MDF XIII: MARK YOUR CALENDARS

A metal friend of mine from Denmark e-mailed me recently that “Reading your MDF travelogues were a joy because they were so non jaded, they kinda read like the experience of a child in a candy store :).”  I think that pretty accurately nailed the way I felt about attending Maryland Deathfest XII. It was not only my first MDF experience, it was my first-ever metal festival of any kind, and it could hardly have been more perfect.

How do you improve on perfection? I guess, by definition, you can’t. But you can achieve something equally wonderful, but also different. And so I’m already excited about the 13th edition of this festival, the dates of which have now been announced: May 21-24, 2015. And the first round of bands, plus info about early-bird ticket sales, will be announced by August 1.

I’m well aware that for a great many people this festival is out of reach — too far away, too expensive to attend, falling on dates that don’t work. I’m not even sure I can go again. But I’m already fantasizing about it.

Part of the fantasizing involves wishful thinking about the bands who might attend next year. There’s an event page for the festival on Facebook that’s filled with people’s wish lists. Reading them (at least the serious ones) makes me salivate — in part because it really does seem possible that anything you wish for could actually come to pass.  Given MDF’s track record, you don’t even have to limit yourself to bands who are still active; even bands who’ve been dead for decades could come back to life for one last hurrah in Baltimore.

I’m going to paste four of the lists I first saw on that Facebook event page after I joined it, all of which I thought were really good. I also thought it might be cool if our readers contributed their own ideas in the comments. Who knows? The MDF organizers might see the comments. And even if they don’t, I suspect it will make for entertaining reading.

But first, here’s the announcement I saw on MDF’s Facebook page yesterday:

We will return next year, ladies and gents.
Mark the dates on your calendar.

MDF XIII
May 21-24, 2015

We are resting our minds this month, but things will fire up again in July. First round of bands, venue details, and details about an early bird ticket sale will all be revealed before August 1st.

Did you miss out on getting the MDF T-shirt or hoodie that you wanted at the fest this year? Due to high demand for these items, we will be reprinting a limited run of all designs for mail order. It is likely that merch will be available on our website this weekend. We’ll post an update here when it’s possible to order.

 

And now, here are those four lists I mentioned (the first one is by NCS contributor KevinP):

 

Hollenthon (Austria) – more Martin Schirenc= MORE BETTER. They rule and have never played the USA before. Martin was here this year, so why not bring him back?

ZOMBIE INC. (Austria) – didn’t I just say we need more Martin Schirenc? But this is a straight up old school death metal band, so it’s a totally different from Hollenthon.

Aeon (Sweden) – only chance to play the USA was a 15 minute allowance on 2013 shitty Summer Slaughter tour, that no real extreme metal fan bothered with.

dordeduh (Romania) – the REAL version of Negura Bunget, would be their USA debut

Loudblast (France) – underrated old school band with killer new album. Don’t think they ever played USA before (Barge to Hell doesn’t count as a US gig)

Hail Of Bullets (Netherlands) – they need to come back. Then I can bring my 10 yr old daughter who can salivate over Martin van Drunen.

Sear Bliss (Hungary) – I like my black metal more varied. They have been around since 1993 and never played the USA before

Legion of the Damned (Netherlands) – one of those bands I figured would have played MDF before, but they haven’t. Killer death/thrash

WOLFHEART (Finland) – yeah they are technically considered melodic death metal. But it’s not that pansy ass shit at all. It’s fast, heavy and viscious. This would be my #1 band I want. If they were booked, I wouldn’t need any other band to make a ticket purchase.

 

 

MERCYFUL FATE / KING DIAMOND!!!!!!!!!!!
EMPEROR!!!!!
IMMORTAL!!!!
SODOM!!!
Satan (UK)
Angel Witch
Primordial
Akercocke reunion
Beastmilk
Slough Feg
Negative Plane
Sarcofago
Entombed reunion with Nicke or get Death Breath!!!
Paul Chain
Arcturus
Dead Congregation
DISCHARGE
GBH
Oranssi Pazuzu
Shining (SWE)
Autopsy
Oz
Repugnant
Morbus Chron
Obliteration (NOR)
Lantern
Tribulation
God Seed
Christian Mistress
Iron Age
The Great Old Ones
Hail Spirit Noir
Morbid Saint
Enslaved only playing from the first three albums
Rotting Christ only playing Thy Mighty Contract
Triptykon
SubRosa
VHÖL
Paradise Lost playing only Gothic (or at least 90’s material)
Cradle of Filth only playing one of their first three albums
Max Cavalera doing a Sepultura only set!!!!!!!!
get a bunch of people together to do a BATHORY tribute!!!

 

SODOM
Blasphemy
Virus
Nokturnal Mortum
Fields of the Nephilim
Hades
Saturnus
Ahab
Emperor
King fucking DIamond/Mercyful Fate
Pentacle
The Chasm
Blood Red Fog
Mortuary Drape
Vomitor
Mare
Dodheimsgard
Cosmic Church
Bog of the Infidel
Satan
ZOM
Nekrofilth
Gorgoroth
Nattefrost
Helheim
Incubus
Moonspell
Darkspace
Koldbrann
Imperium Dekedenz
Verdunkeln
Circle of Ouroborus

 

Intestine Baalism (especially Intestine Baalism)
Triptykon since they had to cancel their appearance at MDF this year
Portal
Cult of Fire
Morbosidad
Cianide
Rotting Christ
Novembers Doom
Rippikoulu
Grave Miasma
Wormed
Vallenfyre
Grave
Dead Congregation
Nominon
Impetuous Ritual
Azarath
Ravencult
Antediluvian
Paganizer
Corpsessed
Blaspherian
Deathchain
Acid Witch
Horrendous
Absu
Desaster
Serpentine Path
Grand Supreme Blood Court (or Hail of Bullets)
Zemial