Maryland Deathfest VII
I almost didn’t go to this year’s Maryland Deathfest because it was kind of expensive, and I didn’t have anyone to go with. But then I snapped out of it and realized that I had to at least go one of the three days because I’d be a big poser if I didn’t. I chose to go Sunday so I could catch my friends Krallice play. I also got to see legendary bands like Aura Noir, Bolt Thrower, and Sigh, many of whom hadn’t played in the US in decades if at all.
What struck me the most about the show was the giddiness of the crowd. During the set of Australian blackened thrash band Destroyer 666, everyone in the pit had huge grins on their faces, as if they couldn’t believe they were there. Indeed, good metal shows are few and far between in North America (although this is rapidly changing), and this annual festival draws people from all over.
I was also surprised to see such diversity among the attendees across racial, gender, and age groups. Let’s face it, metal has traditionally been a white dude thing, but as the genre globalizes and takes deeper root in our culture, many people from different backgrounds are finding aspects of metal that resonate with them.
In the Destroyer 666 pit, there were all kinds of people, including quite a few brave girls — it was like the Colors of Benetton but with spikes and leather (ok, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but I didn’t feel out of place at all). The one image that stuck with me was a pretty preppy looking black guy who would dart in and out of the pit every once in a while.
Also in the churning whirl of people was a tough-looking white dude with Graveland and Burzum patches (both bands that espouse nationalist socialist views) and a Norwegian flag on his denim jacket. These two guys slammed right into each other, grinning through it all, and when they fell down, they helped each other up. I am metal enough to admit that I teared up a little.
Tagged: Aura Noir, Bolt Thrower, Destroyer 666, Krallice, Maryland Deathfest VII, Sigh
- 0
- 0
RELATED
Colin Marston seems hellbent on making other musicians feel worthless with his numerous and prolific projects that include black metal quartet Krallice (with Mick Barr), prog-tech-thrash band Behold… The Arctopus, and drone outfit Byla. One of his most intense endeavors, however, is instrumental trio Dysrhythmia, a band in which he took over bass duties for founding member Clayton Ingerson. Read more
A few years ago, no one could imagine any good black metal bands coming out of New York City. Then Krallice hit the scene, giving the corpse-painted masses hope, and now, Liturgy is poised to affirm Brooklyn as a new epicenter of awesome Black Metal. The one-time solo act fronted by Hunter Hunt is now a full four-piece, allowing it to take a cue from Bathory and Viking bands and incorporating chanted, choral vocals into their epic, sweeping sound (the band calls it ‘transcendental metal’). When I saw them the other night, their drummer was on tour, and they had to make do with programmed beats on an iPod. The result was actually shockingly compelling, as if Atari Teenage Riot decided to give up the rave punk schtick to go on a spirit quest in Antarctica.
Also by GERRY MAK
Luke Butler’s Enterprise series
My roommate is on a big Star Trek kick, re-watching the entire original series. I forgot how amazing and progressive and ahead-of-its-time it was. Actually, Star Trek: the Next Generation is also just as good. Hopefully Luke Butler will paint images from that series next or superimpose Captain Picard’s head on a nude body of Adonis. Read more
Tom Fun Orchestra’s Bottom of the River
This video for Nova Scotian gypsy folk-punk ensemble Tom Fun Orchestra is so effectively simple, matching the imagery to the song perfectly.
Cheeming Boey’s coffee cup art
California-based artist Cheeming Boey makes super-wowza drawings on styrofoam coffee cups. He also keeps a web comic documenting his daily life that is at times hilarious at others rather touching. He reminds me of my friend Jon from high school. Read more
YOU'RE SAYING (0)
No comments yet.
HAVE YOUR SAY
We checked in recently with New York based Argentinean illustrator, Fernanda Cohen. How’s the illustration scene in New York at the moment? ‘Over crowded, sometimes repetitive and predictable, but there are always jewels here and there. I believe most of the emerging stars in the illustration field in the past few years came out of New York, mostly SVA graduates’. Read more
We have reported on Danish firm, JDS Architects, before. And here their memorable work continues. This glorious design for the Holmenkollen Ski Jump in Oslo is the result of an international competition and is to be completed in time for the 2011 World Championships. Read more
Anytime you find Houndstooth and Hoody in the same sentence you know it will be a good day. Well, today has been a great day and New Dandyism, the lovechild of a conglomate of lusty designers — Sons by Obedient Sons, wood wood and Call of the Wild — is the reason. It’s a surprisingly coherent and articulate project for one cooked up in a kitchen filled with chefs. Read more
So I have this recurring dream. Well, not really a dream as such. More a footnote on the thesis on life; a ‘mental meandering’ where my mind flows to a secret place which only I and Paul McCartney can access. Read more
Those of you who are based in Australia and are into sports might like to check out the other website the Lost At E Minor team runs, The Roar. Read more
I remember the first time I saw a Mark Rothko piece at the Art Institute in Chicago. I’d only seen reproductions until that point, and I never understood why people considered the late painter so important. Read more
Haunts is one twisted, skewered, pulsating, gyrating disco tune. Seriously. Jacob Safari, aka Bark, Bark, Bark, sure knows how to take a dirgey chord progression and dress it up in layers of disjointed, unsettling noise.
WE'RE RESPECTING
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Wheeeeee! This game is so freaking fun! You move your cursor over each dot to make them split into four smaller dots ad infinitum.
Amazing cake designs by Charm City Cakes
Baltimore company Charm City Cakes produces the most innovative wedding and party cakes on the market. Inspiration for these creative bakers comes from everywhere: art, fabric, furniture, architecture, landscapes, science, and music, and each cake is individually designed to match your personality, and the theme of the occasion you are celebrating. Don’t miss these cakey engineering masterpieces. Read more
Scanners’ new single Salvation
I love this track by London based rock group, Scanners, which is off their latest album, Submarine. Having toured with acts such as The Horrors, The Wedding Present, The Charlatans, Electric Six, and Juliette & The Licks, Scanners could well blow up in 2010. Figuratively speaking, not literally. No, that wouldn’t be fun.
There is not a medium that UK illustrator Lizzy Stewart cannot wrap around her little finger to make the most beautiful, whimsical images. Read more
Hong Kong-based illustrator Man-Tsun draws dark and beautiful painterly images that look like they are straight off a high-end Japanese animated film. Read more
Thanks to Sony Australia, four Lost At E Minor readers will win personal audio prizes, including the new 8GB Walkman S series video MP3 player and the MDRXB500 Extra Bass headphones. Read more
Made from 100 percent organic cotton and eco-friendly, this super soft tee celebrates a sinister world of kaleidoscopic colours and ripples of psychedelia, of serenading Queens, of dancing flamingos, of unimaginable euphoria. It’s all the work of Sydney label, Das Monk and it’s available through the Lost At E Minor online store for just US$40. Now, there’s one hell of a Christmas present, even if we do say so ourselves! Read more
FOLLOW US
DISCOVER MORE
SO...
SEARCH: Can't find what you're looking for? Do a search..
IS IT GOOD FOR YOU TOO?
We hope you're enjoying your time on Lost At E Minor, but it’s not over yet. Got something to share? Tell us about it and we'll look to publish it. If you want to have your work featured on the site, we'd love to hear from you. Pssst, we also have an online store stocking some of the goodies we feature on the site.
If you're a media agency and want to use this platform to connect with our readership, then drop us a line and tell us about it. Oh yeah, and we do digital consulting for cool brands that want to reach the sort of demographic that visits this site.
