The Witching Buzz Records tribute to Sleep, dubbed Cathedral of Smoke and featuring an international roster of 10 bands, will be released tomorrow, Aug. 7. And a lot of what you need to know about it is told by the tracklist — the bands involved, what songs they’re playing, when they’re from — but as the California-based label follows its 2025-’26 tribute compilations honoring Kyuss and Ozzy Osbourne, they’re beginning to build a stable of acts. For example, France’s Poste 942, who here tackle “Hot Lava Man” from the 2022 Third Man issue of Dopesmoker, previously appeared on both other tributes, while Abel Blood, who open Cathedral of Smoke covering “Giza Butler” from Sleep‘s 2018 studio comeback, The Sciences, was on the Ozzy tribute, as was solo singer-songwriter Dee Calhoun (ex-Iron Man, etc.), who here provides a respite from the tonal largesse with a hard-strummed Western take on “From Beyond” from Sleep’s Holy Mountain, harmonica and all.

Notably, Cathedral of Smoke is shorter than either of the two prior Witching Buzz tributes, with 10 tracks included instead of 20 or 22 for Kyuss and Ozzy, and that leads one to believe the label is thinking of an eventual physical release, which obviously would introduce a time constraint. Nonetheless, as Buzzards of Babylon revel in the classic call-to-worship of “Dragonaut” early in the proceedings, you wouldn’t say the comp is missing anything. Some reinterpretations are more dramatic than others. Calhoun‘s is up there in terms of making the song his own, and the closing acoustic take on “Aquarian” from New York arthouse doom weirdos Shadow Witch works effectively to a similar standard. The growling, lumbering manner in which Italian stompers Owls Over Oaks dig back to 1991’s Volume One for a gurgling death-sludge perspective on “The Suffering” also belongs on that list, and these divergences are welcome amid the many rolling nods on offer, though whether it’s the noise of When the Deadbolt Breaks‘ interpretation of “Holy Mountain” or Serpent Kiln‘s raw but still melodic “Catatonic,” it’s not like anybody is trying to carbon-copy what Al Cisneros and company sound like. Greece’s Fuzzing Nation might come closest to that mark for the vocal delivery in “Marijuanaut’s Theme,” but there’s enough going on around it, including the instrumentalist jam on “The Botanist” from Lizzy that follows, that it never feels egregious or like anything less than the homage it is.

No, nobody takes on the 2026 Sleep singles “Have Spacesuit Will Travel”or the newly unveiled “The Morrisist,” and one suspects that’s because no one knew a new record was coming, or that Sleep would be making news this year with a sans-Matt–Pike lineup, but apparently that’s the timeline we live in, and it does nothing to detract either from what Cathedral of Smoke is doing or what it’s celebrating, which is the influence that Sleep has had across two generations and 35-plus years of riffs. These kinds of tributes were more of a thing in the aughts, assemblages of bands trying to get their names out or just to do a thing in the days prior to the whole-album ‘reduxes’ that have been more de rigeur since the 2010s. But being oldschool doesn’t hurt Cathedral of Smoke in the slightest, and as glaringly obvious as one would be, to my knowledge nobody’s done a Sleep album redux, so fair enough. The highlights here are plenty, whether it’s the bass tone in “Dragonaut” or that backwards guitar/maybe-organ/whathaveyou Shadow Witch employ for flourish in the midsection of “Aquarian,” the sheer grit and gnash of Owls Over Oaks or “Hot Lava Man,” which has the distinction of being the only song here-presented that I’d never heard before. So I got Poste 942‘s gallop-into-space-then-float interpretation before the original, which is an odd but resonant kind of fun, as far as I’m concerned.

And to expand on that point, obviously as release like Cathedral of Smoke is speaking to the converted. Those outside the subculture are neither going to understand nor care about how the lurch in “Catatonic” compares to the original, but that’s part of the intent here as well. Genre speaking to itself, celebrating itself and past accomplishments with fresh takes. It’s not a new idea, but at a time when the conversation has been forced into wondering what and who is Sleep and what typifies one of stoner metal’s most defining sounds, these bands step up to provide an answer that’s likewise expansive and entrancing in its plod. Sleep were a thing before the memefication of the heavy underground, before notions of the ‘weedian’ or their own coined ‘Iommic life’ existed, and the band’s effect not only on the conversation but the language used in it extends to the sounds conjured here in their honor, but at the end of the day it’s riffs on top of riffs, and as far as that kind of thing goes, there are precious few outfits who ever did it better. Cathedral of Smoke is a work of worthy, fun, relevant and due idolatry.

The tribute streams in its entirety on the player below, followed by more from the PR wire in the blue text. Please enjoy:

Witching Buzz Records will release Cathedral of Smoke: A Tribute to SLEEP digitally on August 7, 2026. The compilation features 10 international artists paying homage to the legendary stoner/doom pioneers Sleep, reinterpreting material drawn from across the band’s influential catalogue.

The release brings together a diverse selection of artists from the USA, UK, and Europe, each offering their own interpretation of Sleep’s signature sound. Spanning material inspired by the band’s early-era recordings through later-era compositions, the compilation remains rooted in heavy, slow, and atmospheric approaches that have defined and shaped modern doom metal.

Rather than straightforward replication, Cathedral of Smoke focuses on reinterpretation, with each contributor reshaping the original material through their own stylistic lens while preserving the hypnotic weight and psychedelic intensity associated with Sleep’s legacy.

Cover art by Captain Maoos.

Tracklist:
1. Abel Blood (USA) – “Giza Butler” (2018)
2. Buzzards of Babylon (UK) – “Dragonaut” (1992)
3. Dee Calhoun (USA) – “From Beyond” (1992)
4. Fuzzing Nation (Greece) – “Marijuanaut’s Theme” (2018)
5. Lizzy (USA) – “The Botanist” (2018)
6. When the Deadbolt Breaks (USA) – “Holy Mountain” (1992)
7. Owls Over Oaks (Italy) – “The Suffering” (1991)
8. Poste 942 (France) – “Hot Lava Man” (2022)
9. Serpent Kiln (Netherlands) – “Catatonic” (1991)
10. Shadow Witch (USA) – “Aquarian” (1992)

Cathedral of Smoke: A Tribute to SLEEP will be available exclusively in digital format via Witching Buzz Records. Follow the label’s Bandcamp page for updates and release notifications.

Witching Buzz Records website

Witching Buzz Records on Bandcamp

Witching Buzz Records on Facebook

No arguments to make here with the lineup for Grim Reefer Fest 2026. The Baltimorean all-dayer has been a regular feature of East Coast Springtime for the last however-many, and continues to grow its reach each time out. Black Tusk take a headliner position that in past years has gone the likes of Weedeater or Bongzilla, and that feels fair enough for the heft they bring, while Howling Giant provide a rocking counterpart as they support their well-received 2025 album, Crucible and Ruin (review here). They’ll be in Europe in May for Desertfest as well, if you’re in that part of the world and not this one.

Of course there’s more to it than headliners, with New York’s Shadow Witch and Pennsylvania’s Almost Honest representing Argonauta Records, the fest-associated Haze Mage playing a set as the house band, and Seasick Gladiator, Total Maniac, Necromancer and Cemetery Sex included. All told, it’s a nine-band day that starts at 3:30 and goes, well, probably until you’re ready to go to bed. Party hearty.

From the PR wire:

Grim Reefer Fest 2026

We are excited to announce the return of Grim Reefer Fest! Join us once again at the legendary Ottobar in Baltimore, MD for a full day of heavy music, dank vibes, and high spirits! Join us on Saturday April 18th, 2026 as we celebrate the High Holidays with a stacked lineup from start to finish with some of the best bands the scene has to offer! Featuring the heavy sludge sounds of Black Tusk, the heavy harmonized riffs Howling Giant (whose latest album was one of the best of 2025), the rockin sounds of Baltimore favorites Total Maniac, and many more (9 bands total)! Additionally, fest founders Haze Mage are announcing an indefinite hiatus after this year’s festival so all the more reason to come give these local heavy heroes a proper sendoff!

This is the 8th year of Grim Reefer Fest and one of our most ambitious lineups yet! We’re proud of what we’re accomplishing as a DIY grassroots festival. The genres and sounds for this year’s bands range are diverse, rocking, and full of some of our favorite underground bands on the scene today!

The full list of performers at this year’s fest includes:

Black Tusk
Howling Giant
Total Maniac
Haze Mage
Shadow Witch
Cemetery Sex
Almost Honest
Seasick Gladiator
Necromancer

Doors are at 2:30pm, Music starts at 3:30pm and runs until midnight

Tickets are $40 online and can be purchased here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/46043744

If still available, tickets day of the show will go up to $50 at the door

We’ll have a food truck on site all day to handle all of your munchies needs!

More details for the fest can be found at GrimReeferFest.com

(Poster art by Ghost Bat)

https://linktr.ee/grimreeferfest
http://www.grimreeferfest.com/
https://www.instagram.com/GrimReeferFest/
https://www.facebook.com/GrimReeferFest

Haze Mage, Live at Grim Reefer Fest 2025

[Click play above to stream Shadow Witch’s Eschaton (The End of All Things) in its entirety. Album is out Friday on Argonauta Records and the band play their release show at Maryland Doom Fest 2024 this weekend.]

All things end, and Shadow Witch‘s songwriting is suited to endtimes, with a gospel feel and theme amid the doom rock groove and an intermittent metallic severity. Eschaton (The End of All Things) is the fourth full-length from the Kingston, New York-based four-piece fronted by Earl Walker Lundy with Jeremy Hall (since replaced by Jesse Cunningham) on guitar/keys, bassist David Pannullo and drummer Justin Zipperle (also piano/Hammond) making his first recorded appearance since coming aboard following the tracking of 2020’s Under the Shadow of a Witch (review here), which until now was their most realized outing to-date. Clocking in at an easily manageable 36 minutes, the eight self-recorded pieces of Eschaton (The End of All Things) ask little — not nothing — in terms of indulgence and reward the listener in the diversity of their approach, starting with the quick 80-second motor-riff of “Speedy Goes to Sludgetown” that is deceptively complex as it builds to the finish with synth and vocals worked in around the centralized forward push. It’s not nearly as atmospheric as “Dominu Sanctus Oblivion,” which leads off side B with its hard-hitting cycles of drumming and layered vocal chanting, references to The Exorcist on guitar and so forth, but that song is six minutes long and it probably wouldn’t work as an album intro. No time to waste. Shadow Witch have places to be and the songs to get them there.

Eschaton (The End of All Things) of course begs the question whether the ending being discussed in its title is that of the band itself. Best I can do in terms of an answer after listening is: “maybe?” One never knows generally and I won’t make any definite predictions, but between the departure of Hall, the plague that happened between the third album’s recording/release and this one, and the creative progression undertaken since Lundy, Hall and Pannullo set forth in 2016 with their debut, Sun Killer (discussed here), if this was to be the final Shadow Witch release, they certainly don’t owe anyone anything, and they sound like they’ve put everything they have into this record. From “Speedy Goes to Sludgetown” into the melancholic starts and stops of “Satellites” touching later on Southern rock as it brings acoustic and electric guitars together with keys and the first of several standout performances from Lundy, whose lyrics recast manmade spacetrash as falling angels and/or stars, namedropping a burning bush and serpent along the way to emphasize the being-raised-baptist-is-a-trauma religious undertones that have been a part of Shadow Witch all along but that also find a fresh point of view throughout Eschaton (The End of All Things). A melodic soulful dig in “Tell Me,” which follows, is burly but almost desert rocking in its tone, shifting from the sweeping crescendo of “Satellites” with organ and backing vocals to a more rigid stomp that grows fervent in its later gallop without any real threat of derailment to the momentum the band have already built.

The subsequent “Nobody” leans into insistent punk-metal with a hook that reminds me (and this is a ‘me’ thing rather than a likely influence) of Midwestern pushers Bloodcow as Lundy takes on the voice of some of masculinity’s more toxic gaslighting in the unfortunately-not-post-Trump era: “Nobody knows more about you than me/Nobody does more for you than me… I’m the man/And you all must do as I command,” and so on. Discussions of power and the abuse thereof aren’t necessarily new for Shadow Witch — the third album had “Wolf Among the Sheep,” and a cut like “Cruel” from 2017’s Disciples of the Crow (review here) saw its subject through a social justice lens — but the craft on Eschaton (The End of All Things), the subtle turns in the instrumental arrangements and the heart poured into the belted-out delivery of the vocals over top, frame the conversation and exploration of ideas in an accessible, heavy rock and roll that has never been both so broad in reach or so outwardly sure of its path.

Recorded on their own, as noted above, with a mix and master by Paul Orofino, the material feels divergent but is structurally sound and aware of its audience, with “Nobody” giving over to the big-nodding side A finale “Let it Out” giving willful contrast to “Tell Me” earlier — directly: the repeated line of the backing vocals is “Don’t tell me…” which Lundy answers in call and response — in a tight three-and-a-half-minute course, moderately placed like if KISS had ever given a damn what their songs were actually about. They’ve got some according swagger there, but Shadow Witch have never been just darkness stylistically. In terms of aesthetic, there’s as much light as black under their blacklights.

With a hook that’s downright vibrant and swing to spare, “Let it Out” is for sure present-tense in its frustrations, and it ends with Zipperle‘s drums on a fade before giving over to the immediate riff introducing “Dominu Sanctus Oblivion,” which is based around a chorus that becomes a kind of thanatos/destruction-worshiping chant and a lead-in for the apocalyptic narrative fleshed out across “The Lion and the Lamb” and closer “The Fallen.” The last three cuts, all over six minutes long (nothing on side A touched five), retain the intentionality of, say, “Satellites” and “Tell Me,” but are focused on a distinct procession. “Dominu Sanctus Oblivion,” then, is both the moment where that turn happens and the beginning of the story perceived, told in fire-and-brimstone preach and sharp streaks of guitar soloing, a manifestation of the Judgment Day being referenced in the album’s title. They still make it move and have a quieter break in the second half to offset the song’s cyclical pattern before they restart for one more hypnotic, willfully grandiose time through, finishing riffier and edgier before the cold stop brings standalone guitar at the start of “The Lion and the Lamb.” Marked by its inclusion of organ and evocative lead guitar, the penultimate cut on Eschaton (The End of All Things) is both a lead-in for “The Fallen” and a landmark in itself for the band, reminiscent of some of Dio-era Black Sabbath‘s more sprawling fare, whether that’s “Heaven and Hell” or “Falling Off the Edge of the World,” neither of which it’s actively emulating.

A synthy wash of noise eases the transition to the urgent opening build of “The Fallen,” and if there is some autobiographical aspect to Eschaton (The End of All Things) — that is, if part of what’s ending is the band itself — no one will be able to say they didn’t go out on top. A career performance from Lundy around a get-in-punk-we’re-taking-Heaven lyric and the corresponding manner in which the song unfolds instrumentally is stately in a way that both accounts for “The Lion and the Lamb” and the detail and arrangement flourish Shadow Witch have basked in throughout. But the closer is singular in its character and caps with a vision of doom that is bluesy, classic, gospel-informed and progressive without pushing so far as to lose the plot of which it is still only one piece set forth in the two songs prior, culminating with layered vocals and organ in complement to the final lines as the song resolves: “Fold your wings around me/We’re going home.” Those wings are leather, and “home” is a march of the fallen on capital-‘p’ Paradise, but the emotion behind the delivery is sincere and palpable, and as Shadow Witch do on their fourth album front-to-back, they depart with the sense of purpose that Eschaton (The End of All Things) has so roundly highlighted. Like I said at the start, all things end. Not all things are fortunate enough to do so with such resonance. I don’t know that this will be the last Shadow Witch record or not — and for what it’s worth, I hope not — but what they bring to fruition in these songs should be considered nothing less than a definitive work today, and today is what matters.

Shadow Witch, “The Lion and the Lamb” official video

Shadow Witch on Facebook

Shadow Witch on Instagram

Shadow Witch on Bandcamp

Argonauta Records website

Argonauta Records on Facebook

Argonauta Records on Instagram

Heads up on the forthcoming long-player Eschaton (The End of All Things) from Kingston, New York, dark heavy rockers Shadow Witch. Set to release in May, it’s their fourth long-player and first offering in the three years since 2020’s Under the Shadow of a Witch (review here), and the material casts a striking blend. They’ve never been light on theatricality even on record, never mind the odd bit of under-blacklight gigging, but as the lead single “Tell Me” conveys and as plays out across the rest of the album, their all-in impulses are matched by the level of craft such that rather than competing with each other, both work together to serve the ends of the individual songs.

I always get itchy when good bands start talking about ‘endings’ in titles, since there are numerous examples of last records that either consciously or not knew they were going to be the last and went so far as to mention it, and Eschaton (The End of All Things) ticks that box as it weaves grooving through doom, chugging metal, gospel blues, modernized ’70s classicism and more besides. One never knows what the future will bring, but it’s not the immediate end of Shadow Witch, although it does mark the final appearance of guitarist Jeremy Hall with the band, who have brought in Jesse Cunningham on guitar alongside frontman/singer/noisemaker Earl Walker Lundy and the rhythm section of bassist David Pannullo and drummer Justin Zipperle (also piano and organ).

Probably safe to assume live dates will follow, but like at least 60 percent of the other East Coast acts issuing albums this Spring, Shadow Witch will make the journey to Frederick for Maryland Doom Fest 2024 at the always-welcoming (not sarcasm) Cafe 611. By the time they get there, they will have already put out their best LP to-date.

The PR wire has the announcement:

US Stoner/Doomsters SHADOW WITCH Return With The New Album; New Single Out Now

2024 should be one helluva year for Shadow Witch, given the potency of their upcoming fourth release, “Eschaton (The End Of All Things)”, coming on ARGONAUTA Records.

Those already familiar with the band’s signature mix of dark 70’s hard rock, doom, stoner, and hints of proto-punk will absolutely not be disappointed, but all is not as it was before.

This time around, a great many nuances from the past are brought to the fore, and this is certainly what should be considered their most dynamic, and, dare I say, accessible effort yet. The catchy hooks that were once reigned in are now literally everywhere, and the choruses, also plentiful, are absolutely huge, with the latter often carrying a strong gospel flavoring. The dark grooves of old sound quite comfortable sharing time with the sunlight freshly peeking through the band’s oft-drawn curtains. This new album is denser than the others, and Lundy delivers what I’d say is his most varied, colorful, and soulful vocals to date. No easy feat.

It’s obvious, at least to this listener, that Shadow Witch wanted a new, perhaps intentionally unexpected infusion of something adventurous, and they have proven themselves more than up to the sizable task on this fourth trip to the studio.

This is a remarkable listen, from start to finish.

Need more proof? Check out the lead-off single “Tell Me” to get a tasty little nibble of what’s going on with the band in the present. It’s AC/DC-influenced anthemic intro and subsequent uptempo groove is not to be denied, just…. enjoyed. (Words by David LaMay)

—

Founded 2015 in New York’s Hudson Valley, SHADOW WITCH is an enigmatic beast of a band, harnessing decades of varied influences with a decidedly “vintage rock” sensibility. Beginning with their first release ‘Sun Killer’ in 2016, and ‘Disciples Of The Crow’ in 2017, the band has garnered excellent reviews from the international heavy music community. After signing to Italy’s ARGONAUTA RECORDS, the band returned in 2020 with their brooding occult-rock ode to obsession ‘Under The Shadow of a Witch’. This year, again with ARGONAUTA, SHADOW WITCH release their highly anticipated fourth album ‘ESCHATON (The End of All Things).

Shadow Witch are:
Jesse Cunningham – guitar*
Earl Walker Lundy – vocals, Mellotron, noise
David Pannullo – bass
Justin Zipperle – drums, piano, Hammond organ

(* Jeremy Hall plays guitar and synth on Eschaton (The End of All Things)

https://www.facebook.com/shadowwitch.band
https://www.instagram.com/shadowofthewitch1
https://www.shadowwitch.bandcamp.com

https://www.argonautarecords.com/shop
https://www.facebook.com/argonuatarecords
https://www.instagram.com/argonautarecords

Shadow Witch, “Tell Me”

Shadow Witch, Under the Shadow of a Witch (2020)

Look at the blue text below and you know what you’re gonna see? Yes, a whole lot of skull emojis. Like a lot. But it happens that each individual one corresponds to a demonstration of the labor of love and community that is the Maryland Doom Festival. From Abel Blood through Zekiah, Maryland Doom Fest 2024 celebrates its 10th anniversary edition with its standard sans-bullshit glut of heavy. Once more the Frederick-based event looks your square in the eye, drops for absolutely immersive days on you and asks if you’re up for it. Well, are ya?

I’m not sure what my summer travel plans are yet — this and Freak Valley have overlapped the last couple years for me — but it’s been since 2019 that I was last down there and oh I’d be so eager to show up and have the three or four people who recognize me (and thus make it feel like an absolute family experience; love love love everywhere you go down there) quietly think to themselves I’ve gotten older and fatter en route to obliterating myself with volume for about 96 hours straight. Fuck. King. A.

Oh, and I hear Thunderbird Divine have new stuff in the works and it’s amazing. So that’s a thing too.

Social media had it like this:

We are super stoked to share with you the Maryland Doom Fest 2024 rosters, schedules, and lineups!!!

#4daysofdoom

THE MARYLAND DOOM FEST 2024

✝️Thursday June 20

Cafe 611-

💀 Thunderhorse
1115-1230
💀 The Magpie
1010-1055
💀 Born of Plagues
905-950
💀 Stone Nomads
800-845
💀 Pyre Fyre
700-740
💀 Dirt Eater
600-640

Olde Mother Brewery-

💀 Spellbook
920-1000
💀 Strange Highways
820-900
💀 Bailjack
720-800
💀 Stone Brew
620-700
💀 Abel Blood
520-600

✝️Friday June 21

Cafe 611-

💀 Diggeth
1215-120
💀 Shadow Witch
1110-1155
💀 Red Beard Wall
1010-1050
💀 CROP
910-950
💀 Almost Honest
810-850
💀 Cobra Whip
715-750
💀 The Crows Eye
620-655
💀 Stereo Christ
525-600

Olde Mother Brewery-

💀 Ten Ton Slug
915-1000
💀 Thousand Vision Mist
815-855
💀 Crowhunter
715-755
💀 Asthma Castle
615-655
💀 Bonded by Darkness
515-555

✝️Saturday June 22

Cafe 611-

💀 WHORES.
1150-115
💀 AGE/S
1040-1130
💀 Bloodshot
935-1020
💀 O ZORN!
830-915
💀 Double Planet
730-810
💀 Sun Years
630-710
💀 When the Deadbolt Breaks
530-610

Olde Mother Brewery-

💀 Black Water Rising
915-1000
💀 Switchblade Jesus
815-855
💀 Wyndrider
715-755
💀 Indus Valley Kings
615-655
💀 Vermillion Whiskey
515-555
💀 Doctor Smoke
415-455

✝️Sunday June 23

Cafe 611-

💀 Cirith Ungol
1200-110
💀 Mythosphere
1055-1140
💀 Conclave
955-1035
💀 Compression
855-935
💀 Sons of Arrakis
755-835
💀 Curse the Son
655-735
💀 Kulvera
555-635
💀 Old Blood
500-535
💀 Cloud Machine
405-440

Olde Mother Brewery-

💀 Thunderbird Divine
920-1000
💀 Black Manta
820-900
💀 High Noon Kahuna
720-800
💀 Unity Reggae
620-700
💀 King Bastard
520-600
💀 Zekiah
420-500

52 bands over a 4 day weekend at 2 venues across the street from one another!!
#4daysofdoom

WEEKEND PASSES: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-maryland-doom-fest-2024-tickets-732298202637?aff=oddtdtcreator

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

Thunderbird Divine, “I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More, Babe” (Barry White cover)

With headlining performances slated from a soon-to-retire Cirith Ungol, noise crushers Whores., mostly-local melodic heavy proggers Mythosphere, Switchblade Jesus, Conclave, Ten Ton Slug (from Ireland; I got to see them one time; way burly; they’ll do well in Frederick), and plenty of other returning acts and newcomers alike, the lineup for Maryland Doom Fest 2024 could hardly be more appropriate a celebration of the annual Chesapeake gathering’s 10th anniversary. Based in Frederick, the four-day ultra-consuming sensory assault of volume will once again take place at Cafe 611 and Olde Mother Brewing, and if you’ve never been, I’ll tell you outright there’s nothing quite like it.

I mean that. Maryland Doom Fest goes harder than the average festival. A day might start at 1PM and not end until 2AM. And now more than ever, as the fest has grown with the two venues running alongside each other, the bill is packed. I think this year was 50 bands? Well, they’ve got 52 for 2024, and while next June is a while out, there’s a tradition to uphold of Halloween announcements, and festival honcho JB Matson (Bloodshot, War Injun, Outside Truth, etc.) pays tribute to his regulars — Shadow Witch, Bailjack, Thunderbird Divine, Thousand Vision Mist (congratulations to Danny Kenyon of Thousand Vision Mist on recently kicking cancer’s ass), among others here — while also giving showcase to outfits like Pyre Fyre, O Zorn! (whose very moniker heralds weirdness), WyndRider and more.

Congrats to Matson and all at Maryland Doom Fest on their 10th anniversary. To do something of this scope once is a lot. To do it across 10 years, well, aside from being fucking crazy, it’s also deeply admirable.

The aforementioned announcement — brief as ever; the poster lands heavy enough to cover any lack of verbiage — follows, courtesy of socials. Ticket link is there too:

WE ARE EXTREMELY PLEASED TO PRESENT TO YOU, THE MARYLAND DOOM FEST 2024 LINEUP!!!!!
THIS WILL BE OUR 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!!
(#128128#)(#129304#)(#128128#)

52 bands over a 4 day weekend at 2 venues across the street from one another!!
#4daysofdoom

WEEKEND PASSES: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-maryland-doom-fest-2024-tickets-732298202637?aff=oddtdtcreator

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

Ten Ton Slug, Live at Red Crust Festival 2022

It’s a big ‘un. And if you’re like me, there are a couple names that stick out from the poster below, particularly Earthride and The Skull. Both are tribute sets, of course. The Skull frontman Eric Wagner passed away in 2021 after complications from a covid-19 infection and the loss of Earthride‘s Dave Sherman just a couple months ago continues to be keenly felt in and beyond the confines of the scene he called home. Karl Agell (ex-C.O.C.) will step in for The Skull, while Scott Angelacos of Hollow Leg is set to front a rotating cast of players for Earthride. You would be hard-pressed to find a more fitting occasion for honoring one’s own, except perhaps this gig in a couple weeks.

Plenty of familiar, returning acts as well as newcomers. Hippie Death Cult and will travel from the Pacific Northwest, Switchblade Jesus and Doomstress make an appearance (not the first for either) from Texas, and Red Mesa come straight out of the capital-‘desert’ Desert. Meanwhile, Faith in Jane, Black Lung, Bloodshot, Mangog, Mythosphere, Thonian Horde, Spiral Grave and plenty of others represent the Maryland home team, High Leaf and Thunderbird Divine trip down from Philly, Curse the Son (CT) and Guhts (NY) come from farther north, Hollow Leg make the trip out from Florida, and Lo-Pan, Doctor Smoke and Brimstone Coven head over from the Midwest. That’s just off the top of my head. I’m not sure there’s ever been a MDDF pulling so many bands from different parts of the country, though of course international bands have featured in the past as well.

There are always some shakeup between the first announcement and the final lineup, but so far so good here. Any way it works out, Maryland Doom Fest has nothing to prove at this point. Guaranteed banger.

Here’s the poster (oy) and the lineup, the latter in alphabetical order:

Maryland Doom Fest 2023

June 22-25 – Frederick, MD

We are proud to present to you The Maryland DooM Fest 2023 lineup roster and 2023 promotional art!!!!

We showcase over 50 kickass bands bringing you heavy riffs over these #4daysofdoom!!

The centerpiece art was created by Joshua Adam Hart (Earthride, Unorthodox, Revelation, Chowder, Stout, to name a few).

Josh is a career tattoo artist and is currently scheduling appointments at Triple Crown Towson Tattoo. Schedule to get ink from him at info@triplecrowntowson.com

The incredible flyer layout, coloring, and design is by our very talented Bill Kole (make sure to check out his band Ol’ Time Moonshine)!!

Above the Treachery, Akris, Black Lung, Bloodshot, Bonded by Darkness, Borracho, Brimstone Coven, Cobra Whip, Conclave, Crowhunter, Curse the Son, DeathCAVE, Doctor Smoke, Doomstress, Double Planet, Dust Prophet, Earthride, Faith in Jane, False Gods, Flummox, Fox 45, Future Projektor, Gallowglas, Grim Reefer, Guhts, Helgamite, High Leaf, Hippie Death Cult, Hog, Hollow Leg, Hot Ram, Las Cruces, Leather Lung, Lo-Pan, Mangog, Mythosphere, Orodruin, Red Mesa, Severed Satellites, Shadow Witch, Smoke the Light, Spiral Grave, Switchblade Jesus, The Skull, Thonian Horde, Thousand Vision Mist, Thunderbird Divine, Unity Reggae, VRSA, Weed Coughin, Wizzerd

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

Lo-Pan, “Ascension Day” live at Maryland Doom Fest 2019

This year’s Maryland Doom Fest has already begun. It started last night and will continue through Sunday, packing as much volume as possible between the first switched on amplifier and the final, inevitable broom swept across the floor afterward at Cafe 611 in Frederick, MD, where the fest is held. These shows are jammed. They start early. They go late. There’s nothing else quite like Maryland Doom Fest out there, and when you go, you’re made welcome whether you’re a regular or not. It’s too intimate a space and too cool a crowd for bullshit attitudes to survive. Relax and enjoy the tunes.

I’m sad to say I’m not there this year — let’s call it “family stuff” and leave it there — but the lineup is incredible and I wanted to do at least some tiny measure of tribute to that, so here we are. Some of these bands are MDDF veterans — Apostle of Solitude, Zed, Foghound, Faith in Jane, Caustic Casanova, etc. — but some are new to the event as well — Coven, Great Electric Quest, Formula 400, and others — so it’s a good mix, and you know I’m a sucker for ending epic, so The Age of Truth seemed perfect for that. They’re gonna kill it this weekend playing songs from Resolute and everyone there will know it long before they go on and they’ll still kill it. That’s just how it goes down there. You’re gonna have a good time.

Thanks if you listen, thanks if you’re reading. Thanks in general. And if you’re at the fest this weekend, enjoy it.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 06.24.22 (VT = voice track)

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is July 8 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

The Obelisk on Facebook