In the immortal words of one Peter Steele: Happy Halloween, baby. Those playing along at home know that today means one thing to the realms of doom, and it’s that it’s time for Maryland Doom Fest to unveil next year’s lineup. Maryland Doom Fest 2020 has some significant shoes to fill in following up this year’s, which of course was held in June in Frederick, Maryland, and they’ve lined up a full four-dayer onslaught to make a go of it.

Headlining sets from Cirith Ungol, Blood Ceremony, Speedealer and Mondo Generator, with direct killage from The Skull, Victor Griffin‘s Death Row Assembly (this will be incredible, especially there), Witch Mountain and Sorcerer, the fest is pretty much blowing its own prior reach out of the water. I’ll especially look forward to Arduini/Balich and hope that this performance accompanies a new album, but return appearances from The Age of Truth, Bailjack, Earthride (yes!), Shadow Witch, Spiral Grave, Knoxxville and Helgamite will be awesome as well, and I’ve no doubt the likes of Vessel of Light, Galactic Cross (with Dave Sherman of Earthride), Yatra, Black Lung, Plainride, Cavern, Molasses Barge, Admiral Browning, Black Road, Poobah, Omen Stones and Crystal Spiders will be made to feel welcome into the MDDF family vibe, at least those who aren’t already a part of it. I guess particularly in the case of Admiral Browning, it’s more like family reunion.

Keeping with the festival’s no-dragged-out-staggered-announcements spirit, I’ll be up front about this: it’s gonna be a good ‘un. You should do whatever you need to do to make it happen.

Check it:

MARYLAND DOOM FEST Announces 2020 Lineup: June 18-21 – Feat. CIRITH UNGOL, BLOOD CEREMONY, MONDO GENERATOR, SPEEDEALER + MORE! EarlyBird Sales Start Dec. 17!

The Maryland Doom Fest celebrates its 6th anniversary next June and today brings you its confirmed roster of over 50 of today’s heaviest bands to hit its stages in 2020.

Maryland Doom Fest brings both U.S. and international artists from all over the map into Frederick, MD for a full four days of mayhem, featuring the legendary Cirith Ungol and Blood Ceremony, to Speedealer and Mondo Generator set to headline the four nights of top shelf doom metal and heavy underground sounds! This year includes more than fifty bands to cover every dark and dank corner of metal subgenres across every inch of the stage from start to finish each night.

A few words from JB Matson, founder and organizer of The Maryland Doom Fest:

“I simply could not be more excited about the fifty-plus band roster for the Maryland Doom Fest’s 6th annual show in 2020!! This will be a splendid #4daysofdoom!!!”

We invite all to become part of the family at the Maryland Doom Fest 2020 weekend events! Please support the Doom and Heavy Music scene and come share in this epic event with us. We will see you at #4daysofdoom!!

THE MARYLAND DOOM FEST 2020

CIRITH UNGOL + BLOOD CEREMONY + SPEEDEALER + MONDO GENERATOR

THE SKULL + SORCERER + DEATH ROW ASSEMBLY + WITCH MOUNTAIN

Ol’ Time Moonshine + Arduini/Balich + Dirt Eater + Switchblade Jesus
Doperider + Condenados + Cultic + Yatra + Bailjack + Poobah
Earthride + Black Lung + Jake The Hawk + Black Road + Warmask
Admiral Browning + Sourpuss + Molasses Barge + Thunderbird Divine
Dust Prophet + Wolftooth + Vessel Of Light + Wrath Of Typhon + Spiral Grave
Plainride + Mangog + Cavern + Galactic Cross + Shadow Witch + Burgan
Akris + Plague Wielder + The Age Of Truth + Knoxxville + The Astral Void
Serpents Of Secrecy + Omen Stones + Crystal Spiders + Helgamite
VRSA + Conclave + Et Mors + Strange Highways + Alms + Dyerwulf

June 18th – 21st, 2020 + Frederick, MD

www.marylanddoomfest.com

Early Bird Discount tickets are available from December 17th through 31st.

Standard ticket sales start January 2020.

RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/827407774319811/

https://www.facebook.com/events/827407774319811/
https://www.facebook.com/MdDoomFest/
https://www.instagram.com/marylanddoomfest/
www.marylanddoomfest.com

Cirith Ungol, “I’m Alive” live at Up the Hammers Festival 2017

Epic doom and classic metal resound throughout Sorcerer‘s much-awaited debut LP, In the Shadow of the Black Cross, which is out March 24 on Metal Blade Records. The band are something of a myth in doom, having released two demos in 1989 and 1992 — both later compiled and release by John Perez of Solitude Aeturnus‘ imprint, Brainticket Records — before breaking up and sending its members on to other acts like Therion, Tiamat, 220 Volt, Soilwork and so on. Under the guidance of founding bassist Johnny Hagel and vocalist Anders Engberg, who are joined by guitarists Kristian Niemann and Peter Hallgren and drummer Robert Iverson, Sorcerer made a return in 2010 and have been constructing In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross ever since, with Iverson in the role of engineer.

It wasn’t an especially quick process, but the precision with which Sorcerer execute the record’s eight tracks justifies the extra care. Songs like the eight-minute “Lake of Lost Souls” unfold with latter-day Iommi-style metallic grace, the album’s first three tracks — “The Dark Tower of the Sorcerer,” “Sumerian Script” and “Lake of the Lost Souls” — forming a triumvirate of classic doom that, because they hail from Stockholm, one might be tempted to relate to Candlemass. In the context of the album as a whole, however, Grand Magus seems a more appropriate fit, since neither are Sorcerer shy about establishing a metallic foundation for cuts like “Exorcise the Demon” or “The Gates of Hell,” stepping forward in tempo and aggression while remaining in full command of their sound to the point of seeming to nod at Enslaved‘s “Fusion of Sense and Earth” with the central riff of In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross‘ title-track.

Wherever they might be headed at any given moment on their quarter-century-later debut, though, the material is drawn together by a sense of grand mystery and gracefulness, so that the synth-underscored verses of “Prayers for a King” or the final, solo-topped apex of “Pagans Dance” and quiet epilogue that follows fit seamlessly with the rest of the album’s shifts, including those of “The Gates of Hell” preceding, the shortest and perhaps most metallic cut on In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross. With it, the five-piece dip for four and a half minutes into near-power metal stylizations, blurring a usually distinct genre line effectively as they dig crisply into what winds up being a singularly infectious hook, peppered with guitar leads, chanting and more fist-pump-worthy riffing than your wrist can handle.

I’m pleased to be able to host the premiere of “The Gates of Hell” ahead of the album’s March 24 release. Please find it on the player below, followed by some more bio background on the band/record from Metal Blade, and enjoy:

SORCERER was formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1988 but disbanded after two demos in 1992. Both demos are considered true Doom Metal classics and have been released on CD in 1995. In 2010 the band came back together to play the Hammer of Doom festival in Germany and a year later the Up The Hammers festival in Athens, Greece. Both shows were received extremely well and the thoughts of putting together a new album started to take form. In the end it took over two years to write, arrange and record it but the result is nothing but pure, heavy epic doom metal. The process of putting all bits and pieces together and making it ready for mix and mastering was the work of drummer Robert Iversen, also a very fine recording engineer, who was acting as the spider in the recording web. The album was mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Amon Amarth, Devin Townsend).

With years of professional experience and top-class instrumental abilities among its band members the SORCERER of the 21st century is determined to deliver epic doom metal for many years to come; on record and on stages all around the world!

Track Listing:
1. The Dark Tower of the Sorcerer
2. Sumerian Script
3. Lake of the Lost Souls
4. Excorcise the Demon
5. In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross
6. Prayers for a King
7. The Gates of Hell
8. Pagans Dance

SORCERER is:
Anders Engberg – vocals
Kristian Niemann – guitars
Peter Hallgren – guitars
Johnny Hagel – bass
Robert Iversen – drums

Sorcerer on Thee Facebooks

Sorcerer’s website

Sorcerer at Metal Blade Records