch Australian grind/thrash band King Parrot stateside. Local support comes from The Dregs, a new stoner band that’s been gaining attention by playing out a lot despite only having released three songs so far. You can check out each of these bands below while you ponder which album to choose for your favorite stoner album ever!

August 24, 2023
Categories: Black Cat, Contests, Sludge Metal, Stoner . Tags: , , , . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: 16 Comments

Kid friendly matinee rock show coming to DC Brau

I just thought I’d let you all know about the kid friendly, all ages, totally free rock concert that I’m putting on at DC Brau brewery on Saturday, July 15th from 2pm to 5pm. I did one of these last year and people seemed to really enjoy it so I’m doing another one this year. Since most rock concerts happen way past bed times it’s a fun chance to bring the kids out to a rock show but these aren’t silly kid bands like Rocknoceros so even if you don’t have kids you can come out to enjoy the tunes. There’s also a Facebook event page I made here that you can invite people to if you want.

Here’s the details: I’ve booked two bands, Borracho and Hot Blood, to play from the brewery’s truck loading bay to the audience which will be in the seated outdoor area of the brewery. There’s no entry fee but there will be food available to buy (including vegetarian options) provided by Fred the Taco Guy, who we all remember from the metal shows at Atlas. DC Brau will have craft beer, hard seltzers and boozy smoothies for sale as well. I highly recommend bringing hearing protection (esp for the kids) and probably sunscreen as well. If it’s too hot you can always hang out indoors as I assume you’ll be able to hear the bands there as well. There’s also a Roaming Rooster (best fried chicken in DC) in the shopping center and outside food is welcome at the brewery, so you can bring your own food in if you want.

DC Brau is located at 3178-B Bladensburg Rd NE, Washington, DC 20018
If you have never been there before please note that it is located on the back side of a strip mall. There’s plenty of parking in the lot on the back side but your GPS will probably direct you to the front of the shopping center. When you get there just drive down the paved ramp to the back side of the shopping center (look for the DC Brau beer can sign, it looks like this). DC Brau is the only business on that side of the shopping center so park anywhere in the lot.

If you’d like to check out the bands ahead of time here’s a bit of info. Borracho (playing first) is a DC based three piece and they actually approached me this spring about doing an all ages show that they could bring their kids to and that’s what got the ball rolling. Their sound is along the lines of 70s era Black Sabbath mixed with 90s desert rock bands like Fu Manchu and Kyuss. They have a new album coming out on August 18th and you can listen to one of those new tracks below.

The second band to play will be Hot Blood. They’re a new band with only a three song EP that was released last month out so far. They’ve got more of an 80s party rock vibe and you can hear their entire EP below.

July 7, 2023
Categories: DC Brau, Local Band Info, Shameless Promotion, Stoner, Washington DC / Maryland / Virginia Metal Scene . Tags: , , . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: Leave a comment

My Hell in the Harbor photos and videos

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.

I hope you all enjoyed my photos and videos, remember you can see more of my pics from this fest here and of course all of my videos are up on YouTube here. Be sure to check out other people that covered the fest like Melissa Suarez Photography, Hillarie Jason Photography, Return to the Pit / Aaron Pepelis, and Misery Cartel Photos.

June 5, 2023
Categories: Baltimore Soundstage, Black Metal, Concert Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Grind . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: Leave a comment

Hell In The Harbor Fest Give Away

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!

May 16, 2023
Categories: Baltimore Soundstage, Black Metal, Contests, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Thrash Metal . Tags: , , , . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: 71 Comments

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