Live review: Pam and Mark Schaff
Photos: Pam and Mark Schaff
Waking up for day three, still tired with ears ringing from the night before, but super excited to see if day 3 can live up to the previous 2 days of great performances. We started with a mix up on our part on the start time for the first band. But showing up a little late didn’t hurt us any and we were ready to get the third, but final day started!
Day Three
Mangog
Like I said, we were fashionably late for Mangog to start, but it was easy to tell that they had a good following by the number of people there see them play. Without a doubt they had the most fans for the first band of the day all weekend. Coming from Baltimore Maryland, Myke Wells vocals, Bert Hall, Jr. guitar, Darby Cox bass and Mike Rix drums, started on a great note that lasted throughout the day.
Flummox
Coming to the Doom Fest from Tennessee, we didn’t know much about the band Flummox. The guys took the stage dressed in costumes, Blake Dellinger singer/bassist, was in a black/white checkered jumpsuit, Drew Jones guitar, seemingly just out of a shower was dressed in a robe and Jody Lester drums, was ready to take the mound in his baseball uniform. But they let loose an interesting performance of southern metal/thrash that riled up the crowd on hand. We’ll be looking forward to hear more from Flummox in the future, that’s for sure.
https://flummoxed.bandcamp.com/
Setlist:
The Whispering Banshees
Tom Walker Blues
The Ghost of Ronnie Dio
Pan’s Daughter
Selcouth
Doperider
Doperider from New Jersey, a heavy band with a sound that was filled with monster riffs and a deep fuzzy low end. This stoner/drone band crushed the crowd at the Doom Fest with a very hard performance. The band is made up of MP guitar/vocals, CG bass, and MM drums. Glad we finally got to see these guys live, they didn’t disappoint.
https://www.facebook.com/DopeRiderNJ/
Seasick Gladiator
Their sound is so unique and different. Different is a good thing when when describing this band, as with any genre many bands can sound very similar and it can can be hard to stand out, as for Seasick Gladiator this instrumental doom band has a sound all it’s own. Coming from Washington, DC, guitarist Chris Rasley, bassist Daniel Euphrat, drummer Nathaniel Simms and violinist Patrick Geddes played an amazing set. That’s right, I said violinist. If you haven’t heard of these guys you must check them out.
https://www.facebook.com/SeasickGladiator
Eternal Black
This doom band from Brooklyn, New York, powered it’s way through a set that generated a definite interest in the band. Hal Miller bass, Joe Wood drums, and Ken Wohlrob guitars/vocals showed fest attendees what the Bronx is all about when it comes to doom metal. Powerful riffs and great vocals come from their self titled EP that came out in 2015. We have a feeling that these guys will be heard from in a big way on the doom scene in years to come.
https://eternalblack.bandcamp.com/releases
Toke
We had been wanting to see these guys but never had they opportunity until now. The heavy rockers from North Carolina put on a great show for the Doom Fest crowd. At one point during the set, guitarist Tim, broke a guitar string, ran offstage, grabbed a new string, ran back on stage, restrung the string, tuned it and got back in play before the song was over. The rest of the band Bronco Bass/vocals and drummer Jeremy continued playing throughout the broken string. The crowd appreciated the effort with a great round of applause at the end of the song as Tim raised his hands in the air. We can’t say enough about this band they were so great! We all got a special treat at the Doom Fest, they played an unnamed new song from their upcoming album that we hope will be out soon!
Setlist:
Unchaining
Toke
Unamed New Song
Legalize Sin
End
Four Hours For Hours
Foghound
OK, we absolutely loved Foghound. These guys and a Gal kicked fucking ass! This band can bring it for sure. With a new album that was coming out two weeks after the fest, the fans got a blend of new and old material. The Baltimore, MD band made up of Bob Sipes guitar/vocals, Chuckrock Dukeheart III drums, Rev. Jim Forrester bass, and Dee Settar guitar, were stellar at the Fest. We bought an advanced copy of the new LP ‘The World Unseen’, that they were selling at the fest. It was recorded on analog tape by Corrosion Of Conformity’s Mike Dean, and it is a crusher. If you like rock/doom/stoner/metal or any kind of music, go get a copy of their newest, you won’t regret it!
Setlist:
Serpentine
Message In The Sky
Rockin’ & Rollin’
Never Return
Above The Wake
Truth Revealed
Give Up The Ghost
Wasted Theory
Another awesome performance here! The guys from Wasted Theory wasted no time getting the crowd rockin’ with a set that hammered the crowd with a killer performance. Described as American Weed Rock/Swamp Metal, they delivered a strong performance from members Larry Jackson Jr. vocals,/guitars, Dave McMahon guitars, Brendan Burns drums and Rob Michael bass, and they come from Delaware/Maryland areas. Their newest album ‘Death and Taxes’ is a great listen, glad we grabbed it while at the fest, and we can’t wait for the next one!
https://wastedtheory.bandcamp.com/
Setlist:
Get Loud or Get Fucked
Hellfire Ritual
Amplifire!
Absinthe Queen
Belly Fulla Whiskey
Black Witch Blues
Devil Makes Three
King Giant
After hearing King Giant at the Doom Fest we were instant fans of the band. They were HEAVY as fuck and had a great sound that got the crowd fired up! This metal band from Pimmit Hills, Virginia laid down some heavy riffs at the fest that had us running to the merch booth for a couple limited pressed LP’s before they were gone. Floyd Walters III bass, Todd “T.I.” Ingram lead guitar, Dave Hammerly vocals, David Kowalski rhythm guitar and Brooks drums, round out the lineup of this doom band that is on this rise in our books.
https://kinggiant.bandcamp.com/
Setlist:
Trail Of Thorns
13 To 1
Stewards Prayer
Lady Whiskey
Mississippi River
Requiem For A Drunkard
God Forgot…
The Gentleman Carney
Karma To Burn
This stoner rock band from Morgantown, West Virginia knows how to play the crowd without saying a word. Another instrumental doom act, with great guitar play and a heavy sound. The newest album ‘Mountain Czar’ is incredible. A sure thing when it comes to Doom Fest bands. Comprising of William Mecum guitarist, Eric Clutter bassist, and drummer Evan Devine had heads banging! A great performance from the guys, they left the cafe in dust! As a side note for Karma To Burn, all their songs are numbers, no titles.
Setlist:
8
36
19
1
57
15
28
20
Mos Generator
There’s a reason these guys had the headlining slot on the final day. Mos Generator is a great band! It was an awesome experience watching them perform with such energy and passion. Tony Reed guitar/vocals, Sean Booth bass and Jon Garrett drums played their asses off. Going it without a setlist, they took some song requests from the audience, and threw in songs from their forthcoming album ‘Abysinnia’. These guys are great musicians and sounded great but that is no surprise for this band, they’ve been around for a while and know how to get it done. New album out soon, check it out! Also check out our interview with Tony Reed about all things Mos Generator. Their performance was such a fitting end to an amazing Doom Fest.
https://mosgenerator.bandcamp.com/
So as the night drew to a close, thirty one bands had come and gone. Tired? A bit, not much sleep as we end the trip as it started, with a seven hour drive back home. We take with us one of the most exciting weekends we’ve had in a long time.
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention all the great merch that was available. From the amazing Limited MD Doom Fest poster, patches, stickers and cool beer glasses. The prices were so reasonable many bands were asking only $10 for a shirt!! That’s like the price of one drink. Nobody was asking more than $20 a shirt which is still a great price. As big record collectors, many of the bands were selling vinyl. We added quite a few new additions to our ever expanding collection.
A huge thank you to JB Matson, Mark Cruikshank and crew and for a job well done. All the bands rocked the hell out of Cafe 611! The stage crew did an amazing job getting bands on and off the stage on time. They worked their asses off and deserve a big shout out! Everyone was so friendly, we met a lot of really cool people. We’ve heard about the Marlyland/DC/VA scene for years it was so great to be a part of it, if even if it was just for a weekend!
Rumor has it the MD Doom Fest 2017 is moving to a larger venue and deservingly so. Keep an eye on Maryland Doom Fest Face Book page and the website for what I’m sure will be updates for next years fest. We hope to see everyone next year. Doom On!
http://www.themarylanddoomfest.com/
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