Two days, part-outdoors, everybody vaxxed, the Shadow Woods Metal Fest continues to push aesthetic forward while doing so in plague-safe fashion. Shadow Woods Metal Fest V brings campers, cabin-renters and whoever else can find a place to stay together in celebration of anti-genre noisemaking of the sort that might put Borracho and Panopticon on the bill together because screw it life is short and see everything you can while you can. Two days here, really a day and a half, and this might be the last time the fest is held. 200 acres out in the woods. Who could argue? Ever?

Righteous in purpose and execution, fest organizer Mary Spiro sent the following down the PR wire:

Panopticon to headline Shadow Woods Metal Fest V

The fifth edition of Shadow Woods Metal Fest (also sometimes simply SWMF or Shadow Woods Music Fest, since it’s not all metal music) will happen Aug 27-29, 2021 in White Hall, Maryland. Bands announced so far include Panopticon, Destroyer of Light, Borracho, Neolithic, Voarm, Witchcryer, Traitor, Altar and the Bull, and Queen Wolf with about 10 more acts to be confirmed.

Tickets may be found on Eventbrite: https://shadowwoods2021.eventbrite.com

Performance times will be Friday between 6 pm and 11 pm and Saturday between noon and 11 pm. There are no bands on Sunday. Although not officially announced, it is has been rumored that ticket sales will be cut off August 13 and no ticket will be sold at the gate. So, plan ahead.

The fest will take place at its traditional location, Camp Hidden Valley, a wooded, 200-acre property about 45 minutes north of Baltimore that hosts everything from weddings to children’s summer camps. There will be two covered stages – one outdoors and one inside the venue’s large, well-ventilated dining hall. This is the layout used during the 2018 fest – the last time the fest was held. Attendees may drive from home, camp, or stay in nearby hotels or private rentals. Most cabin options are already sold out.

Organizers are taking COVID-19 precautions seriously. There will be emergency medical techs and rapid COVID testing available throughout the weekend. They have issued this statement to attendees:

Masking, hand washing, and physical distancing protocols will be in effect during the fest. At this time, we are asking that every participant be fully vaccinated two weeks prior (by August 13) and show your vaccination card upon entry. We are working with an organization to have rapid COVID testing available onsite for a low fee at entry. If anyone tests positive for COVID or has any indicative symptoms such as a fever, coughing, chills, extreme fatigue, etc., we ask that you STAY HOME or leave the fest immediately, even if it is last minute. Everyone will be required to sign the typical camp liability waiver that we have used every year, but it will also include additional language related to COVID. We will be following all the federal and local recommended protocols and guidelines for COVID safety. All this is subject to change based on the current situation with the pandemic

Event organizer M. A. Spiro said that this really will be the last time she will do the fest, although she has admittedly said that before. “This last year without live music has been brutal on everyone and economically devastating,” she said. “I hope people come out for it. The bands need it. The fans need it. The production people need it. But one thing I learned after this last year is that I personally do not have to be the one to do these events any more. It’s a ton of work, a lot of risk financially and emotionally, and I am just not interested in carrying that mantle forward any longer. I would love it if someone created a new camping music fest nearby that I could go to and enjoy. But Shadow Woods as people have come to know it will be laid to rest after 2021. I might continue to do smaller shows in brick-and-mortar venues, but that remains to be seen since we really are not there yet with those locations.”

https://www.facebook.com/events/962682497420440
https://facebook.com/shadowwoodsmetalfest/
https://www.instagram.com/shadow.woods.metal.fest/

Panopticon, …And Again into the Light (2021)

A wintry companion to each autumn’s Shadow Woods fest, the inaugural Shadow Frost Music & Arts Festival is set to take place not in the forest — probably a practical choice, given, you know, winter and all — but at the Clarion Inn Frederick Event Center in Frederick, Maryland, on Feb. 21 and 22. And let’s be honest, that’s not as romantic or as kvlt an idea as having a party out in the woods in the waning days of summer, but from where I sit, it’s also kind of awesome. Think of it this way: Here’s an all-ages festival infiltrating an otherwise normal, unassuming space that, instead of a campground, gives you on-site hotel amenities. Of all the fests you’ve ever been to, how many have listed “free breakfast” and “Saturday morning yoga” — which I’m going to assume will be led by Darsombra, who are also playing, and if that’s not true I don’t want to know — among its resources? Imagine going for a swim before you see some “pizza-themed punk/grind.” This could be your life.

Like Shadow Woods, the lineup for Shadow Frost 2020 carries a rich and admirable sense of curation, loyal to its Chesapeake home, but unafraid as well to branch out in multiple directions, as festival director Mary Spiro continues to proliferate her vision of an underground that transcends genre barriers and unites communities who probably have more in common than they think.

Awesome project, especially for a first run. I hope it goes off without a hitch:

SHADOW FROST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL: Frederick, Maryland’s Exclusive Indoor Winter Gathering Announces Updated Lineup + Merch Presales

SHADOW FROST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL, Frederick, Maryland’s exclusive indoor winter gathering, will take place February 21st and 22nd, 2020.

Produced by Shadow Woods Productions, LLC, this inaugural, hotel-based gala will feature Oakland’s crushing Vastum with a special set from their guitarist/ambient industrialist Leila Abdul-Rauf. The lineup rounds out with East Coast cult thrashers Deceased, Vermont’s thunderous Barishi, Boston traditional metallers Magic Circle, and Houston’s Doomstress. Also performing are heavy psych throwbacks Alms and the otherworldly Darsombra (both from Baltimore), Detroit black metalists Fell Ruin, and up-and-coming doom maestros from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Yatra. Tickets and the full daily lineups can be found here at THIS LOCATION.

Exclusive SHADOW FROST merch has also been released for presale until February 1st. Designed by Legerdemain’s Brian Sheehan, Wailing Wizard’s Rebecca Magar, and Art Noir’s Yuriy Seroff, these phenomenal creations all evoke the chilling winter months. Merch can be found HERE.

SHADOW FROST is heavily focused on Maryland-based artists including Alms, Darsombra, Spiral Grave, Radamanthys, and Yatra and is geared toward those who want to step outside their comfort zone and explore. “There is so much great music being created that totally flies under the radar in the music scene, even among people who seem to know a lot about music trends,” said SHADOW FROST producer M A Spiro. “I am not trying to host bands that you can see at a lot of other festivals, but I want to showcase a few of the best that that underground music has to offer. That has been my philosophy with every event I have done, and I don’t plan to change that.”

While previous Shadow Woods fests have been outdoors, the hotel setting provides attendees with unique opportunities to mingle. Hotel amenities include an indoor pool and game room, tavern serving traditional pub fare, and free breakfast every morning. Festivities will occur in the ballroom and pre-function area of the event center, which is attached via an indoor corridor to the hotel. No need to step outside in the cold! SHADOW FROST will also host arts and music vendors, workshops, Saturday morning yoga, table games, and other fun activities. The fest will have the feel of an event such as a horror or comic convention.

Friday – February 21st:
Barishi — Vermont prog-psych rock
Leila Abdul-Rauf — Oakland dark ambient multi-instrumentalist
Doomstress — Texas heavy rock
Alms — Baltimore proto-metal
Fell Ruin — Detroit blackened sludge
Capitalist — New Jersey crust grind
Infinite Pizza — Baltimore pizza-themed punk/grind

Saturday – February 22nd:
Vastum — Oakland death metal
Deceased — East Coast death metal legends
Darsombra — Baltimore trans-apocalyptic galaxy rock
Arsantiqva — New York black metal
Magic Circle — Boston traditional heavy metal
Frost Giant — Philadelphia viking metal
Volur — Toronto ambient doom
Spiral Grave — Maryland/Virginia heavy metal
Witching — Philadelphia blackened sludge
Yatra — Maryland death doom
Mo’ynoq — Raleigh DSBM
Polemicist — Philadelphia blackened death
Radamanthys — Maryland tech death

SHADOW FROST is an all ages event, however, children’s tickets (ages 5-17) will be available at the door with a PAID parent or guardian on-premises. Children under 5 get in for FREE with a paid parent or guardian.

Tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/shadow-frost-music-and-arts-festival-tickets-85987128817
** Please note tickets do NOT include hotel reservations. **

Hotel reservations can be made separately at: http://ow.ly/VWzY50xCrMw

http://shadowwoodsproductions.com
http://shadowwoodsproductions.bigcartel.com
http://www.facebook.com/events/319480581997089
http://www.instagram.com/shadow.woods.metal.fest/

Shadow Frost 2020 YouTube Playlist

A couple different things to catch the eye here. First, Shadow Frost Music & Arts Festival is put on by the same crew that does Shadow Woods, which means Mary Spiro curating, which means it’s going to be a good lineup. Second, kids under five in free. Being that The Pecan will be headed to 2.5 by the time Feb. 2020 comes around, I can’t help but think it might be fun to pop some industrial-strength noise-canceling headphones over his tiny little ears and take him to his first underground rock show. Gotta keep an eye on the lineup as it comes together, and you’ll note that we’re a year out from it at this point, which is how you put together a festival: well in advance. But of course the Shadow Woods folks know this well.

Dates and advance ticket info came down the PR wire. Lineup to come:

SHADOW FROST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL: First Annual Two-Day Indoor Winter Event To Take Place In February 2020; Early Bird Weekend Passes Available February 1st, 2019

Shadow Woods Productions, LLC, is pleased to announce the inaugural SHADOW FROST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL, Maryland’s exclusive indoor winter gathering featuring more than a dozen rock and metal bands, games, workshops, art, vendors, fun, and of course a pool party from Friday, February 21st through Saturday, February 22nd, 2020 at the Clarion Inn and Event Center in Frederick, Maryland. Shadow Woods Productions is the creator of Shadow Woods Metal Fest, which operated a multi-day camping and music fest from 2015-2018.

The curated lineup of performers and a complete schedule for SHADOW FROST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL will be announced in the coming weeks. As with past Shadow Woods events, the lineup for Shadow Frost will be by invite only and come from the best of the underground music scene. Please note, the festival organizers are NOT accepting applications for bands to play. Follow the Shadow Frost Music & Arts Festival Facebook page at facebook.com/events/319480581997089/ for updates.

TICKET/LODGING INFO:

Early Bird Weekend Passes – $69
This is for weekend ADULT event pass. This is an event ticket only for ages 18+. These limited tickets will go on sale February 1st, 2019 at noon eastern and be available through February 23rd (or until sold out). Visit https://shadowfrost2020.bpt.me for further info. Additional ticket types will be available in March.

VIP King Suites – $350
Only Four Rooms Available; You must be 21+ to reserve a room.
Live large for Shadow Frost with one of only four available luxurious second floor corner king suites at the Clarion Inn, complete with a refrigerator, microwave, king-sized bed, and sleeper sofa. The quarters are suitable for up to four people or keep it romantic with just two! The price includes two $20 vouchers for Shadow Frost merch and a welcome bag of goodies. Please note, pricing is for a two-night room stay. The event ticket is sold separately. Visit https://shadowfrost2020.bpt.me for further info.

Additional rooms – king, queen, double queen and double double — will be available after February 21st. The hotel is dog-friendly. Follow the Facebook event page for further updates.

SHADOW FROST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL is ALL AGES however tickets for attendees under 17 will only be sold at the door with a paid parent or guardian on premises. Kids under 5 get in free with paid parent or guardian.

https://www.facebook.com/events/319480581997089
https://shadowfrost2020.bpt.me

Witch Hazel, Live at Shadow Woods IV

Hey, things happen. Sometimes lineups change, sometimes venues change, sometimes dates change. I think if you’re going to attend a festival, you know the underlying premise of ‘subject to change’ is always a factor. You have to be flexible about these things. Shadow Woods IV — the 2018 installment of I think what’s become one of the East Coast’s most essential and meticulously curated events — was going to happen this year in Virginia. Well, now it’s going to happen back in Maryand where it’s taken place in past years, and the dates have changed. There’s been some shuffling of the lineup as a result. You know what? Who cares? You still go, because it promises an experience unto itself.

That’s my take. If you were planning on heading to this thing, you should still be planning on heading to it.

From the PR wire:

Shadow Woods Metal Fest Announces Date & Venue Change, New Lineup Details!

The 2018 edition of Shadow Woods Metal Fest (aka Shadow Woods IV) had hoped to debut this year’s fest in a new location in Virginia, but it was not to be. The festival will return to the original Maryland location, Camp Hidden Valley. Due to changes in dates and venue, changes to the festival line-up had to be made.

Shadow Woods IV will now be held Sept 13-15, 2018 at Camp Hidden Valley (located at 4722 Mellow Rd. White Hall, MD) so that the fest could be presented in the manner that attendees have come to expect. All previously issued tickets will be honored for the new dates. Refunds will be given upon request by emailing Shadow.Woods.LLC@gmail.com.

“I did not arrive at this decision lightly,” said fest organizer Mary Spiro of Shadow Woods Productions, LLC. “But as I continued to try to work with our initial venue in Virginia, it became painfully evident that the location would not have created the type of experience I wanted to give fest devotees, to the bands performing, or to myself and our volunteers who would have to manage it. Fortunately I was able to contact the new owners of Camp Hidden Valley (the 200-acre children’s camp was sold in early 2018). If we intend to preserve the spirit of the fest and present it in the manner that it deserves, this was our best option. I investigated many other venues in the hopes of keeping the dates intact but with no luck. I worked furiously to resolve this in the best way possible and as quickly as possible. If there is any silver lining, it is that we are returning home to a familiar place where the fest was born and to the forests and fields that our Friends of Shadow Woods all love.”

Here’s what’s new: UADA and PANZERFAUST will no longer be able to play the fest; they will play the post-fest show on September 22 at The WindUp Space in Baltimore, along with IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT and two past fest favorites NIGHT RAIDS and DARK WATER TRANSIT. TOMBS will also not be able to play the fest and were not able to play a rescheduled event.

The remainder of the Shadow Woods IV lineup remains remarkably unchanged, and three new bands have been added. As in previous years, Camp Hidden Valley will feature three alternating stages, this time it will be Woodland, Pavilion and Hall.

The entire festival lineup is listed below. Weekend and Day tickets, as well as camping, cabin and parking passes are available at https://ticketing.events/app/portal/1/2362/shadow-woods-iv

http://www.shadowwoodsmetalfest.com/
https://www.facebook.com/shadowwoodsmetalfest/
https://twitter.com/ShadowWoodsMF
https://harpersferryadventurecenter.com/

Shadow Woods Metal Fest 2018 playlist

I don’t have any idea what Shadow Woods IV — the name trimmed down from the original Shadow Woods Metal Fest for reasons that will become clear as you continue to read — would possibly have to gain from any kind of endorsement on my part, official or not, but let me say anyway that if you can’t respect this idea, the fact that they’ve done it four years running, and the obvious blood-borne passion that goes into making each edition an event unlike anything else in the US when it comes to the mix of bands, the locale, the vibe and the very concept from which it’s working, you can basically fuck off. I may not be into every band on this list — it’s a really, really long list — but there are plenty here who would justify a trip to Harpers Ferry in September, and yeah, all this is is something special year after year.

The lineup this time around is completely over the top, as you can see first in the grim-grim-grim poster below, then in the running order for each for Shadow Woods IV‘s three nights, and then, finally, in alphabetical order, because they are thorough and that’s only one more reason to hold Shadow Woods in such high regard.

Behold:

Shadow Woods Productions LLC presents the fourth edition of Shadow Woods Metal Fest, now simply referred to as Shadow Woods IV.

http://www.shadowwoodsmetalfest.com/

What: Shadow Woods IV is a multi-day open air music and camping event in that includes bands from many subgenres of metal, rock, folk, experimental and noise. The fest will host more than 40 bands on two alternating stages with no overlapping sets so attendees can enjoy every set. There will also be delicious food, craft beer, a vendor marketplace with art, jewelry, home decor, music, and rock and metal merchandise.

Where: Our new fest venue is the Harpers Ferry Adventure Center (HFAC) located at 37410 Adventure Center Lane in Purcellville, VA 20132, situated in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains at the confluence of the Shenandoah and the Potomac rivers. HFAC features zip lines, ropes courses, tubing, white water rafting, cabins, campsites and an onsite craft brewery. It is located just a little more than a hour from Washington DC and Baltimore, MD near the intersection of the Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia state lines. Festival attendees receive a discount of HFAC activities as well as on the cost of campground and cabin rental with the Shadow Woods group rate.

https://harpersferryadventurecenter.com/

When: Sept 20-22, 2018. Thursday night features primarily acoustic, folk and ritual noise from 6 p.m. until 11 pm. Friday and Saturday showcases rock and metal bands from noon until 11 pm each day.

How: Tickets are on sale now. A full weekend event pass is $130. Day passes for Thursday are $30; Friday and Saturday passes are $60 each. (Important note: Tent camping and cabin are not included in the tickets. Reservations must be made directly through the HFAC and you must request the Shadow Woods group rate. The venue is requesting that attendees hold off on reserving sites for the time being until a system can be put in place for managing this.)

Why: “It was pretty clear from the positive feedback I received after the 2017 fest that festival goers did not want to see Shadow Woods end, even though our property in Maryland had been sold,” said Mary Spiro, fest founder. So without a venue or a confirmed lineup, I started quietly raising the funds to do a new fest via the contributions of past attendees. In January 2018, I was able to find an fantastic site to host the fest that was even better than what we had before. The lineup came together very quickly and I am extremely proud and excited to present these past favorites and new discoveries.”

Here is lineup by day in roughly the reverse order of playing (so headliner at the top) subject to change of course. Then the lineup is in ABC order at the bottom. Brian Sheehan has done the poster.

At this time in terms of Vendors, you can say expect to see some of the ones seen last year plus many new ones.

Don’t have any food vendors or specific sponsors named yet. Beer is the Harpers Ferry Brewing Company which is part of the venue.

Thursday
Xasthur – doomgrass, folk rock (Los Angeles, CA)
On The Water – strange folk (Philadelphia)
Goblin Hovel – metal folk (NY/PA)
Skulsyr – occult noise (Doylestown, PA)
Jerome Deppe and Miss Elizabeth’s All-Girl Band – folk ballads of the damned (Baltimore, MD)
Bound For The Ground – the devil’s blues supergroup with members of Grave Gnosis, The Owls Are Not What They Seem, and Cultic (GA/FL/PA)
Earendel – acoustic folk duo (Baltimore)

Friday
Tombs – post metal (NYC)
Rozamov – psyche-tinged grueling doom (Boston)
Heavy Temple – Hard Fuzz, Psych and Doom (Philadelphia)
Barishi – Gritty Progressive Metal (Brattleboro, VT)
Aether Realm – Viking folk metal (Greenville, NC)
Destroyer of Light – doom and roll (Austin, TX)
Electropathic – doom hard rock with members from several foundational Maryland doom groups (Wheaton, MD)
Husbandry – Fugazi meets Aaliyah (NYC)
God Root – ritualistic sludge (Philadelphia)
Dysfigure – modern heavy metal (Martinsburg, WV)
Windfaerer – extreme aural entity (New Jersey)
Witch Hazel – occult rock and roll/doom (York, PA)
Forest of Legend – doom/stoner/sludge (Virginia Beach, VA)
Hepatagua – sludge/doom/thrash (Boston)
Flummox – nongenre specific doomy metal (Murfreesboro, TN)
Ferus Din – black metal and flutes (Buffalo, NY)
Haze Mage – stoner metal (Baltimore)
Malphas – progressive blackened melodeath (Philadelphia)

Saturday
Uada – black metal (Portland, OR)
Cloak – black and roll (Atlanta, GA)
Panzerfaust – black metal (Toronto, ON)
Voarm – black metal (Richmond, VA)
Imperial Triumphant – black metal (NYC)
Athame – black metal (MD/WV)
Hubris – black metal (Buffalo, NY)
Enthauptung – atmospheric black metal (Rochester, NY)
A Sound of Thunder – traditional/NWOBHM heavy metal (DC/VA)
Bound By The Grave – death metal (Baltimore)
Destroying Angel – dark folk rock (Philadelphia)
All Hell – black and roll (Asheville, NC)
Black Mass – death thrash (Boston)
Hexxus – sludge metal (Birmingham, AL)
Replicant – death metal (NJ)
Tyrannis – death metal (Radford, VA)
Sluagh – progressive metal (Martinsburg, WV)
Sickdeer – death metal (DC)

Alphabetical
Aether Realm
All Hell
A Sound of Thunder
Athame
Barishi
Black Mass
Bound By The Grave
Bound For The Ground
Cloak
Jerome Deppe and Miss Elizabeth’s All-Girl Band
Destroyer of Light
Destroying Angel
Dysfigure
Earendel
Electropathic
Enthauptung
Ferus Din
Flummox
Forest of Legend
Goblin Hovel
God Root
Haze Mage
Heavy Temple
Hepatagua
Hexxus
Hubris
Husbandry
Imperial Triumphant
Malphas
On The Water
Panzerfaust
Replicant
Rozamov
Sickdeer
Skulsyr
Sluagh
Tombs
Tyrannis
Uada
Voarm
Windfaerer
Witch Hazel
Xasthur

http://www.shadowwoodsmetalfest.com/
https://www.facebook.com/shadowwoodsmetalfest/
https://twitter.com/ShadowWoodsMF
https://harpersferryadventurecenter.com/

Shadow Woods Metal Fest 2018 playlist

Stop me if I’ve said this before, but Shadow Woods Metal Fest 2017 has be as close to an absolute no-brainer as I’ve ever seen in terms of attendance. I mean, so you’re gonna go out to the woods and listen to a bunch of meticulously curated doom and folk and black metal and psych for a weekend, camp out and top the whole thing off with a Panopticon set under starlight? Jesus. How much more could you really ask of a live event than that?

Cheers to Mary Spiro on a job incredibly done with this lineup. I don’t even know what else to say about it other than it’s pretty unreal and there’s nothing else like it happening that I know of in the US or maybe even anywhere else. Seriously. Who’s pulling bands from both coasts and Europe across genres like this for an outdoor event the vibe of which you can already feel just from the press release? Who’s got Castle on the same bill with West Virginian folk black metal?

It’s not all my bag, but I tip my hat:

Shadow Woods Metal Fest 2017 – Official Lineup Announcement

SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST, the Mid-Atlantic’s only open-air camping heavy metal gathering, is pleased to announce the complete lineup for the 2017 festival, which runs from Thursday, September 14th through Sunday, September 17th at White Hall, Maryland’s Camp Hidden Valley. For the third year, the festival will host 39 of the undergrounds leading bands, representing all genres and subgenres of heavy metal.

Over three days, the four stages of SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST will come to life inside the woodsy landscape of Camp Hidden Valley. “Every year has been special, but I am just particularly stoked about what we have curated”, says Mary Spiro, organizer of Shadow Woods Productions LLC. “I am extremely honored to present the lineup this year because I think it reflects the best of the underground metal scene as well as some of the personal favorites of the festival organizers. Several of these bands, I have been trying to host at the fest since the first year and I am happy to finally have them play.”

Beginning on Thursday night, the Pavilion stage will light up and set the tone to the weekend with all-acoustic and intimate performances with Texas dark-folk maudit AMIGO THE DEVIL, Portland’s dark-folk soloist AERIAL RUIN and West Virginia’s Appalachian folk duo, NECHOCHWEN. Friday includes exclusive performances by Oregon’s haunting black metal band UADA and Georgia’s tortured blackened death quartet WITHERED.

On Saturday, as darkness falls over the Woodland Stage, atmospheric blackened folk giants PANTOPICON will play an exclusive, 70-minute set under the backdrop of the stars. Brooklyn black metal titans WOE, Rhode Island sludgy-doom foursome CHURCHBURN, mysterious blackened grind band DEAD IN THE MANGER (one of two east coast shows), and San Francisco extreme death quintet VASTUM (one of two east coast shows), will all deliver exclusive performances to SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST.

SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST is proud to be sponsored this year by Moxie Bookkeeping and Tridroid Records and to receive promotional support from Grime Studios, Leftover Pizza Productions, and Perfect World Productions.

SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST 2017
Complete Lineup (in alpha order):
Aerial Ruin – Portland, OR (Ritual folk)
All Hell – Asheville, NC (Crusty black metal)
Amigo the Devil – Spicewood, TX (Dark folk) **
Bearstorm – Richmond, VA (Blackened southern death-prog)
Black Table – NY/NJ (Progressive black metal)
Castle – San Francisco, CA (Heavy doom metal)
Churchburn – Pawtucket, RI (Blackened sludge) **
Cut the Architect’s Hand – Richmond, VA (Death metal)
Dark Water Transit – Baltimore, MD (Instrumental heavy rock)
Dead in the Manger – coast to coast – (Blackened grind) **
Dee Calhoun – Frederick, MD (Acoustic; vocalist of Iron Man)
Earthling – Richmond, VA (Thrash metal)
Elagabalus – Baltimore, MD (Experimental metal 2-piece)
Erlkonig – Baltimore, MD (Blackened death metal)
Fiakra – Freehold, NJ (LARPower metal)
Foehammer – Annandale, VA (Sludge)
Green Elder/Paul Ravenwood – Johnson City, TN – (Nature folk)
Heavy Temple – Philadelphia, PA (Psychedelic-doomed rock)
Hexis – Copenhagen, Denmark (Hardcore/black metal)
Human Bodies – Boston, MA (Crusty blackened hardcore)
Immaculate Deception – Baltimore, MD (Death metal)
Infera Bruo – Boston, MA (Black metal)
Kyoty – Dover, NH – (Instrumental post metal)
Mome – Portland, ME (Power psych rock)
Nechochwen “unplugged” – Wheeling, WV (Appalachian acoustic folk metal) **
Night Raids – Philadelphia, PA (Thrash/grind)
Panopticon – KY/MN (Black folk metal) **
Percussor – PA/DE (Old school death metal)
Seasick Gladiator – Washington, DC (Experimental doom prog)
Sloth Herder – PA/VA/MD (Sludge grind)
Take to the Woods/Jo Cosgrove – Baltimore, MD (Dark folk)
The Owls Are Not What They Seem – York, PA (Ritual noise)
Toke – Cape Fear, NC (Stoner doom)
Uada – Portland, OR (Black metal) **
Vastum – San Francisco, CA (Death metal) **
Withered -Atlanta, GA (Black/death metal) **
Woe – Brooklyn, NY (Black metal) **
Worthless- NY/NJ (Black metal) **
ZUD – Portland, ME (Black and blues metal)
** EXCLUSIVE PERFORMANCES

SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST DETAILS
Location:
Camp Hidden Valley
White Hall, Maryland

Ticket Link: http://shadowwoodsmetalfest2017.bpt.me
Price: $175 Full weekend package (Thursday evening-Sunday morning) including all musical events and camping
Cabins: $20 bed (shared cabin)

Shadow Woods Metal Fest is 21+
Food & beverage vendors: Various food, beverage, and alcohol vendors will be on site with both vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore selections. No outside alcohol is permitted.
Marketplace vendors: Multiple record labels, distros, and artisans will be located in the Hall. For more information on becoming a vendor, contact shadow.woods.llc@gmail.com

PROMOTIONAL ARTWORK: Brian Sheehan
PROMOTIONAL VIDEO: Mary Spiro

http://shadowwoodsmetalfest2017.bpt.me
http://www.shadowwoodsmetalfest.com/
https://www.facebook.com/shadowwoodsmetalfest/
https://www.instagram.com/shadow.woods.metal.fest/
http://twitter.com/ShadowWoodsMF

Shadow Woods Metal Fest 2017 promo video

True to what’s been their mission all along, the lineup thus far unveiled for Shadow Woods Metal Fest 3 offers diversity, extremity of various stripes, and an immediate sense of vibe that feels once again perfectly suited to its outdoor, campground setting in White Hall, Maryland. From Aerial Ruin‘s dark folk to the deathly push of Percussor, to the New England psychedelia of MoMe — previously unknown to me, which seems like dereliction of duty on my part — and beyond with familiar faces like Virginian doomcrushers Foehammer, an acoustic set from Dee Calhoun of Iron Man, North Carolinian sludgers Toke and Philadelphia’s Heavy Temple, it’s got enough intrigue even among the names already announced to have one checking the calendar, and as earlybird tickets go on sale today, they’re only likely to build from here. Kudos, as ever, to Mary Spiro on putting it together.

What info is out is below, as well as the link to where you can get your tickets. If you can do that, you probably should:

Shadow Woods Metal Fest 3

September 14 – September 17
Camp Hidden Valley
White Hall, Maryland 21611

The best weekend of your life is back for a third year with an even more diverse lineup than ever. Nearly 40 bands over three days of camping in the woods. See below for important details!

Schedule: Several acoustic sets on Thursday evening in the Pavilion only. Full production with three alternating stages Friday and Saturday only from noon til approximately midnight each night. No performances on Sunday (as per usual).

BANDS ANNOUNCED SO FAR (MORE TBA)
Aerial Ruin – Portland, OR (ritual folk)
Amigo the Devil – Spicewood, TX (murderfolk; TWO EXCLUSIVE and DIFFERENT SETS).
Castle (San Francisco)
Dee Calhoun (Frederick, MD)
Bearstorm – Richmond, VA (blackened southern deathprog)
Black Table (NY/NJ)
Elagabalus – Baltimore, MD (experimental metal 2-piece)
Foehammer (Northern Virginia)
Green Elder /Paul Ravenwood (Johnson City, TN)
Heavy Temple (Philadelphia)
Hexis (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Human Bodies (Boston) blacked hardcore
Mome (Portland, ME) psych rock
Panopticon – exclusive performance (KY/MN)
Percussor – Philadelphia/Wilmington (old school death metal)
Seasick Gladiator – Washington, DC (experimental doom prog)
The Owls Are Not What They Seem (York, PA)
Toke (Cape Fear, NC)
Vastum – one of two East Coast performances (San Francisco)
ZUD – black and blues rock and roll (Portland, ME)

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:
** Earlybird tickets (which are full Thursday – Sunday passes at a discount over the regular price and include non reserved camping) go on sale at Noon Friday, Feb 17.
** There are NO RESERVED CAMPING AREAS; it is camp where you may in designated areas.
** Cabin bed tickets will be on sale FRIDAY. (The cabins are NOT private; they are bunkhouse summer camp style.)
** We remain at our previous location in White Hall, MD.
** An updated FAQ will appear soon on our website. www.shadowwoodsmetalfest.com
** Once you buy your ticket you will be able to join a private SWMF FB group. READ THE EMAIL THAT CONFIRMS YOUR TICKET PURCHASE FOR DETAILS.
** You may choose how your tickets are delivered to you: WILL CALL (name at the door only); print at home; or physical tickets that will be mailed to you.
** THE EVENT IS 21 and up!
** The event is NOT BYOB. Do not bring outside alcohol. Beer and wine will be for sale.
** Food vendors will be on site
** Marketplace vendors will be in the HALL as usual. If you are interested in vending email Shadow.Woods.LLC@gmail.com with information and links about what you want to sell.
** Thursday night (Sept 14) will feature an acoustic only stage where several groups will perform in an intimate setting.
** On Friday and Saturday (September 15 and 16), the fest will be in full production with three stages running from noon to midnight each day.
** There are NO BANDS on Sunday. That’s the day you pack up and go home.

http://shadowwoodsmetalfest2017.bpt.me/
https://www.facebook.com/events/1795871643988618/
https://www.facebook.com/shadowwoodsmetalfest/
www.shadowwoodsmetalfest.com

MoMe, The Slime Between all Things (2015)

The second annual Shadow Woods Metal Fest has shuffled its lineup somewhat, bringing on board Boston’s blackened metal-types Lord Almighty, Germany’s Mantar, Windfaerer from New Jersey and several others to its varied and formidable roster. I’ll be honest, not everything Shadow Woods Metal Fest books is my cup of tea, sonically — certainly I dig a good portion of it, from the aforementioned Mantar to Wizard Eye, Temple of Void, Wino with Faith in Jane, and so on — but I respect the hell out of the effort that fest head honcho Mary Spiro has put into making it something special. There are not to many extreme metal campouts in the US that I know of, so yeah, it might not all apply to what I’m looking to cover on a day-to-day basis, but I’m happy to support it every time I’m able to do so.

Like now. Update follows from the PR wire:

SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST: Lord Almighty Joins Lineup; Festival Merch Designs Announced

SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST, Maryland’s open-air metal camping party, announces that Boston black metallers Lord Almighty will join the lineup this Fall. Other newcomers to the fest include Germany’s sludge masters, Mantar, North Dakota’s eerie Ghost Bath, Canada’s frosty Numenorean, who opens the fest on Thursday September 15th, and New Jersey’s Iberian folk-metalists Windfaerer, who play Saturday.

The three-day event continues through the morning of Sunday, September 18th at Camp Hidden Valley, in White Hall, Maryland, about thirty miles north of Baltimore. Now in its second year, SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST strives to showcase the best in underground metal from diverse subgenres, on three stages at the same charming summer camp where the fest was held previously.

“Lord Almighty has a raw, fresh approach to black metal,” says festival organizer Mary Spiro of Metallomusikum.com/Shadow Woods Productions LLC. “They display both aggression and beauty when they perform, and we are super stoked to have them!” Lord Almighty replaces Chicago’s Empyreus on Saturday night.

Friday night headliners include Brooklyn’s post black metal pillagers Tombs, Mongolian folk metal warriors Tengger Cavalry, Detroit’s horror-death conjurers Acid Witch, and a special reunion performance from Philly’s blackened doom two-piece Sadgiqacea. Saturday headliners include black-thrash alchemists Blood Storm, Pennsylvania death metal stalwarts Sadistic Vision, Maryland’s doom metal godfather Scott “Wino” Weinrich with friends from Faith In Jane, and Long Island ritualists Teloch Vovin. The fest will close with the return of Maine’s black metal-blues shredders Zud.

Other performance highlights this year include blackened space-rock duo Lotus Thief from San Francisco, which features drummer Otrebor of Botanist, and Colorado’s Helleborus, powered by the Houseman brothers (Akhenaten; ex-Execration), who specialize in psychedelic black metal tinged with sexual mysticism. The complete lineup (listed below) displays some of the most innovative and surprising acts in the metal underground.

This year’s festival merch designs include the ghostly twins created by Brian Sheehan of Legerdemain and Maryland’s own cryptid, the Goat Man, as illustrated by Fred Grabosky (FTG Illustrations). The twins appear on the band shirt and the goat man will appear on a t-shirt, hoodie and a limited edition silk-screened art print. Legerdemain’s work uses manipulation of original and vintage photography to create is ghastly images. FTG Illustrations are hand-drawn creations have been used by Yob, Heavy Temple and Brimming Horn Meadery, among others. Both created art for Shadow Woods Metal Fest 2015. SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST merch can be preordered for pickup at the fest RIGHT HERE.

Food vendors this year include Baltimore-area coffee mavens Zeke’s Coffee, Headbangin’ Hotdogs (vegan), pit beef, and other festival specialties from Pond View Farms and new vendor Funtastic Foods. Beer will be available for sale. Unlike last year, local laws have determined that the fest cannot be BYOB. Coolers will be checked.

SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST was founded by Shadow Woods Productions, LLC and is produced through the work of many volunteers putting in countless hours of work.

SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST is 21+. Weekend Passes are available for $130 at BrownPaperTickets.com. Tent camping is included with the weekend pass. People who want to reserve cabin beds can do so for an additional $20 for the duration of the fest. Only 400 weekend passes will be available. Single-day passes are now on sale.

SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST 2016:

Thursday, September 15th:
6:00 Heron
6:30 Xeukatre
7:00 Numenorean
8:00 Darsombra
9:00 Ghost Bath
10:10 Mantar
11:20 Haxen

Friday, September 16th:
12:00 A Sound of Thunder
12:30 Genevieve
1:00 At the Graves
1:30 Destroyer of Light
2:00 Surgeon
2:30 Myopic
3:00 Sapremia
3:40 Lotus Thief
4:20 Wizard Eye
5:00 Temple of Void
5:40 Sadgiqacea
6:20 Helgamite
7:00 Acid Witch
8:00 Tengger Cavalry
9:00 Tombs
10:10 Athame
11:10 Helleborus
12:10 T.O.M.B.

Saturday, September 17th:
12:00 Bound By The Grave
12:30 Corpse Light
1:00 Vorator
1:30 Windfaerer
2:00 Torrid Husk
2:30 Cemetery Piss
3:00 Cemetery Filth
3:40 Grave Gnosis
4:20 Horseskull
5:00 Coffin Dust
5:40 Wino with Faith in Jane
6:20 Lord Almighty
7:00 Sadistic Vision
8:00 Teloch Vovin
9:00 Blood Storm
10:10 Zud

http://www.shadowwoodsmetalfest.com
http://www.facebook.com/shadowwoodsmetalfest
BrownPaperTickets.com