Dark Depths: Shadow Woods Friday Preview

Kaptain Carbon continues his unsolicited preview of Shadow Woods by listening to every band on each day and writing about it with increasing weirdness. A Sound of Thunder has been a staple around the DC heavy metal scene if you have ever been interested in the sound of power or progressive at a local level.

By Kaptain Carbon.

Kaptain Carbon continues his unsolicited preview of Shadow Woods by listening to every band on each day and writing about it with increasing weirdness.

Thursday • Friday • Saturday

A Sound of Thunder has been a staple around the DC heavy metal scene if you have ever been interested in the sound of power or progressive at a local level. I know there are like a dozen of you. Fronted by a strong female lead, the band does its best to fit in with all of the black and death bands with music that is unabashedly geeky in nature. In fact the band's most recent work is entirely dedicated to the comic book character Shadowman. Perhaps they want to play Dungeons and Dragons with me during the off hours. I will have dice.

Genevieve has been a favorite of mine since the band’s 2015 debut Escapism. While still having themselves entrenched in respectable black/death, this Baltimore based band frays at the edges of experimental urges leaving music which sounds like it is doing its best to keep its shit together. Both intense and endlessly indulgent, Genevieve is a perfect destination for 12:30 on a Friday morning. I mean, if you are not awake, I will come by your campsite and kick your tent over.

At the Graves is another Baltimore area based band who seems to have set up residence on the outskirts of heavy metal. While loyalties to sludge and doom are apparent for this one man outfit, so is the more grey areas of shoegaze, grunge, and just droning noise. This is the perfect combination of emotionally wrenched music doused in gasoline. At the Graves is as self destructive and reflexive as it is entertaining to watch the demise.

Summarizing a band’s sound is sometime hard with various releases. If we were taking Destroyer of Light’s 2012 debut, their sound would be filled with sludge based aggression which whips like concrete blocks. If we are taking into account this Texas based doom band’s most recent split, then the wind seems to be blowing more towards stoned traditionalism. With loyalties laid down on a altar of bands like Reverend Bizarre and Electric Wizard, Destroyer of Light’s most recent split with Godhunter is fantastic trip into the luminescent and ultraviolet. Slow and heavy wins the race. .

This is Surgeon from Pennsylvania and they are tagged as progressive metal. I have rested on that style as the band exhibits many different inclinations throughout their career. If we are discussing Surgeon’s most recent work, then it is a blend of progressive, industrial and black metal where Chemical Reign leans more towards a heavy fusion. Similar to hard to pin acts like Devin Townsend, Surgeon is going to be camping with the oddballs but I am sure they will be a delight to a few over the weekend.

Myopic was one of the first bands from Grimoire Records that really took a hold of me a few years back. Perhaps this was a combination of elongated black metal which was stretched out on the forest floor like a field dressed animal. Both organic and transcendental as well as unclassifiable, if I were to pick a band that was going to capture the essence of an autumn metal festival in the woods this would be near the top near the field dressed animal.

I am 85% sure this is the band that is playing. Sometimes bands will have similar names or at least similar spellings that it gets confusing. I sure hope this is the band that is playing as Sapremia plays a brand of old school death metal that could only come from New Jersey. Tough as nails and emotionally dead, this band is perfect for the mid afternoon when the sun is at its height. Things will be alright with a stomach full of beer and a mouth full of glass.

Let us put Lotus Thief in the same cabin as Darsombra as those two would certainly get along with their cosmic outlook on creating music. Somewhere between electronic, space rock, and doom, lies the work of Lotus Thief. Hailing all the way from San Francisco this quintet has come to tell the tales of 1st century philosophy as their albums seems to be around with the subject. In fact, I would like to camp next to them all weekend. I am sure they have stories to tell and things to share.

Temple of the Void was one of the highlights for the midwestern metal fest Blood of the Wolf. Seeing their name on the lineup for this year’s Shadow Woods festival was a surprise and cause for joy. Even though doom is not my favorite style of metal, Temple of the Void’s stage presence and ominous disposition makes the whole thing a marvel for wonder. Come for doom, leave robbed of your spiritual essence and maybe a copy of their 2014 record Of Terror and the Supernatural.

Within the large net of related bands you can start to draw connections which make up a terrifying web. Sadgiqacea is related one member to Hivelords, who played last year at Shadow Woods, and Tombs who is the closing headliner for this year’s festival. Though all three bands are separated, they still share the same artistic focus which is gazing into the aether. Whether by sludge, doom, or black metal, these bands seem to be traveling towards the same nexus of darkness. Sadgiqacea is perhaps the more mystical of the bunch with meditative drone and a sparser atmosphere of two members, the sound is enough to shake one's mortal coil.

When one looks at Helgamite, they expect stoner doom. What one gets is something not too far off the mark but it is filled with closed fists and bloody noses. Psychedelic sludge would be a better description with themes bordering on ethereal daydreams, this band explores the horror of transcendence where the very concept is the one to drive its practitioners mad. Armed with a sax and something that sounds like a beast from beyond time, this is a band which is going to make me fear going to my campsite alone.

Acid Witch is the answer of what would happen is doom and death took mushrooms together and watched Evil Dead in a basement. Irreverent and endlessly entertaining, this is one of the saturday headliner which is going to light up the trees with scary hallucinations of fear and flashbacks. They are a horror show which is ready to ruin your trip with scary thoughts and scenarios. I just realized that I made a lot of hallucinogen jokes so I do not want people coming to my campsite asking me strange questions. Are you a police officer or a flesh eating monster?

Tengger Cavalry is not the first band I think about when I think metal festival in the woods. This Mongolian folk band is not what I think of when I ponder a lot of things. If we were talking of a remote metal festival somewhere out on the ancient steppe only accessible via horseback, then I could see it. I am not one to complain as this is one of the larger bands pulled into this small festival which I am sure will be dazzling on a small woodland stage. If one thing can be said about this whole experience, it is going to be interesting. I know I said that before but now we have Mongolian folk metal from NYC.

Tombs was one of my favorite bands back in 2011 when they released Path of Totality. It was dark and ruminating and pulled in various levels of tension and submerged it underwater. Since then, this band has continued to impress and amaze with their combination of blackened post metal which feels like drowning in some tepid swamp.

One of the newer stock from Grimoire is a fierce display of traditional black metal that is going to fit in perfectly with the rest of the bands. Staunchly orthodox in its second wave disposition, this is black metal which has no frill nor patience for weakness. Athame is also the first wave of bands which is going to take the late night Saturday on a trip into Hades. Think of this band as your Charon.

Symphonic black metal which exposes the virtues of sexual mysticism, the esoteric and the Qabalah? I am fucking in to whatever this band is selling. Perhaps it is the novelty of this Colerado based band which is enticing but if anyone wants to hear a sound which leans heavily on Emperor perhaps played by a campfire encircled by other weirdoes, then it will perhaps be a marvel to behold. Helleborus acts as the late night entertainment for a festival which is filled with adults anyway but their music sounds like a hellish orgy of sin and pleasure.

One can not go to sleep at Shadow Woods without being lulled to bed by the sound of raw lo fi black metal which is stepped in chamomile and dark noise. T.O.M.B has little information on the outfit other than being from Pennsylvania and operating since the 90’s. Cut from the stock of raw underground black metal, I have little idea what is going to transpire other than it being madness.

Shadow Woods Metal Fest.
21+ ONLY.
Thursday 15 September through Sunday 18 September 2016 at Camp Hidden Valley, 4722 Mellow Rd, White Hall MD 21161.
More details
Weekend pass (includes on-site tent camping) $130 in advance or $150 at gate. Limited cabin bunks available for an additional charge. Single-day tickets also available.
Buy tickets

Kaptain Carbon moderates Reddit's r/metal as well as writes reviews for lesser known black, death, and doom metal for Tape Wyrm as well as Dungeon Synth, Tabletop, and Movie Reviews for Hollywood Metal.

Dark Depths: Shadow Woods Thursday Preview

By Kaptain Carbon. Shadow Woods is an outdoor metal festival held in the upper reaches of Northern Baltimore. Shadow Woods stands are one of the few “open air” metal festivals left in the US and perhaps one of the even fewer overnight camping events.

By Kaptain Carbon.

Shadow Woods is an outdoor metal festival held in the upper reaches of central Maryland. Shadow Woods stands are one of the few “open air” metal festivals left in the US and perhaps one of the even fewer overnight camping events. While the US has a while to catch up the Europe in terms of camping festivals which do not involve drum circles, sandals, and the guy in the Free Hugs t-shirt. Shadow Woods is interesting because despite having a large amount of black metal, is still a diverse array of music. From death to doom to psych and folk metal, this is a three day event which will allow one to get in touch with nature and find the underworld beneath the soil.


After traveling a few dozen miles outside of Baltimore, the concrete and grime of the city drops off for scenic nothingness filled with sprawling fields and supposedly a pleasant sunflower patch. Here at Camp Hidden Valley, a few hundred metal fans converge for three days of music insulated by trees, hiking trails, and deep magic. I wrote and took pictures of the inaugural event and the announcement for the second Shadow Woods was more than welcome. One of the things I enjoy more than going to the woods, listening to extreme metal, and eating pop tarts for the weekend, is going through an entire festival roster and previewing every single band. This is a favored activity since it allows me to plan around specific acts but also introduce myself to pretty much most of the roster. Shadow Woods specializes in local and regional talent that have yet to make an impression on the larger metal community and for that reason is a treasure trove of new and exciting acts. Perhaps this article is the first step to finding my new favorite band and/or a dark omen to a stomach ache after eating too many pop tarts.

Thursday • Friday • Saturday

Let us start this festival off right with a 6 pm performance from North Carolina’s Heron. Welcome. Hopefully you got your tent set up because it is time to wither and die. Cold and distant black metal in the style of the old depressive type which will perhaps sound amazing as a welcoming committee for a woodland festival. Listen to the echoes of sadness as they bounce off the treetops. I know some people do not think black metal in the day time works but the waning sunlight during dusk is going to be an immense backdrop for this band.

Since Shadow Woods is outside of Baltimore, one gets to see the variety of extreme metal from the area. Despite my travels to the surrounding area, Xeukatre is unknown to me yet their brand of raw and unhinged black metal is going to be a fantastic experience right around dinner time. Taking their cues from the Les Légions Noires book of black metal this band emphasizes lo-fi darkness which feels pressed under the weight of the world. Also the band’s only release takes its name from the Latin for "I shall either find a way or make one,” which was attributed to Hannibal when crossing the Alps. I do not know why this fits but I feel it is perfect.

Here was a blurb about Numenorean from Canada playing the fest, but this just came through the wire: "Unfortunately Numenorean were not able to get visa into the US from Canada. Frosthelm will replace them. Mantar will move to the outdoor Field stage at 7 p.m. and Frosthelm will play inside at 10:10. All other set times remain the same for Thursday."

If one thing is going to be said and written about Shadow Woods is its diversity. In the fray of extreme metal, Darsombra stands still eating peyote and looking like they are about to burst out laughing. With feet firmly planted in the realm of cosmic space rock, these groups of Krautrock weirdos are set to bring the sounds of echoing psych and space drone to the ears of people who may not be ready for it. I will of course be ready for it because this sound is awesome.

Ghost Bath has had a strange journey from depressive black metal obscurities with strange location details one day to underground superstars the next. The release and promotion of Moonlover took this band to a level that was perhaps surprising even for them. With similarities drawn between polarizing acts such as Deafheaven, Silencer and Austere, Ghost Bath is an emotional ride which leaves little behind closed doors and wears all emotions on its sleeves.

I enjoy doing these types of articles, because I can at least catch up on a bunch of different bands that went unnoticed. Enter Mantar and their combination of doom, black, and artsy sludge which has been hard mixed into something that is raw and slimy as hell. Traveling all the way from Germany and appearing after a particularly long US tour, this band is deserving of attention and possibly a beer or two. This is of course after a performance of nihilism being wielded like a baseball bat.

The tags for this Rhode Island band include black metal, occult and rituals. If I were to take the same tags and apply it to what I think of Shadow Woods, there would be a large overlap. Haunting and mysterious, this group is set to close the night with a performance which I am sure will at least open a few dimensional portals. Add to this Haxen led me to discover a wonderful Rhode Island based label called Eternal Death which seems to specialize in all forms of moral depravity and cassettes. Thursday night should be wonderful and I hope Haxen allows me to live through the coming weekend.

Shadow Woods Metal Fest.
21+ ONLY.
Thursday 15 September through Sunday 18 September 2016 at Camp Hidden Valley, 4722 Mellow Rd, White Hall MD 21161.
More details
Weekend pass (includes on-site tent camping) $130 in advance or $150 at gate. Limited cabin bunks available for an additional charge. Single-day tickets also available.
Buy tickets

Kaptain Carbon moderates Reddit's r/metal as well as writes reviews for lesser known black, death, and doom metal for Tape Wyrm as well as Dungeon Synth, Tabletop, and Movie Reviews for Hollywood Metal.

Fyrnask - Fórn

By Steven Leslie. While Germany has a long history in the black metal world, they have often played second fiddle to their northern brothers in arms. If there is any justice in this world, bands like Fyrnask will start to change that perception.

By Steven Leslie.

Artwork by Glyn Smyth

While Germany has a long history in the black metal world, they have often played second fiddle to their northern brothers in arms. If there is any justice in this world, bands like Fyrnask will start to change that perception. While Fyrnask’s previous two records have been excellent, the newest manifestation from sole creator Fyrnd is the band’s masterpiece. Fórn is a record that demands your full attention across it’s 54 minute run time. It is not an album of individual songs, instead it is a spiritual and ritual journey divided into 11 compelling parts designed to be listened to has a whole.

Fyrnd is the shaman opening up the arcane and esoteric nature of the world and guiding you through this spiritual expedition. While many of the more atmospheric black metal bands and albums require a certain mood to truly appreciate them, Fórn inherently creates that mood by itself. It is this very ability to control and direct the listener’s emotional response that indicates just how special and powerful this album is. Expertly weaving meditative, ritualistic movements with searing black metal assaults, Fyrnd displays his compositional brilliance by ensuring that not a second of the album is wasted. There is no part of this record that could be cut or embellished upon to make it more impactful. Each trance inducing candlelit ambient instrumental and every ferocious metallic outburst is made more powerful by their deft juxtaposition and intuitive flow. There is an elegance to the songwriting and overall performance that really sets Fyrnask apart from other modern black metal bands.

While the musical compositions are spectacular throughout, Fyrnd’s vocal performance deserves special mention. From the more traditional spiteful black metal roar to ritualistic chants, stirring shouts and haunting whispers, each vocal line is handled with exceptional care. It is rare to find a vocalist who sounds as powerful and effective across all these various styles of vocal delivery. Even more rare is Fyrnd’s ability to understand exactly what type of vocal each section of a song needs to make it transcendent.

This is an album that you will want to invest some time in and in turn will reward you for the effort. Each listen brings new elements to the fore, not because the album is so dense and layered, but because its individual ingredients are so expertly crafted and performed that your focus can shift without the album losing any of its potency. It is pointless to try to analyze individual tracks, as the whole is so much more powerful than its component parts. That is not to say that tracks like "Blótan", which show that for all the album’s focus on atmosphere and ritualistic instrumentals, they can still stand toe to toe with any of the more traditional second-wave worshiping modern black metal bands. But taking the album as a whole allows for the introspective and alchemical nature of Fyrnd’s creation to truly take hold. If you are looking for unrelenting, tremolo-picked blast of fire and brimstone, look elsewhere, but if you are looking for something more personal and introspective, Fórn may well be your black metal album of the year.