Deathfest in Charm City

On Sunday my wife and I spent the day in Baltimore at the Maryland Deathfest. I am not usually a big fan of festivals. My attention span has gotten super-low as I get older. But this year I saw that Windhand and Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats were both playing the same day, so I took the plunge and got tickets.

I've written about Uncle Acid before. I've written about Windhand before. Both bands are perfect examples of what is good about the current metal scene. Windhand do their thing slow and heavy. Uncle Acid play Sabbath-inspired melodic rockers that go fast-slow-fast. I was at first chagrined that Windhand was playing first at 1:30, but Uncle Acid wouldn't take the stage until 7:40.

Programs!

Never fear! The festival remained engaging the entire time. Sure, Jodi and I spent plenty of time hanging out in one of the quieter zones of the festival, but that's just because we had to get out of the sun and off our feet. Across the board it was a great experience. Interesting music, interesting and friendly people, crazy tats, scary tee shirts, awesome vibe.

We arrived about 12:30. Plenty of parking available right by the gates. Security checked IDs and gave us can-drink-wristband, then we had our tickets checked and got a let-us-in-wristband. Jodi had to open her bag and show what was in it. I had to lift up my tee shirt to show I wasn't packing knives or anything troublesome.

We had an hour to kill so we wandered through the copious merchandise area. Lots of vendors, some from metal record labels, were all selling tons of tee shirts, books, bongs, vinyl, CDs, posters, stickers and patches. Every metal band on the planet seemed to have a tee shirt there. I scored a sweet looking Windhand shirt and grabbed a sticker for my guitar case. Jodi enjoyed their set so she went back and got herself a tee-shirt, which she plans on cutting the sleeves off of.

Swag!

Vinyl-wise, I wound up getting an import 7" from Satan's Satyrs, a local DC band produced by my band's producer Don Zientara. I also got a re-released double LP of ASG's Win Us Over from the Relapse Records table. I could easily have spent a shitload more but for once restraint was in place.

Since we had nearly 8 hours to spend there, we would have to get something to eat. I got a couple hot dogs for lunch, then got some excellent Thai food from one of the vendors. There was plenty of beer and drinks to be had, but I was sensible and stayed with a ton of water, except for one A-Treat soda I couldn't resist.

Pseudogod

Soilent Green

But what about the music!?! The bands leaned more brutal than I go for. Windhand and Uncle Acid were definitely the high points for me. Jodi remarked afterwards that Uncle Acid were very different than the other bands. They almost felt out of place. The one that stood out to me was Pseudogod. They are from Russia and look particularly scary, covered in red paint and looking like stand-ins for The Devil's Rejects. We watched Inquisition and then Soilent Green for a while. Both were obviously great at what they did, but it was not quite my thing. I dug it though.

Windhand

Windhand started the day off perfectly. Jodi asked me if we really would need ear plugs. We were standing in front of one of the speakers and as soon as the drums started going we just grinned at each other. The reverberations seemed to be going right through us. I can only imagine what was happening to our organs. Windhand played 30 minutes and were fantastic. Sorry they only had that short of set. When Jodi got her tee shirt I realized their singer was working the merchandise table. I thanked her for a killer set and shook her hand. Doing the doom slow-heavy thing their songs tend to bleed into one another, but that's part of the charm. They set a mood of heaviness that just knocks me out. Tremendous band.

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats

Five and a half hours later Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats took the stage. They were worth the wait. This is their first US appearance so it was especially exciting. This is the kind of music a motorcycle gang would dig. Jodi heard one kid having a fit for whatever reason, saying something about this Sabbath cover band not helping. HA! That's an easy descriptor. But they are doing Sabbath better than Sabbath is doing Sabbath these days. They played 45ish minutes and it was outstanding. I fled back to the merchandise table before their set ended in hopes of getting a tee bit I couldn't score one because all they and left were mediums and extra-large. Meh. The music did sound better from way back though. I had ear plugs in for most of the day and while it helped with my tinnitus, it took something away from the sound. Sacrifices for hearing the next week, right?

We left after they played. Candlemass and My Dying Bride still were up but we were both beat and had to drive back from Baltimore. But it was a great day. A very interesting experience. Depending on the band splaying I would go again. I think there would need to be at least two bands I am really into before investing the day again. I was impressed with the overall competence and arrangement of the whole shindig. Kudos to the producers!

Here's a few more sights from the festival!

This Band Is So Heavy It Has Other Less Heavy Bands Orbiting Around It

From the first note on their latest record Soma Richmond's Windhand announces their intent. And the intent is making a sound as heavy and as doom-sounding as possible. When plucked the strings on their guitars must quiver like power lines in a hurricane. It is the sound of devils dancing in the Virginia Piedmont night. That sounds kind of Spinal Tap, but screw it, it makes me laugh.

The title Soma refers to a ritual drink from Indo-Iranian and Persian cultures. It was believed to give its consumer immortality.  It was believed the be a bringer of the gods. An apt name for a record like this. Though these gods may not be ones you wish to trifle with.

"Orchard" opens the festivities but it is song two that overpowers the listener. "Woodbine" erupts like a kick to the gut. Play it loud and the walls aren't the only things shaking. Your organs quake. It is low-end power that is the musical equivalent of Doomsday barreling through cities and countless Superman-delivered punches. The album is a double LP. The second LP has one song per side, both epics, "Cassock" and "Boleskin." The latter is one of those vinyl tracks that make use of the exit groove, in this case with wind sounds, that if you don't pay attention shall run forever. In the middle of the album, floating like a dream, comes the acoustic "Evergreen." As out of place as that sounds, it is brilliant at capturing the mood. Dread is equally present in detuned roaring electric guitars and strummed acoustics.

And above it floats the voice of Dorthia Cottrell. She is not so much the singer but the mistress of ceremonies. A female voice above this music is what makes it stand apart from other similarly minded bands. And the exception in their art is fantastic.

My taste in music is driven by melody and it is driven by mood. That is why I can happily listen to a great power pop record one day and the next hunker down in the sludge. Music is the perfect accompaniment to state of mind. With a band like Windhand, you might think there is a massive amount of negativity going on, but that is not remotely the case. Powerful, heavy music is all encompassing. I love the energy it creates. I love the sense of dread. Life thrives in the sunlight but it can sometimes flourish in the dark.

Here is the album opener "Orchard."

Favorite Records of 2013 - Number 4

True Widow's Circumabultation was originally lower on the list but after listening through the headphones a week or so ago it catapulted into the top 5. And really made me sad that I missed them when they came through town a couple months ago.

This year I have been really into heavier music. From this point on the list will reflect that. Some records that just missed the cut included new joints by Dead Meadow, ASG, Earthless, Windhand, Uncle Acid, Kadavar, Palms, Anciients and Red Fang. Great records all around put only so many could make the list.

Circumabultation is heavy but not loud. It's heaviness is rooted in dread but not doom. The vocals aren't shouted or grunted or screamed or growled. They are quite...normal I guess is the best way to put it. True Widow is a three piece from Texas. They deal in a mix of stoner metal and shoegaze. Vocal duties mix between the guy guitarist and the girl bassist. it makes for a great and interesting shift from song to song. The guitars do not shriek but echo and hum and shimmer. Each song finds a musical idea and explores it. There are not any time shifts or even any discernible choruses. The band just powers along filling the space with energetic dread. Being done well it does not get old or boring. The groove catches you up and propels you along. The song titles are often as enigmatic as the music: "S:H:S" and "I:M:O" and "HW:R" balanced against metal-esque song titles like "Creeper" and "Numb Hand" and my favorite, the spaghetti-western inspired "Four Teeth."

Next up...instrumental post-metal bliss from one of Chicago's best bands.

You Will Get This Record...Then Pass The Time By Playing A Little Solitaire

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats' Mind Control is as Sabbath sounding a record as you can get without actually being Black Sabbath. In fact, it is easily the best Black Sabbath record of the year by far, this included.

Take "Mt. Abraxas:" it starts gloomy and doom, total homage to the first eponymous Sabbath record, then it gallops into "After Forever" territory. before sludging back down. After that "Mind Crawler" kicks in, with it's heavy and simple riffs backed by a barely audible but completely essential piano run. It's the kind of song that makes me get up and dance like Michael Shannon covered in bugs. And that's just the first side of the first record. There's nothing terribly complicated in this music. It's derivative sure, but it takes everything that was great about Black Sabbath and just nails it. It's heavy and it stomps and it is a little bit scary. You feel like something evil (or maybe just interesting) is going to ooze out of the speakers. (Aside: googling "70s horror movie girls" brings up a surprising amount of lesbian activity).

Speaking of lesbians, here's something to do: check out their website, specifically the Garbage Dump section, where fans upload images that might or might not have anything to do with Uncle Acid. It's.....strange...that's about the gentlest I can say about it.

Happy story about this record: I had first read about them when Steven Hyden mentioned them in a write-up he did about the state of metal citing primarily Kylesa (awesome), Deafhaven (OK) and Queens Of The Stone Age (tired). In fact that article is where I also first read about ASG and Blood Ceremony and Kvelertak, but I digress. Thanks to Spotify I was able to hear this Uncle Acid record and I dug it much. Then one day it disappeared off Spotify, with some message saying it could no longer be available in the US. FRAK! A couple weeks later I went down to Som Records on 14th Street in DC and lo-and-behold there it was, a vinyl copy of Mind Control, sitting on the shelf. I gasped..really...I gasped and probably squealed with delight when I saw it. I grabbed it lest another metal head lurked somewhere ready to pounce. It cost over $40 but I didn't give a shit. This record rules. Listen here for confirmation!