As per Halloween tradition, the venerable Maryland Doom Fest has posted its as-of-now-complete lineup for next year’s edition, and MDDF 2025 looks like a rager. Set to unfold its massive billing across June 19-22 in the riffy epicenter of Frederick, Maryland, the fest will highlight newcomers and established acts alike, as veteran outfits like The Skull and Apostle of Solitude, Hollow Leg, Curse the Son, and others make returning appearances and new incarnations like Legions of Doom, Ages and High Noon Kahuna feature familiar players in new contexts. Always cool to see bands like Thunderbird Divine and Spiral Grave doing the thing, and I’ll admit that my eyebrows went up when I saw Virginia’s Lord would be playing, as I’d yet to encounter word of a reunion from that most chaotic of sludge metal outfits. Sonolith and Demons My Friends and Sons of Arrakis and plenty of others will be traveling for it — Ogre! — so I would expect some tours to be forthcoming, and Sun Years, whose Nov. tour begins — wait for it — tomorrow, will feature.

It’s a family reunion you probably already have on your calendar, so don’t let me keep you from perusing the poster and getting stoked on what you find. From Crystal Spiders to B&O Railroad, there’s both a lot here and a lot here to like, and always more waiting to be discovered by those bold enough to show up to Cafe 611 early in the day. Check it out:

MARYLAND DOOM FEST 2025 – June 19-22, Frederick, MD

WE JOURNEY FROM THE HEAVY UNDERGROUND AND STAGES ACROSS THE WORLD TO ASSEMBLE IN FREDERICK, MARYLAND, FOR A JOYOUS CELEBRATION OF DOOM, GROOVE, AND THE ALMIGHTY RIFF.

JOIN US.

After such a magnificent 10th anniversary celebration of #4daysofdoom in 2024, which involved reorganizing and coordinating two stages in one venue (Cafe 611), we are beyond stoked to share The Maryland Doom Fest 2025 roster and marvelous promotional artwork.

The art design was created by one of our Maryland natives in the local music scene—Ben Proudman, the Frederick, MD-based master artist at Key City Tattoo (IG: @tattoosbyprdmn). Ben is also the drummer for the powerful bands Thonian Horde and Foehammer. Our very own Bill Kole (IG: @BillyDiablo) handled the color design and layouts again this year. He majestically brought this piece to life!

Explore the heavy musical talent of these bands and performers and be prepared for the nonstop riffage party in June! Talent beyond words!!! We can’t wait for our doom community to congregate next summer!!!

Time slots, ticket sales, stage rosters, sponsors, and vendors will be presented by year’s end. — 💀DooM💀

THE SKULL + PSYCHOTIC REACTION + APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE + LEGIONS OF DOOM + COMPRESSION + CRYSTAL SPIDERS + HIGH NOON KAHUNA + RED BEARD WALL + WITCHPIT + STRANGE HIGHWAYS + AGES + SUNYEARS + HOLLOW LEG

FUTURE PROJEKTOR + ALL YOUR SINS + SONOLITH + SPIRAL GRAVE + LORD + SABBATH WARLOCK + GALLOWGLAS + SONS OF ARRAKIS + CROP + HOVEL + OGRE + DREADSTAR + THUNDERBIRD DIVINE + WYNDRIDER + SUN MANTRA + KULVERA + STYGIAN CROWN + CURSE THE SON + BENTHIC REALM + HOLY ROLLER

BLOODSHOT + DUST PROPHET + VANISHING KIDS + BLOOD AND EARTH + FIGHT THE FOLD + DAYTRIPPER + B&O RAILROAD + BAILJACK + COKUS + NEW DAWNS FADE + COMA HOLE + FLORIST + ABEL BLOOD + SEASICK GLADIATOR + ENTIERRO + HEX ENGINE + DEMONS MY FRIENDS + ABOMINOG + VRSA + HIGH HORSE CALVARY

https://www.facebook.com/MdDoomFest/
www.marylanddoomfest.com

Chicago outfit ÇÖKÜŞ — whose moniker you might see all-caps, all-lowercase, and with various accent marks; for the purposes of this post I’m going all-in with ÇÖKÜŞ as a stylistic choice — are set to issue An Hour of Lies through Qumran Records on Sept. 13. The first lie is it’s not an hour long. The second? It’s pretty honest. Comprised of nine tracks, the longest of which is “Hit the Mattresses” (premiering below) at six minutes, the record tops out at an utterly-manageable-which-isn’t-to-say-tidy 33:36 bookended by the intro “It Died on the Vine” and its concluding reprise, and brings together elements of classic doom, metal and heavy rock. Three members of ÇÖKÜŞ used to be in Earthen Grave — vocalist Mark Wiener, guitarist Jason Muxlow (also The Living Fields) and drummer Chris Wozniak (also Lair of the Minotaur); the band is completed by guitarist Steve Ligeza and bassist Patrick Green — and so are part of the Trouble family tree along with labelmates like Sacred Dawn and Spillage.

And indeed, if you hear some Eric Wagner influence in the vocals of “Hit the Mattresses” or the post-intro opener “As it Falls,” I don’t think you’re wrong, but while led mostly by guitar and voice, the material throughout An Hour of Lies — again, not really an hour — digs into early Dio-style metallic riffing on “Leave it Behind,” which Wozniak turns propulsive with the kick drum, and centerpiece “Midnight Sun,” which skirts the line between metal and rock. This proves to be no less comfortably within the band’s reach than the lumber they hurl in “Wolf Moon” (which is not a Type O Negative cover), the chugging finish of which is made all the more spacious by vocal echo, and the same applies to the use of backing vocals in “Never Gone,” leaning toward harmony in a mix of higher and lower deliveries. Weiner is a belt-it-out singer either way and has been since I saw Earthen Grave in Wisconsin 12 years ago — let’s assume before then as well — and holds his own throughout An Hour of Lies in patterning verses and choruses as songs vary in mood from the tonally-thick strut of “Hit the Mattresses” to the charge the band holds in reserve for the penultimate “Hammer to Fall,” a three-minute breakout following the more sentimental “Never Gone.”

His performance isn’t the only defining aspect of ÇÖKÜŞ‘ debut — Wozniak‘s drumming, Muxlow and Ligeza‘s guitar work and Green‘s low end are of course essential — but in terms of band-persona, the frontman plays a significant role. This, coupled with shorter-track immediacy and the communion with influences from a prior generation, gives ÇÖKÜŞ their crux on this first offering: they hit hard and efficient, know what they’re about, and have enough experience behind them to back up the swagger of their execution. You’ll read in the PR wire info below that An Hour of Lies was recorded in pieces. Green captured his own bass, Muxlow did the guitars, etc. Whatever. Put altogether and mixed for impact, the record isn’t trying to sound like a fly-on-the-wall live-taped performance, but it is vibrant just the same, and has energy that hints at a live show that’d be worth seeing. I guess I’m due, if you believe in due. Either way, ÇÖKÜŞ bask in rock/metal glory-days in a way that nonetheless manages to be more about looking forward than back, and most of all about serving their songs. One never knows what the real-life future will bring, but hopefully it’s the beginning point of an ongoing progression for the band. One more lie: it definitely didn’t die on the vine.

“Hit the Mattresses” follows “Wolf Moon” and “Midnight Sun” as the third single from An Hour of Lies, and you’ll find it premiering in the visualizer embed below. It takes about 15 seconds to get going. Give it a little time and I doubt you’ll regret having done so.

As always, I hope you enjoy:

ÇÖKÜŞ, “Hit the Mattresses” premiere

Mark Weiner on “”Hit The Mattresses”:

“As the Dark One was left at the altar and betrayed by the Bright One, the spells had been cast onto the Earth. What was good is now bad. Lives were changed forever, and no one had control over anything. The War of Wars began. From the smallest of families to the most powerful organized families, everyone had to bear arms and Hit The Mattresses — a term used in organized crime…”

Chicago, Illinois-based doom metal outfit ÇÖKÜŞ will release their debut album, An Hour Of Lies, September 13th on Qumran Records.

Arising from the heart of the Chicago underground metal scene, ÇÖKÜŞ is the product of ten years of mostly virtual collaboration between former Earthen Grave bandmates, vocalist Mark Weiner (Earthen Grave), drummer Chris Wozniak (Vanishment, Earthen Grave, ex-Lair Of The Minotaur), and guitarist Jason Muxlow (Witchcryer, Earthen Grave, The Living Fields). Even though Muxlow and Wozniak had moved thousands of miles away after the abrupt conclusion of Earthen Grave in 2013, the three stayed in touch, trading riffs, beats, and lyrics from their respective corners of the United States. The material that emerged saw influences from the usual suspects — Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Trouble, Dio — as well as old favorites like Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and Kyuss.

Shortly before the pandemic, the group started meeting periodically in Chicago to write and record. Embracing a shorter, more polished format than their previous engagement, they privately released a demo under the moniker WMW in 2020, which generated a lot of buzz and positive feedback among those who had access to the recording. In 2021, the group re-branded as ÇÖKÜŞ (pronounced cho-koosh; Turkish for “decline” or “collapse”) and recruited bassist and longtime friend Patrick Green to complete the lineup and the material which will become the band’s debut album. Soon after, they were joined by another old friend, Steve Ligeza (Torg, Makahiya), on second guitar, and ÇÖKÜŞ began playing live.

ÇÖKÜŞ’ An Hour Of Lies was captured in three states – Illinois, Washington, and Texas – the drums and vocals recorded by John E. Bohmher, Jr. at Berwyn Recording, the bass recorded by Patrick Green, and the guitars recorded by Jason Muxlow, the finished recordings were mixed by Chris Wozniak and mastered by Chris Hanzsek (Melvins, Soundgarden, Helms Alee). The visual elements including the logo, cover art for the album and its singles, and video content was handled by Tom Denney (Soilent Green, Weedeater, Rwake).

An Hour Of Lies will be released on CD and digital platforms on Friday, September 13th.

Preorders are live at the Qumran Records webshop HERE: https://qumranrecords.com/product/1017710

And Bandcamp HERE: https://cokus.bandcamp.com/album/an-hour-of-lies

ÇÖKÜŞ:
Mark Weiner – vocals
Jason Muxlow – guitar
Steve Ligeza – guitar
Patrick Green – bass
Chris Wozniak – drums

ÇÖKÜŞ, An Hour of Lies (2024)

ÇÖKÜŞ Linktr.ee

ÇÖKÜŞ on Bandcamp

ÇÖKÜŞ on Facebook

ÇÖKÜŞ on Instagram

Qumran Records website

Qumran Records on Facebook

Qumran Records on Instagram