Black Metal

Carpathian Forest is a black metal band formed in 1992 in Norway by members Nattefrost and Nordavind.

Crurifragium is a black/death metal band from Seattle, Washington.

Merciless is an extreme metal band from Sweden.  They were one of the first underground death/thrash outfits to rise out of Sweden in the mid 80's.

Zhrine join Maryland Deathfest for the first time, coming from Iceland, the frozen black metal breeding ground. Formed in 2008, Zhrine blend foreboding atmosphere, death, and black metal into an experimental, visceral sonic experience. Not for the faint of heart, Zhrine will appeal to fans of equally massive sounding, creative bands such as Deathspell Omega, Ulcerate, and Gorguts. Catch their first MDF appearance this year.

Born of the ashes of Pete Helmkamp’s previous band, Order from Chaos, Angelcorpse formed in 1995 in Kansas. Helmkamp, Gene Palubicki and John Longstreth released debut album Hammer of the Gods in 1996. In 1998, the band relocated to Florida. Angelcorpse focuses on warfare, anti-Christianity, and strife, blending elements of black metal with Tampa death metal, aided by drummer Tony Laureano.

Established in 1992 by Dana Duffey, Demonic Christ are one of the earliest USBM bands. Formed out of the ashes of Duffey’s all-female death/doom band Mythic, Demonic Christ combines Duffey’s shrieks and riffs with Scott Pletcher’s creative drumming.  Their seminal- and only- full length album, Punishment for Ignorance, has recently been re-released and a follow-up album can be expected in 2016 from Hell’s Headbangers.

This is Demonic Christ’s first MDF appearance.

Coming from Brazil, Mystifier play one hundred percent evil, Satan-worshipping, noisy, filthy black metal. Spawned in 1989, Beelzeebubth created Mystifier to express his discontent and feelings of alienation in heavily Catholic Brazil. Additionally, Mystifier’s claim to fame is appearing on the Gummo soundtrack. Contemporaries with Possessed, Sarcofago, and Sepultura, Mystifier are keeping the traditions and aesthetics of the genre alive.  See their first MDF performance this year.

Occult worshipping black/death metal band Grave Miasma joins MDF from the UK. Founded as ‘Goat Molestor’ in 2006, Grave Miasma shares members with fellow Brits Cruciamentum, who leveled Maryland in 2013. In the same vein, Grave Miasma serves up atmospheric, unholy, gloomy blackened death metal. 

Desaster was spawned in Germany in 1988 and named after the Destruction song ‘Total Desaster.’ Although the band has gone through several line up changes in their nearly thiry year history, founding member Infernal has been a constant. Inspired by contemporaries Venom, Hellhammer, and of course, Destruction, Desaster describe themselves as a “pure raw, honest, dirty thrash band,” although they are often considered black metal. Decide for yourself at their first MDF appearance.