I’m excited to be attending my first Maryland Doomfest in June — both to see bands that I’ve enjoyed previously and to find bands that are new or “new to me.” To that end, I’ve been looking at the lineup and checking out a few names that were unfamiliar.
First up is Wolf Blood, a driving psych/sludge outfit out of Minneapolis. A crisscross of droning male and female vocals against a wall of bluesy riffage go from two to sixty with a single cymbal hit, taking listeners on a trippy ROLLERCOASTER OF DOOM. Can someone use that as a song name?? Wolf Blood’s sophomore album II comes out June 1st, and they just released the brooding single “Story of a Drowning Man” today.
If you enjoy Wolf Blood, you may be able to check them out at a taproom or meat locker near you — they have a string of dates in the Midwest and East Coast this June, including their performance at MD Doomfest.
- June 1st Chicago, IL @ Chicago Doomed & Stoned
- June 13th Minneapolis, MN @ Mortimers Vinyl Release
- June 18th Chicago, IL @ Live Wire w/Sacred Monster & Blunt
- June 19th Cleveland, OH @ Symposium W/Frayle & Black Spirit Crown
- June 20th Montclair, NJ @ Meatlocker
- June 21st Philadelphia @ TBA
- June 22nd Lancaster, PA @ Lizard Lounge
- June 23rd Frederick, MD @ Maryland Doomfest
- June 24th. Louisville, KY @ Highland Taproom Metal Monday’s
Next up, I had a listen to Atala; the California trio is on Connecticut’s Salt of the Earth Records, so that piqued my interest. From the first moments of “Grains of Sand” off their second album Labyrinth of Ashmedai, I was blasted by booming guitar and misanthropic vocals. Atala evokes visions of desiccated carcasses, secret campfires, and looming mesas — they’ll be leaving desert sand on the stage at Maryland Doomfest. Plus, keep an eye out for their new album Bearer of Light, due out May 21st.
Get your Maryland Doomfest tickets here.
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