With more reportedly on the way, the Pittsburgh-based dark arts heavyfest Descendants of Crom has announced the first round of acts for its seventh — or VIIth, if you prefer — edition this September. Set to take place over two days, Sept. 26-27, at Thunderbird Music Hall, the festival continues its strong run of doom, metal and sludge with this year’s lineup from the rank pill-popped Midwestern apathy of Fistula to Crypt Sermon‘s trad-metal standard-bearing, Black Tusk‘s progressive take on Southern heavy and Valkyrie‘s pastoral, modernized classic rock, and much more besides.

It hadn’t occurred to me until I was grabbing the embed at the bottom of this post, but fest-staples Rebreather — I need to buy a new Rebreather shirt because my last one got a hole in the side and I don’t want to be without one — are four years removed from their killer comebacker The Line, its Width and the War Drone (review here), and I can’t help but be curious if the sludge-rooted Ohio outfit will have anything new in the works. Time for some social media digging? Yeah, maybe after I put that shirt in my Bandcamp cart.

Much continued respect to Descendants of Crom VII headed into its seventh year. I’ve never been — it’s traditionally right around the weekend of my wedding anniversary, Sept. 28 — but it’s always cool to see who’ll be there and to keep up as the fest has expanded its palette and grown into the warrior you see before you on the poster. Killer.

Dig:

DESCENDANTS OF CROM VII – September 26 & 27 – Pittsburgh, PA

Tickets: https://www.etix.com/ticket/k/18115925/descendants-of-crom-vii-weekend-warrior-pass-early-crow-pittsburgh-thunderbird-caf%C3%A9-music-hall

The forge is burning hot—it’s time to reveal the first wave of bands confirmed for this year’s gathering of the underground faithful. DOC VII returns with two days of heavy music, diverse in sound and tone, never compromising on originality or quality.

2025 LINEUP (SO FAR):
Black Tusk • Valkyrie • Crypt Sermon • Ringworm • Cherubs • Fistula • Rebreather • Weed Demon • Edhochuli • Brown Angel • Funerals • Riparian • Sathanas • Passing Bell

…and more to come, including our co-headliners, regional support, vendors, and sponsors.

EARLY CROW “WEEKEND WARRIOR” PASSES ON SALE NOW:
Very limited—only 50 available
Available through July 4 or until sold out
–After that: regular advance single-day & weekend passes launch

No band submissions please, but vendors and sponsors can still reach out to Blackseed Services.

Come join our celebration this year, after all… We Are All Descendants of Crom ⚔️

EARLY CROW WEEKEND WARRIOR $50, 50 tickets available

Advance single day and weekend pass tickets will be available after the Early Crow options are gone or on July 4th.

21+ w/ID

http://descendantsofcrom.com
https://www.instagram.com/descendantsofcrom/
https://www.facebook.com/DescendantsOfCrom/

Rebreather, The Line, its Width and the War Drone (2021)

Pittsburgh-based underground festival Descendants of Crom has announced its first annual rRitual showcase for April 5. The night will feature six acts — three locals, three out-of-towners — and will get a still-probably-gonna-finish-late early start at 7:30.

If you saw that post a little over a week ago about the Temptress and Thunderchief tour, yeah, this is a stop on it and an occasion for the tour itself. The darkly progressive Axioma from Cleveland are the third import outfit, while the hometeam will be represented by Funerals, with former members of Horehound, as well as Altar and the Bull and Gloom Doom.

Yes, I realize this is next week. No, I’m not necessarily thinking everyone who sees this is going to drop whatever they’re doing and fly to Western PA next weekend. But maybe you are going there, or maybe someone you know is, or maybe you haven’t heard these bands before and it’s a name to chase down next time you’re bored. I don’t know, but it’s a thing that’s happening and apparently the intent is to make it an annual event to complement Descendants of Crom, which is Blackseed Services‘ prior-established festival offering. This may then be the first  — I can’t help but roll the ‘r’ — rRitual of many to come.

Maybe I’m just happy I get to spend my days sitting at the computer listening to music and writing about it and so something like this comes along and I’m like “Oh so that wasn’t a spelling mistake in that Thunderchief post” and then one post leads to another leads to another and all of a sudden it’s been like 16 years and here you are. I had a friend send me a letter the other day. He signed it, “keep writing.” Shit, man. I can’t seem to stop.

If you do go, I hope it’s a blast. Here’s the info, ticket link and such:

rRitual: First Annual Descendants of Crom Showcase

Ticket link: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/blackseed-services/rRITUAL

Presented by Blackseed Services, this special event will be an annual showcase mixer, focusing on the darker, atmospheric styles. Doom/Stoner/Sludge/Blackened.

Featuring:
Temptress (NC/TX)
Thunderchief (Richmond)
Axioma (Cleveland)
with local support:
Funerals
Altar and the Bull
Gloom Doom

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/2829481017232579

21+w/ID
Doors 7 | Music Starts 7:30 Promptly
$15 Advanced Online
$20 Day of/Door (cash)

descendants-of-crom.com
blackseedservices.com

Temptress, See (2023)

Axioma, Live Totality (2024)