This is probably the MDF I've spent the most time and money researching, listening to and purchasing/downloading the albums of bands playing... prepare for a long ass post.
THURSDAY:
~5:00 - Arrival/Check-In/Fuck Yeah
5:25 - Head down to venue, catch Die Pigeon Die maybe
6:05 - Wonder why a grind band has a 35 minute set. Look at merch. Watch some of Needful Things
6:55 - Apparently Rorschach are legendary so I'll give 'em a shot.
7:55 to end - Varying degrees of checking all these bands' performances. I wouldn't mind watching them all but I'll be ducking out to drink and find food at some point. Feel free to join me at that point, cuz we'll probably go to some bars or something.
FRIDAY:
Wake up at 11-noon some time. Buy food and hotel supplies for the weekend, possibly beer. Since I'm doing nothing until like 5:30, this would be killer time to walk the Inner Harbor, chill, etc.
5:40 - Demigod should be good. I'll be up-front probably with most other UMMDF nerds.
After Demigod - Get dinner and stuff, don't care about Macabre...
7:25 - Want to give Negura a peep. Could be interesting.
8:25 - Maybe check out some merch, buy a beer, watch Napalm Death from afar or something
9:30 - Godflesh front fuckin' row. This is going to be a monumental performance.
10:40 - Definitely want to catch Unsane live, should be interesting and probably good (gotten into them majorly recently)
11:40 - Either watch a bit of Setherial or go back to the hotel, bar hop, etc. Don't care about the cash-grabby-Nasum-without-Mieszko thing.
whenever - party like fuck with cool people
SATURDAY:
Wake up at same time as Friday probably, depending on my hangover and other various factors. Probably walk Baltimore for fun and profit, buy merch, discuss plans with other people for a while.
2:00 - Looking for an Answer is really good grind, I will definitely watch some of them. Still don't understand the long set time though.
2:55 - Dragged into Sunlight could be interesting, but I might pass 'em up for merch shopping and hanging around w/ people.
3:50 - Black fucken' Witchery should be crazy, though I doubt I'll watch their whole set.
5:00 - This depends on how Morbid Saint sounds, I agree with Schmidt. If good, stay; if not, leave and get food before TDB.
5:45 - The Devil's Blood is a brilliantly oddball band playing this fest. Won't miss 'em.
6:45 -
Fuck Anvil. Archgoat wins this battle straight up.
7:30 - Slightly interested in Confessor, but will likely rather watch Horna while thinking of where to get dinner.
8:25 - Not a big Brujeria fan but depending on who is watching them I'll stick around for a bit. Let's hang out at about this time.
9:30 - Morbid Angel heckling. Maybe they'll actually be alright... maybe I'm an optimist. Maybe that's an understatement...
10:35 - Tsjuder are pretty great, if generic, Norwegian BM and everyone should check 'em out. Could be fun live.
11:40 - Haemorrhage always brings a party when they play Sonar, and I doubt this'll be an exception. I might rather just go have a few beers, wander Baltimore (while obeying the buddy system, at this time of night tbh), eat food, be decadent, etc.
12:40 - Winter should be crushing but I'm not sold on them being indoors. Seems like a douche-y move... why is October 31 playing outside but fucking Winter isn't? Who decided this?!
whenever - party like fuck with cool people.
SUNDAY:
Wake up same basic time as previous days. Glad there's nothing great until...
3:15 - Disma! Good band, even though Craig Pillard's a Nazi dick. I hope this causes tension with crusties (should be a lot there since Hellbastard and Deviated Instinct are headlining) and there's a big shitshow or something.
3:45 - I'm probably one of the only Cough fans on the board, but they're pretty good (like a sludgier Electric Wizard with some cleaner vocals)
4:40 - Fuck, I'm not a fan of choosing between one of America's best currently running and super-underrated sludge bands (Rwake) and fuckin' Morgoth, but I'll work this out somehow. Might do half and half.
5:30 - This is the second in a row of annoying choices... Church of Misery or Ulcerate? Both of these bands don't come around here much and they're both great, but I predict CoM will be a little more awesome.
6:25 - Thrash time with the demotape masters... Pentagram will rock face.
7:00 - Probably move inside to watch some YOB since I missed them touring with Tool in February or whenever.
7:20 - Suffocation is an awesome live band, but I probably won't watch even half of their set... as Schmidt said, I'll want to be slammed for St. Vitus, and Suffo tours a
lot so it's not a huge loss.
8:15 - motherfuckin' Vitus, dudez. Pretty pumped for this one. I'll be singing along to a lot of Wino's wise words.
9:30 - Yeah, Electric Wizard might be pretty good. I'll try to check them out but I predict I'll be tired at this point and will need food. Might head back to the hotel early with some merch or w/e and prepare for the crazy 3 hour black metal assault MDF ending finale.
After show - Party a lot probably. Don't really have much to do Monday except clean up and check out.
Bringing this post back tonight in order to make an itinerary for ONE WEEK FROM NOW, BITCHES. Prepare yourselves.
THURSDAY:
1:00 - Arrive in Baltimore with Dan and Chris. Check in with dudes, drop off luggage and shoot the shit until 1:45 when we'll go to...
2:00 - ...the Metro Gallery to catch the free matinee show featuring Horrendous/Bones/Coffin Dust. I want as many people as possible to join us for this!
5:00-7:00 - Hang with dudes waiting for MDF proper to start. Probably get food and/or stock up on beer.
7:00 onward - For those doing Ram's Head, I wouldn't mind catching some sludge/doom shit with you. I might not stay long if no one's coming, though. Would suck for y'all to miss Triptykon though. Who's doing Thurs? IDFK.
FRIDAY:
Wake up - Let's go hang out around Baltimore, possibly cruise some pubs and shit in the harbor until the afternoon when...
3:45 - Mgła is going to start this fest off with a bang. I don't care much about Castevet and I'd rather just get up front for this act; hope the IL metal bros are with me for this.
4:25 - The Ruins of Beverast, as Schmidt has said, will be cool to see but might get boring. Luckily, Creative Waste is really cool (Saudi Arabian deathgrind?!) and they're at the soundstage so if this starts to suck and Alex is having an off-day, I'll rock out over there.
5:10 - Necros Christos is gonna crush this fest, and I'm pumped for it. I hope to be engaging in occult prayers with other devotees of darkness; cheers in advance, fuckerz
5:55 - I'm interested to see what Solstafir does live, but I'm also not superhuman, so I might want some food/nourishment at this point. I also kinda want to see Coffins again, they're usually good.
6:45 - Yay, more black metal. Pretty sure my soul will be completely unhinged at this point as Taake will probably also rule. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping someone busts out that killer banjo solo from "Myr", though. If so... highlight of the fest, bitches. If he starts to suck, I can always go rock out to some serial killer grind at the soundstage (Mesrine, of course!)
7:40 - Ruminate on the fact that I've been attending the fest proper for like 4 hours so far and will already be far beyond exhausted, but then remember that Death Shall Rise 5 minutes from then and rock out to some classy death/thrash until I decide they're boring and we should all hang out more elsewhere.
8:40 - Wonder why Agalloch and Cripple Bastards both have 55 minute sets as that's probably enough time for CB to play their discography. I've heard they're great live, so I'll probably try to do half and half here, depending on how Agalloch is, who's seeing them with me, what people want to do, etc. My plans are very fluid so far considering the multiple venues, desire for alcohol-fueled deathcarnage, etc...
9:45 - Alright, I'm really pretty interested in what ATG is gonna do live. Plus, it's kinda like a legendary re-appearance and shit. All you motherfuckers saying you're not excited for this are weird. Yeah, Alf Svensson isn't around to give a damn, but you should probably catch this even if they jam Blinded by Fear 20 times in a row. It's gonna be good and you suck if you think it's not. Quote me on that, dudes.
~10:30 - So at this point I'll probably be done with ATG despite what I just said., and Aeternus isn't playing for another hour and no one has ever cared about Enthroned. Let's go to Alewife or something and see what happens?
12:30 onward - If my body is still functioning and I'm not dead inside, let's go mosh to Incantation or something. Shit.
Rest of night - I plan to relentlessly watch the Absu interview, Creed Shreds, the 20th Century Fox flute video and sing along to Olorin songs at obnoxious volume tonight in order to achieve a state of absolute decadence which will be followed up by...
SATURDAY:
1:55 - Diocletian is the first band I care about today, and I'ma be ready to vomit some bullets at this point, so let's go jam some fucking NZ WAR METAL!
2:40 - I would like to catch БУТ doing their thing at the soundstage at this point; they're great sounding grind with members of fantastic MDF vets Ingrowing. Maybe Cody will come with me, ya fags
3:15 - Machetazo will be fun, but if no one's down, let's go troll Balty a bit until 4, cuz...
4:05 - God Macabre's in town and they're probably gonna fucking rule. I remember when I was wrong and disliked
The Winterlong, but I'll be up front for this if I can help it; I've seen the unlight.
5:00 - I think I read that Nocturnus is playing all of
The Key, which is going to be ridiculous, especially when we ENTAH THA DROIIIIDZ, but I doubt I'm gonna be up for the whole thing at this point... trying to be realistic. Might end up chilling with peeps if they're not rocking out?
6:20 - If people are down, I would like to go thrash out to Victims a bit. I don't care about Tankard; people don't want to admit they're shitty 3rd rate German thrash with a lame gimmick, but I do so there.
7:00 - I don't actually care about much else today except maybe Sarke just so I can see Nocturno Culto in the flesh (listened a few times to
Aruagint, it's okay but nothing special, though they could be fun live), and I definitely wanna get to the Rams Head for Bölzer at 9:40, so basically... fuck Dark Angel and I'm camping at the RH for a few hours to catch Hooded Menace, Martin Schirenc playing Pungent Stench classics for a while, and, of course, death by fucking Asphyx!
whenever - It's party time! Saturday night I plan to discuss the finer points of slam with unwilling participants to the conversation while drinking excellent beer, then I'll probably engage in drunken revelry with some fine gentlemen (and ladies).
SUNDAY:
1:30 - A bit of an earlier start for the last day with some stonery goodness in Windhand leading off, followed by...
2:00 - Bongripper hopefully playing some of their classic hits such as "Hail", "Satan", "Worship" and "Doom"... bonus points for any hippies killed or great barriers reefed, as such.
2:30 - I plan to get lunch and visit more bars and locales at this point because I don't quite care about Graves at Sea (Buried At Sea was a way better band, sorry guys) or Misery Index (you had some good stuff going early on but if you don't play "Manufacturing Greed" I don't give a damn)
3:40 - Pseudogod seems reasonably good, and I'd be interested in checking them out, but I won't cry if we're too busy doing other shit at this point. Wrathprayer I also don't care about and won't bother going to unless others want to, because "Chilean black/death metal" doesn't exactly make me jizz myself in anticipation. The best stuff is later in the day anyway, let's not forget!
5:00 - Inquisition are a fantastic live band and I'm majorly looking forward to seeing them after having caught one of their live rituals several years back in Cambridge, MA.
6:45 - Gorguts KILLED it live a month or so ago with Carcass, trust me. They'll be playing a lot of new stuff, but their new drummer is an absolute beast and the
Colored Sands material is intense live. I hope they'll also jam out "Nostalgia" just so we can jumpdafukup, but I'm also hoping for "Obscura", "With Their Flesh, He'll Create", and making jokes about the lyrics to "Drifting Remains" with Guy.
7:45 - I'm totally into jamming some Uncle Acid with the MDF crew; I've been convinced that they're worthy. I dig the old school horror rock/doom/psych shit to a pretty good extent, and I think they'll be one of the more unique shows this year now that Ulver's not playing (boooo, btw)...
8:45 - I probably forgot to eat dinner at this point, but I don't give a shit, because I AM BEEEEEWIIIIIITCHED! Bonus points if we end up hanging out with my friend Paris, the chick who was the vocalist for a Candlemass cover band at a show I went to last year. Awesomeness shall happen, either way.
9:40 - I don't think My Dying Bride will be as fun to see as going to Rams Head and heckling Mutilation Rites, the band whose biography
actually fucking says that they play "filthy black metal in the vein of black metal forefathers such as Darkthrone, Dissection, Weakling, and Discharge" (
source, lol right?) will be, but I digress.
10:35 - Time to see my favorite band named after an organelle, Mitochondrion! I've never been a huge fan, but they'll be fun to see with dudes who have Rams Head tixx.
11:35 - Ulcerate will be like an Australian Gorguts round-two or some shit, so we can stick around for that in anticipation of Immolation (fuck yeah rhymes) or just bow out, get some beers, hang out and lament that we won't see each other for another year. Up to everyone here. As I said my plans are fluid.
AAAAAND that's MDF. This post brought to you by half-drunk Andy. See you fuxxx in a week.