Day 0 (May 21^st, 2009)

We left Seattle at 10 PM on May 20^th on an oversold flight with a change over in Detroit. I got to my hotel in Baltimore at around 9 AM. Fortunately they had some empty rooms so I didn’t have to wait around for the 4 PM check-in time. Once everything was unpacked we set out in search of alcohol and food. Within one block we found both a grocery store and a liquor store.

The liquor store (Urban Cellars Fine Wines) had a sign saying “Welcome Deathfest” in the window. We bought 2 pints of Absolut (to drink at the fest) and a fifth of cheap vodka to make kamikazes and bloody marys with along with a six pack of Grolsch. The grocery store supplied some donuts and milk. We took our provisions back to the hotel, ate some food then set off walking. Our destinations were Edgar Allan Poe’s grave and his Baltimore house/museum.

Our first mistake on this trip was not bringing along a map to get to our tourist attractions. Once we thought we had gone too far we took a bit of a detour and started asking the locals where Poe’s house (on Amity Street) was. We probably spoke with a dozen people and none of them had a clue, they just kept directing us to his gravesite despite us specifically asking where his house was. We were finally given proper directions by an older man with a nasty set of track marks on his arms. For this bit of information he was rewarded with a cigarette.

On the way to Poe’s house the neighborhoods started looking bad. Rows of brick row houses were the norm, about 50 percent occupied and the rest boarded up. Garbage was everywhere and the only sounds to be heard were occasional shouts and the thumping of rap music bass. Despite the lower standard of living in this particular area everyone we spoke with was kind and pleasant. At least it seemed that way; it could have been the result of 24+ hours without sleep. When we finally got to Poe’s house we were greeted with a sign saying it was closed. At least we found out where it was so we could visit later.

We then headed back to the hotel so we could check our e-mail and have a few drinks. We hung out there for a while then decided we should have at least one good meal while we were in Baltimore. We then set off to Little Italy for some grub. On the way we got to walk through “The Block,” a very nice area comprised solely of strip clubs, porno shops and fried chicken. Lots of local flavor there with shady looking guys outside the clubs trying to talk passersby into entering.  They may have succeeded with us but not this time, food was the first thing on our minds.

We hit a place called Chiaparelli's and it was the best Italian food I have had in my adult life. For starters we had large Caesar salads, Bruschetta, Italian sausage and peppers and garlic bread. All were very tasty and the portions were impressive.  Our entrée was the furthest thing from Italian as we thought crab cakes would be a better fit since we were in Maryland. They were delicious and after finishing those we were good to go.

We then headed back to the hotel to get some liquor in us before the pre-fest show. Metalheads were starting to show up at the hotel, so the elevator ride time to our 36^th floor room was considerably longer. Once our thirsts were sated we headed down to the venue. We mostly hung out talking to people and checking out very little music until Pigsty came on. Their music stuck out over the early bands as they had great riffs that were audible unlike the walls of noise presented earlier by Jig-Ai and Marrow. I’ve got nothing against grind but I have to be in the right mood for it and I have to be able to hear all of the instruments! Anyway Pigsty was pretty damned good and kept me inside the building for the entire set.

When we went outside we ran into Karl from Bolt Thrower who nobody seemed to recognize. I talked to him for a while then went inside to check out Pulling Teeth.  Another band that just didn’t do much for me, however they did seem to have a decent number of supporters. We then watched Lethal Aggression’s set.  They played some pretty tight crossover thrash and the venue was definitely heating up. My only beef with their performance was too much talk about the old days and complaining about the modern music scene. We caught a few Ghoul songs (great as always but I have seen them a few times already) and then went back outside for some air. When we got outside we ran into everyone from Bolt Thrower with the exception of Jo Bench and spent a while partying with them. Ghoul’s set finished and the venue emptied. Surprisingly nobody stopped by to say hi to the Bolt Thrower dudes.  That was probably a good thing though as they were jet lagged and tired. We were too (37 hours without sleep) so we all headed back to the hotel for some sleep.

Day 1 (May 22^nd, 2009)

We originally planned to go to the National Aquarium in the AM but after waking up and tossing back a few bloody marys we decided against it. Our hotel was non-smoking which meant a 36 floor elevator ride every time we wanted a smoke. Normally this would be a pain in the ass but because of this we were able to hang out with a lot of the people who were playing in the bands we came to see. Bolt Thrower, Hail of Bullets, Destroyer 666, Abscess, Aura Noir, Asphyx, Brutal Truth, and Sigh were all there. Who knows, there may have been more but those are the only bands we ran into at the Tremont Plaza. Everyone seemed honestly happy to be playing the festival as well which is always a good sign.

Our first non-drinking related activity of the day was to check out Poe’s house since we actually knew where it was.  The house was very small, the guide/caretaker explained that it was very typical of the average working man’s dwelling at the time. There were a lot of cool photos on the wall and a framed set of illustrations for “The Raven” by Gustav Dore. A 1.2 mile walk each way with one last trip by his grave on the way back. We stopped by the Lexington Market as well for some delicious crab cakes from one of the vendors. Good stuff!

Here’s the rundown of the bands I saw on day 1:

Cephalic Carnage – Didn’t pay a heck of a lot of attention to them. I’ve seen them a bunch of times already. They did provide good background music for socializing though!

Mayhem – I’ve never seen them before as they have managed to cancel every scheduled appearance in Seattle  to date.  Attila does a super job as frontman but their new guitarist just didn’t do the music justice. I stayed up front until Deathcrush at which time I decided I needed to do some more drinking. I thought that doing an encore wasn’t really necessary considering the band was on tour and Asphyx could have used the extra time.

Asphyx – Martin Van Drunen rules! The band played a very strong set of old school death metal. Unfortunately their set was cut short thanks to the strict curfew for the outside stage and Mayhem playing too long. They were a great band to end the day with though and left me in a killer mood.

Day 2 (May 23^rd, 2009)

Woke up to a few more bloody marys and abandoned all thoughts of going to the aquarium. Memorial Day weekend, lots of kids and drunken metalheads just do not mix! Talked with Martin van Drunen for a while outside the deli and he was as displeased as us with Mayhem’s set going so long. After a great breakfast sandwich from the deli we set off (on foot of course) to the Inner Harbor to check out the American Visionary Art Museum. They had a great exhibition called "The Marriage of Art, Science & Philosophy" which was dedicated to the late Arthur C. Clark. While there was the normal amount of works I could care less about there were still a lot of great pieces to check out. I would have loved to take some photos but they had strict rules against it and my ethics don’t allow me to bend the rules when it comes to photography. 

Once we left the place we took a walk around the Inner Harbor water until the crowds got too thick. 

Having consumed all of our mixing alcohol we headed back to the liquor store for a half gallon of cheap vodka and more mixer. We then went back to the hotel, had some drinks and took the elevator down. Our co riders in the elevator were Danny Lilker (Brutal Truth), Mirai and Dr. Mikannibal (Sigh). Danny asked us to show the Sigh people where the venue was and since we were on our way there we were able to easily do that. Onto the music of Day 2:

Hail of Bullets – Although I was completely unfamiliar with their music I was very impressed; great death metal with an old school vibe. Martin Van Drunen is one of the best death metal frontmen hands down! Very easy to get up front to take a few photos.

Brutal Truth – These guys were fairly entertaining for a few songs but not much more after that. I ran into one of the Absu dudes who I had known from the net and he introduced me to the rest of the band which led to more drinking and smoking. Very easy to get up front to take a few photos.

Misery Index – Caught a song or two but that’s about it. The guys are definitely talented but just aren’t my thing. I’ve seen them several times so not sticking around didn’t worry me.

Immolation – Solid set from the New York deathsters. Precise and powerful stuff. Very easy to get up front to take a few photos.

Birdflesh – Funny and entertaining, I wish I could have caught more than just a couple of songs. Too hot at this point to even attempt getting up front.

Atheist – Super talented dudes and good performers but the music just didn’t suit my mood. They worked the crowd pretty well but the crowd was still pretty tame and I was able to get up front with ease.

Pig Destroyer – Very heavy and very powerful, making the hot inside stage room a LOT hotter. I will definitely check their full set out when they come to Seattle.

Napalm Death – Standard solid show from the seasoned veterans of death grind. The crowd seemed to be going pretty wild so I didn’t feel like going up front for their set. I just kicked it towards the back hanging with friends and preparing myself for the band I really came to see.

Bolt Thrower – It’s hard to put into words how incredible their set was. From the intensity of the performance to the organization of the set list to the utter professionalism of the performers it was obvious to me who was going to put on the best set of the weekend. The last time I saw them was in 1991 and with a few more killer albums out since then this time was even better. Once they finished we talked to people for a few minutes then went back to the hotel. Anything after that would be a disappointment no matter how good it was.

Day 3 (May 24^th 2009)

No tourism today, after walking for many miles over the past few days and lots of standing all I wanted to do was rest, eat and drink before heading off to the show. One of the first things we heard while smoking downstairs while smoking was that the pestilence guys couldn’t get into the states and that another band would be playing in their place. I asked Karl (Bolt Thrower) if he knew anything about it and he told me that Mayhem would be playing again. He also said Dimmu Borgir would be flying in to do it.  That told me all I needed to know. Now on to the bands:

Absu – Great stuff! The ability of Proscriptor to do his vocals while drumming like he does simply blew my mind. He did have some assistance on vocals from their new bassist but that didn’t take anything away from his skills. They played a decent mix of songs but I could have done with a much longer set from them. My favorite part was when Proscriptor said (in black metal voice) “Thank you, it's great to finally be here in your community.” I am really looking forward to seeing a full set from them in a few weeks.

Abscess – Pretty good but I really prefer Autopsy.  A little less hardcore vibe and a little more Autopsy style primitivism and I could die happy.

Krallice – I only caught a couple of songs but I was pretty impressed. I’m going to have to get some of their stuff.

Aura Noir – Incredible blackened thrash attack! I don’t see how Blasphemer could play the set in his leather jacket with how hot it was but whatever. If you get the chance to see these guys do it, no disappointment.

Destroyer 666 – Their set seemed a little short but the time that they did play was great. They kicked out a lot of classics and really got the crowd going. A+++

Bolt Thrower – Same set as the night before but in a different order and in the inside room. I pushed my way up front right away so I could be closer than the night before and was super hot. I managed to stay up there for the whole set so I looked as though I just got out of a lake with my clothes on when I came out. I preferred the order of the set on Saturday but the overall performance just seemed more intense this time so I give it the win of the two. Hopefully I won’t have to wait 19 years to see them again.

Many say Devourment was good but I needed time to recover after Bolt Thrower.

Sigh – Another band to cross off my must see list. Mirai has an incredible voice live and Dr. Mikannibal adds a lot to the performance with her hellish screams and stage moves. Even though they played a lot of great songs I would have preferred to make a few substitutes. A minor complaint though, it’s always going to happen when a band has such a strong discography. Sigh was a great closer to a great weekend!

If next year’s festival has as strong of a lineup as this year’s I’ll definitely be going. Hopefully I’ll be able to get photo credentials so I can use my good gear! Note: Many more photos from the festival and the area can be found here

Set lists (taken from various Internet sources)          

Friday, May 22^nd

Asphyx
1. Vermin
2. M.S. Bismarck
3. The Sickened Dwell
4. Eisenbahnmörser
5. The Krusher
6. Abomination Echoes
7. Diabolical Existence
8. Asphyx (Forgotten War)
9. Wasteland of Terror
10. The Rack

Cephalic Carnage
1. Lucid Interval
2. Endless Cycle of Violence
3. Black Metal Sabbath

Hero Destroyed
1. Head
2. Justify
3. Code
4. Texas
5. CFC

Jig-Ai
1. 36 MMM
2. Anaal Forsage
3. Ninja Gangbang
4. Samurai Gay Party
5. Japanese Cut Cake
6. Geishas Sucks European Cocks
7. Katana Orgy
8. Testicles Dance
9. Dick Grapple
10. (?)Slam
11. Bonsai Bukkake
12. Inje(?)tor Kruto
13. Stench of Prophet (Brutal Truth Cover)
14. Give M(?)ink By Your Pussy
15. Vaginal (?)ratching
16. Phimosi(?)omy Made By Scrubslasher
17. Retching (?) Penis
18. Genital Grinder (Carcass Cover)
19. Libido L(?)s

Pigsty
1. Deviant In Your Bath
2. Pigs Are Back
3. Fly's Last Minute
4. Hyperspeed
5. Demon Alcohol
6. Time Has Come...
7. Pig Football
8. Thief
9. Malmignata
10. Reborn
11. Sewing Machine

Sayyadina
1. I Dare
2. Nothing
3. Sort Em Out
4. In Pro(?)ess
5. Senaste 1-tact
6. Their Control
7. 123456-789
8. Ashes
9. NYA BT
10. Stagn
11. Masto
12. Deserve You
13. All Tais Fear
14. Repulsion
15. Real
16. Revenge

Triac
1. Grab Everything That Kills
2. Coward in the Smoke
3. Feeder
4. Isolation Tank Day 6
5. I Wish The Worst For You
6. In The Blue Room
7. Dark Corners
8. Bleed With Purpose
9. My First Blasphemy

Venomous Concept
1. Hero
2. Rhetoric
3. Oink!
4. Drop Dead
5. Toxic Kiss
6. Workers Unite
7. Half Full
8. LIFE
9. Check Out
10. Punk Rock Idol
11. Water cooler
12. White Devil
13. Life's Fine
14. Weirdo
15. Group Hug
16. Infest

Mayhem
1. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
2. My Death
3. Deathcrush
4. From the Dark Past
5. A Time to Die
6. Silvester Anfang
7. Illuminate Eliminate
8. Freezing Moon
9. Pagan Fears
10. Buried by Time and Dust
11. Deconsecrate

Saturday, May 23rd

Atheist
1. Unquestionable Presence
2. On They Slay
3. Mineral
4. Air
5. Unholy War
6. Retribution
7. Mother Man
8. Piece of Time

Absu
1.Involution of Thorns/ Descent to Acheron
2.Night Fire Cannonization
3.The Thrice is Greatest to Ninnigal
4.Swords and Leather
5.Four Crossed Wands
6.Mannanan
7.Highland Tyrant Attack
8.The Coming of War

Birdflesh
1. Download
2. M.W.
3. Night
4. Master of Violence
5. Vagina Power
6. Happy Hour
7. Goatrider
8. Ice-Dwarf
9. Coffin
10. Flying Penis
11. Our Rice
12. Teenage
13. Gore In
14. Catmouth
15. Dancefloor
16. Organ Smoothie
17. Fried Eyes
18. Wheelchair
19. Alive
20. Swimmingpoop
21. Walk of Insanity
22. Victim of the Cat
23. Gut to Kill
--------------------
24. Rolling Massgrave
25. Misery

Bolt Thrower
1. At First Light
2. World Eater
3. Cenotaph
4. War
5. Remembrance
6. Mercenary
7. Entrenched
8. Shreds of Sanity
9. Warmaster
10. IVth Crusade
11. No Guts, No Glory
12. In Battle There Is No Law
13. When Cannons Fade
---------------------------
14. ...For Victory
15. Killchain
16. Powder Burns

Brutal Truth
1. (?)rdaddy
2. (?)oil
3. (?)dreamer
4. (?) The Hunt
5. (?) in Mouth
6. Get a Therapist
7. War is Good
8. Evolution
9. Powder Burn
10. Attack Dog
11. Branded
12. Detached
13. GlobalGoodGuy
14. Humpty Finance
15. (?)tch
16. (?)rworld
17. (??)
18. Grind Fidelity
19. Birth
20. Stench
21. Dementia
22. Blind
23. Pass Some
24. Godplayer
25. Turnface
26. Choice
27. Corpse
28. Collateral
29. Dead Smart
30. Ill Neglect

Drugs of Faith
1. An Ode to Those Unwed
2. Race to the End
3. The False War
4. Loss of Credibility
5. Memoranda
6. A reunic (That's what it looks like, anyways)
7. The Age of Reason
8. Corroded

Flesh Parade
1. Coping
2. How To Do So
3. Lookey Here
4. Lebeaux
5. Diminished
6. Shmackin'
7. 'Bout Had It
8. John Simon Island
9. Done Lost It
10. Fat And Gristle
11. Bullshit
12. Hate Life
13. Occasionally
14. Sale Doux
15. Eat Shit And Fuck A Moose
16. Good Stuff

General Surgery
1. Slithering Maceration of Ulcerous Facial Tissue
2. Necronomics
3. Decedent Scarification Aesthetics
4. Restrained Remains
5. Fulguration
6. Necrodecontamination
7. The League of Extraordinary Grave Robbers
8. Final Excarnation
9. Necrocriticism
10. Exotoxic Septicity
11. Adnexal Mass
12. Virulent Corpus Dispersement
13. If These Walls Could Talk
14. Ambulance Chaser
15. Maggots (?? Not familiar with this one)

Hail of Bullets
1. General Winter
2. Red Wolves of Stalin
3. Advancing Once More
4. Nachthexen
5. Crucial Offensive
6. Stalingrad
7. Berlin
8. Ordered Eastward

Immolation
1. Once Ordained
2. Into Everlasting Fire
3. I Feel Nothing
4. World Agony
5. Father You're Not a Father
6. Den of Thieves
7. Unholy Cult
8. Swarm of Terror
9. Passion Kill

Napalm Death
1. Nazi Punks Fuck Off
2. Scum
3. Life and Limb
4. It's a Man's World
5. When All Is Said and Done
6. You Suffer
7. Suffer the Children
8. The Kill
9. Siege of Power
10. On the Brink of Extinction

Pig Destroyer
1. Hourglass
2. Trojan Whore
3. Naved Trees (?)
4. Loathsome
5. Death Tripper
6. Rotten Yellow
7. 4th Degree Burns
8. Pretty in Casts
9. Thumbsucker
10. Piss Angel
11. Cheerleader Corpses
12. Terrifyer

Sunday, May 24th

Lair of the Minotaur
1.The Wolf
2. The Ultimate Destroyer
3.Behead the Gorgon
4.Cannibal Massacre
5.War Metal Battle Master

Destroyer 666
1. Black City - Black Fire
2. I Am The Wargod
3. Genesis To Genocide
4. Australian And Anti-Christ
5. The Last Revelation
6. Satanic Speed Metal
7. I Am Not Deceived (New Song!)

Sigh
1. Introitus/Kyrie
2. Hail Horror Hail
3. The Knell
4. Death With Dishonor
5. Bring Back the Dead
6. New Song (Soulgrade?)
7. Me-Devil
8. Inked in Blood
9. A Victory of Dakini
10. Countess Bathory
11. Black Metal

I’ll post up more as I find them!