Day Zero

We left the house at 730 to pick up friends and head to the airport. We picked up Scott then headed to the u-district to pick up Herb. After waiting 30 minutes for him to get ready I realized I left my fest tickets at home. My stepson Tony utilized the radar detector in his souped up Dodge Charger to get us there and back to the airport in record time so all was good.

I took a couple of Tylenol PM's before getting on the plane so I slept well through both flights. Everything on the trip to Baltimore was smooth and without incident except for a mechanical incident which kept us on the tarmac in Chicago for an extra 30 minutes. My mp3 player kept the crying children at bay and I stealthily vaped my nicotine continuously while I was awake.

We arrived in Baltimore at around 930 AM, spent a little time in the hotel room then headed out for lunch. We wound up at a large sports bar called “Luckie's Tavern” and had some beer, crab cake sandwiches, deep fried pickles, mini-crab cakes and more beer. Good food but the service was a little slow which was puzzling since the lunch rush was over.

On the way back we stopped by Rite Aid to stock up on supplies. We got two 1.75 liter bottles of Baltimore's own Zelko Vodka ($9.49 per bottle), a liter of Smirnoff Vanilla for shooting at the fest, three bottles of Bloody Mary mix and a few six packs of beer. Later we stopped by Urban Cellars Fine Wines for more beer and the Super Fresh for several half gallon bottles of Cherry Limeade which we found went GREAT with cheap vodka.

After a few hours of heavy drinking we decided on “The Rusty Scupper” to be the place for the one fine dining experience we would have on the trip. I had a very rare 12 oz rib eye (Choice Rib Eye steak, mashed potatoes, grilled onions, balsamic glaze and port wine butter), a crab cake, a seafood sampler (Jonah crab claws, jumbo gulf shrimp, crab louis cocktail, and Delaware oysters  and some kick ass crab brushetta (Jumbo lump crab meat in a tomato mixture atop grilled chibatta, spread with goat cheese and balsamic reduction) accompanied by the house IPA which was quite tasty. After all that I still had some room so I had a nice coffee drink (amaretto, Kahlua and coffee) and my favorite desert, crème brulee. Our table had a great view of the harbor and nature provided a spectacular light show with lightning which backlit the skyline. Photos of the full meal can be found here.

We then went back to the hotel for a few more drinks then headed off to the pre-fest. As we got there pretty late we only caught Birdflesh and General Surgery. Both were awesome live bands and had a lot of energy. Maybe it was just my imagination but there seemed to be a LOT more people than at last years prefest.

Day 1

I got up at 9AM, had a few bloody marys and set off for the National Aquarium. Since my friends wanted to sleep all day it was a solo trip. The National Aquarium was a very cool place. My favorites were the “Jellyfish Invasion” exhibit and the octopus. Unfortunately a lot of the exhibits were too dark for photos so I won't be able to share the goodness. The dolphin show was pretty cool but I took off when the tricks stopped and the environmental speech began. Lots of photos from the National Aquarium can be found here.

I grabbed a bite to eat (nothing worth writing about) on the way back to the hotel where the others hd been drinking for a bit. I pounded a few, filled the flask and two of us headed of to the fest early to get some merch. The line was very long and we ended up waiting close to thirty minutes to get in. We picked up a few shirts and headed back to the room for more drinks.

After returning to the fest Nazxul was the first band of the day for me. Pretty good stuff but since sunshine and black metal don't really mix it just felt like something was missing. One they finished we just hung out talking to people until it was near the start time for the band I was looking forward top more than any other Friday band. More Nazxul photos can be found here and a video of “Set in Array” can be found here.

We were all very excited when we found out that Watain had requested to play inside rather than on one of the outside stages. I lost my friends as soon as I went inside because I wanted to be up front for the spectacle. Despite their being a lot of heat and humidity the smell of roting flesh that I tend to associate with Watain was missing, though after a bit I caught a hint of their less than pleasant incense. After not too much waiting the band hit the stage. Set Teitan wasn't there so Erik handled guitar and vocals and did a fine job at it. Everyone was then treated to an hour of very convincing black metal. While being up front for Watain wasn't quite as hot as Bolt Thrower inside last year it was pretty damned hot! Shortly after leaving the crowd my friend asked me what happened to me and pointed out the blood splashes all over my white American Cocker Spaniel t-shirt. After soaking the shirt in salt water for two days the stains just spread and turned brown so the shirt ended up a sacrifice to the metal gods. I talked to a friend later and found out the stains were pigs blood that they had her spray the audience with. And all the time I was inside banging my head I thought it was water! More Watain photos can be found here.


I then hustled to get as close as I could get to Gorguts but couldn't manage to get quite close enough to take many decent photos. Regardless I had a neck breaking good time as they rolled through a number of classics and a couple of new tunes. Gorguts was so tight and precise it was hard to believe they weren't death metal robots. No blood or makeup for Gorguts, just crushing technical death metal! More Gorguts photos can be found here.


We then went inside for the pummeling sludge of Japanese doomsters Coffins. Not much in the way of a stage show but the guys were very energetic for a doom band and had great presence. Sound was great for doom, very heavy on the low end and loud enough to rattle the colon of the listener. Good stuff! More Coffins photos can be found here.

I only caught a little DRI as the day was long and I have seen them many times. They had one of the largest circle pits I have ever seen which only slowed when they stopped playing. They definitely still have what it takes to captivate a crowd, that's for sure!

Day 2
Had pizza and bloody marys for breakfast then headed out to the fest. Our friend Rebekah got us all VIP wristbands from her friends in DRI which was very appreciated.


The first band I caught was Obliteration. I had heard of this relatively new Swedish death metal band from Norway but had never actually heard them. Very heavy stuff which had me headbanging right away! My semi-intoxicated ears heard a lot of Autopsy influence but perhaps that was in anticipation of one of the nights headliners. More Obliteration photos can be found here.


After Obliteration we headed to one of the two outside stages to check out Mexican (Chicago now) death metal legends The Chasm. They played a very strong set with a great deal of intensity for around 30 minutes. This was our first experience with this stage and it wasn't the best. The stage was on top of a hill with a 30 degree incline which isn't the best angle to be standing on watching bands. More photos of The Chasm can be found here.


Next up was a split set of Sadistic Intent and Possesed. The first 20 minutes was dedicated specifically to the original material of long running LA death metal band Sadistic Intent. It's too bad they didn't play longer as they are one excellent live band. After a couple of minutes of silence Jeff Becerra rolled onto the stage and him and the Sadistic Intent guys played a set of Possessed songs, concentrating only on their best material. A great blast from the past if nothing else. More Sadistic Intent/Possessed photos can be found here.

Back inside we went to check out Australia's grindcore band Blood Duster. Intense and fast but I guess I just wasn't in the mood for them as I only lasted a couple of songs.


We then remembered that we had VIP wristbands so we headed to the side of the level outside stage to check out Israeli (now residing in the Netherlands) occult metal band Melechesh. They seemingly had technical issues so their intro loop ran for 15 minutes and then they only played for 20. What they played was killer but I would think tech issues could get sorted out beforehand, especially when they have close to an hour to set up. More Melechesh photos can be found here.


Once Melechesh was done it was a quick dash to the other outdoor stage for Incantation. I've seen them at least 5 times and they have never failed to deliver a stunning performance. They even paid tribute to Ronnie James Dio by playing “The Mob Rules” which transitioned into the first verse of Rainbow's “Stargazer.” Great stuff! The crowd was very lackluster during their set though, not much noise and nothing in the way of moshing that I could see. Very little headbanging either. More Incantation photos can be found here as well as a video clip.


We then took off to the other outside stage for Repulsion. They played the whole of the “Horrified” album and a few other songs for good measure. Marissa (ex-Dan) Martinez from Cretin hopped on stage to play guitar for the last couple songs. Good times. More Repulsion photos can be found here.


After their last song it was off to the side stage for Asphyx, one of the high points of last year’s festival for me. With no Mayhem to cut their set time they played a full 70 minutes of some of the heaviest music of the festival. Van Drunen was incredible as usual and the crowd was very responsive. I guess they must have learned to deal with the incline of the concrete in front of the stage! Asphyx put on the best set of the festival at this point in time. More Asphyx photos can be found here.


The moment of truth was finally upon us, the highly anticipated Autopsy reunion! We missed the first song in transit from Asphyx but I reached the stage just as my favorite Autopsy song, “In The Grip of Winter.” started. It couldn’t get any more awesome. They ripped through a ton of classic tunes. The sound was overly bass heavy from where I was but it was still good. Chris Reifert still has one of the sickest voices out there. Better than Asphyx! More Autopsy photos can be found here.


By this point in time my feet were starting to get really sore, however nothing was going to stop me from going inside to check out Deceased since I haven’t seen them since King Fowley was still playing drums. A simply ripping 35 minute set with a cover of Dio’s “Stand Up and Shout” really getting the crowd going. Fowley is a crazy frontman, he reminds me of Karloff’s Frankenstein monster on meth with a much more advanced vocabulary. Deceased put on a very heavy, fast and energetic performance. More Deceased photos can be found here and a video of “Stand Up and Shout” can be found here.


Wolfbrigade was next. They were pretty cool but I was too tired to last for more than a couple songs. They did have a lot of energy and the crowd really seemed to be getting into it. Good for them! More Wolfbrigade photos can be found here.

Day 3


We started the day off by going back to the Inner Harbor to give brunch at the Rusty Scupper a go. We had the same waited as Friday night who asked us a number of questions about the festival and why we would travel from the other side of the country to attend. I’ll just post a link to the menu rather than going off on the details but will say it was fantastic and I definitely got my $40 worth out of it. As with our day 1 food photos of everything I ate can be found in our gallery. Unfortunately my bloated state caused me to miss Sinister. I am still kicking myself in the ass for that!


The first band of the day for me was Sweden’s Necrophobic. As a fan since their demo days I was very excited to finally be seeing these blackened death metal legends perform. They definitely didn’t disappoint and delivered one of the strongest sets of the festival. I could have gone home happy if the festival ended after their set, especially since the closed with the title track from their debut full length “The Nocturnal Silence.” These guys put on a great show with lots of movement and energy, make sure to see them if the opportunity presents itself. If they came back next year and brought the rest of the Neifelheim/Dismember crew I would be among the first to buy tickets! More Necrophobic photos can be found here as well as a video of “The Nocturnal Silence.”


Pestilence, who got stuck in immigrations last year, was the next up to play. While the songs sounded good and they are all skilled musicians I think Patrick Manelli tries way too hard to sound like Martin van Drunen and their performance suffers from that. More Pestilence photos can be found here as well as a video of them performing “Dehydrated.”

A quick dash to the other outdoor stage had us arriving in time to see Nirvana 2002 having a lot of problems with their equipment. Ovar’s guitar had apparently been held up in customs, fortunately they were able to borrow one from Repulsion so they could still play. While they only had 20 minutes to play due to their technical issues they still kicked out an awesome set. More Nirvana 2002 photos can be found here as well as a video of their ripping cover of Kreator’s "Pleasure to Kill.”

We skipped Eyehategod to rest in the shade since we weren’t big fans. They provided decent background music though!


Next up: Pentagram, the band I would least expect to see play at a death metal festival. Based on the crowd and their reaction they fit in quite well through. They had a killer set with the best sound of the festival. Bobby Liebling, dressed in a shiny gold shirt and pants to match, sounded just as good as he does on the records and showed off all of his trademark stage moves. With Victor Griffin back on guitar they were amazing, far better than the last time I saw them in Seattle. More Pentagram photos can be found here. Check out my videos of “20 Buck Spin” and “When the Screams Come” as well.


Entombed was the next band on my to see list. To be completely honest I was underwhelmed by their set. Their guitar tone was way too polished and only having one guitarist didn’t due justice to some of the classics they played. Some may disagree but to me it seemed like they were just going through the motions. Closing with “Left Hand Path” should have been something special but it ended up being rather anticlimactic. More Entombed photos can be found here as well as a video of “Left Hand Path.”


The last band for us was Obituary. The classic US deathsters were heavy as ever and the crowd really got into them. My old ass was tired so I only stuck around for five songs before calling it quits on MDF 2010. More Obituary photos can be found here as well as a video of “The End Complete.”

To sum things up this year’s edition of the festival was nothing short of fantastic. The scheduling of the bands was great and did not once force me to choose between one band or another due to playing at the same time. The only thing that would make a better festival for me would be some seating for people to rest once in a while and some sprinklers to run through to cool off. Cheers to the festival organizers for putting on the best metal show in the USA! I would also like to thank Scott and Herb for being great traveling/drinking/ headbanging companions throughout the trip as it wouldn’t have been half the fun without them.

Set Lists (These have been culled from various Internet sources and may not be entirely accurate. Please mail me with any additions or corrections):

The Chasm:
From the Curse, A Scourge
The Omnipotent Codex
Entering a Superior Dimension
I'm the Hateful Raven
Fiery Rebirth
A Portal to Nowhere

Asphyx: (out of order?)
Vermin
Wasteland of Terror
The Krusher
Serenade in Lead
Food for the Ignorant
Asphyx (Forgotten War)
Scorbutics
Eisenbahnmörser
Death...The Brutal Way
Bloodswamp
The Rack

Pestilence:
Horror Detox
Devouring Frenzy
Chemo Therapy
Dehydrated I & II
Hate Suicide
Resurrection Macabre
Land of Tears
Process of Suffocation
Out of the Body

Sinister:
Enslave the Weak
Sadistic Intent
Summit of Sacrifice
Awaiting The Absu
Men Down
Embodiment of Chaos
To Mega Therion

Deceased:
Night of the Deceased
The Triangle
Fading Survival
Shrieks from the Hearse
Haunted Cerebellum
Robotic Village
The Silent Creature
Fearless Undead Machines
Stand Up and Shout (Dio cover)

Necrophobic:
Awakening
Into Armageddon
Revelation 666
Nailing the Holy One
Blinded by Light, Enlightened by Darkness
Shadowseeds
For Those Who Stayed Satanic
The Nocturnal Silence

Pentagram:
Day of Reckoning
Forever My Queen
Ask No More
You're Lost, I'm Free
Review Your Choices
Relentless
Petrified
All Your Sins
20 Buck Spin
Sign of the Wolf
When the Screams Come

Gorguts:
From Wisdom To Hate
Orphans Of Sickness
The Carnal State
Another new song
Nostalgia
Stiff And Cold
Obscura
With Their Flesh He'll Create

Converge:
Concubine
Dark Horse
Heartache
Hellbound
Reap What You Sow
Cutter
Orphaned
Axe to Fall
Wishing Well
Damages
First Light
Eagles Become Vultures
Broken Vow
Drop Out
Last Light

Watain:
Malfeitor
Devil's Blood
Sworn to the Dark
Rabid Death's Curse
I Am the Earth
Wolves Curse
Reaping Death
Stellarvore
On Horns Impaled
The Return of Darkness and Evil (Bathory cover)

Obliteration:
Ingesting Death
Catacombs of Horror
Sadistic Nekroabortion
Exterminate
Nekropsalms Evoke the Frozen Age
The Worm That Gnaws In The Night

Sadistic Intent:
?
Ancient Black Earth
Funerals Obscure


Possessed: (out of order and missing some)
The Exorcist
Pentagram
Confessions
Tribulation
Beyond the Gates
My Belief
Evil Warriors
Death Metal
Burning in Hell
Holy Hell

Incantation:
?
Twisted Sacrilegious Journey Into the Darkest Neurotic Delirium
Scream Bloody Gore (Death cover)
Ibex Moon
Scapegoat (new song)
new song (untitled)
Mob Rules / Stargazer (RIP Dio)
Abolishment of Immaculate Serenity

Gorod:
Disavow Your God
A Common Hope
Chronicle From the Stoneage
Here Die Your Gods
Blackout
Alimighty's Murderer

Impaled:
GORE
Raise The Stakes
Operating Theatre
Faeces of Death
Bloodbath
Up the Dose

Wolfbrigade:
Hour of the Wolf
In Adrenaline
Enter the Gates
No Future
Soul on Fire
Power and Greed
Barren Dreams
Basic Urge to Kill
Paper Cuts
Ride for A Fall
Mindprowler
No Heart Bleeds
In Darkness
Outlaw Vagabond

Autopsy:
Twisted Mass of Burnt Decay
In the Grip of Winter
Severed Survival
Disembowel
Ridden with Disease
Deathmask
Destined to Fester
Embalmed
Human Genocide
Fiend for Blood
Gasping for Air
Death Twitch
Voices
Spinal Extract
Slaughterday
Dark Crusade
Horrific Obsession
Service for a Vacant Coffin

Obituary
List of Dead
Blood to Give
On the Floor
Chopped in Half
Final Thoughts
Threatening Skies
Dying
The End Complete
Face Your God
Evil Ways
Forces Realign
Turned Inside Out
--------
Drum Solo
Slow Death
Slowly We Rot

Portal:
Black Houses
Larvae
Illoomorpheme
Tempus Fugit
Writhen
Abysmill
Glumurphonel
13 Globes
Werships
Swarth

Magrudergrind:
Lyrical Ammunition for Scene Warfare
Rise and Fall of Empires Past
Emo Holocaust
Heretics
The Protocols of Anti Sound
The Price of Living by Delinquent Ideals
I'm Fucking Done
Excommunicated
Closed Off
Layer of Waste

Blood Duster: (Not complete, missing 4 or 5 songs)
Albert
Porn Store Stiffi
Kill Kill Kill
Three Ohh Seven Ohh
Knee Deep in Menstrual Blood
Motherfuckin'
Raping
Piss Stomper
Vulgar Taste
Mortician
Derek
D.F.F.

Repulsion:
The Stench of Burning Death
Eaten Alive
Festering Boils
Slaughter of the Innocent
Decomposed
Radiation Sickness
Splattered Cadavers
Acid Bath
Crematorium
Driven to Insanity
Six Feet Under
Helga (Lost Her Head)
Excruciation
Schizo (Venom cover)
Maggots in Your Coffin
Black Breath
Horrified
Death Dealer (Slaughter cover)

Melechesh: (Partial?)
Of Mercury and Mercury
Sphynx
Triangular Tattvic Fire
Ladders to Sumeria
Leper Jerusalem
Deluge of Delusional Dreams

Nirvana 2002:
???
Zombiefication
Slumber
Pleasure to Kill (Kreator cover)
Crawl (Entombed cover)
Mourning

Entombed: (Partial?)
Chief Rebel Angel
Crawl
Stranger Aeons
Sinners Bleed
I For an Eye
Damn Deal Done
Left Hand Path

D.R.I.
Who Am I
Slumlord
Dead in a Ditch
Suit & Tie Guy
Snap
I'd Rather Be Sleeping
Beneath the Wheel
Madman
Couch Slouch
Holy Diver/Heaven and Hell (Dio/Black Sabbath covers)
Into the Void/N.I.B. (Black Sabbath covers)
Master of Puppets (Metallica cover)
Running Free (Iron Maiden cover)
No Religion
Thrashard
Argument Then War
I Don't Need Society
???
Against Me
Five Year Plan