The wait begins again... MDF XIV will be held May 26-29. Here's the list of bands so far.



Bands by day and stage:

Every year I tell myself this will be the MDF I go to, but once again this initial lineup is thoroughly uninteresting. Hail of Bullets and D666 would be awesome, but not enough to make it worth it. Venom, Exciter and Samael played together at the 2012 70K Tons of Metal and none of them were very impressive... and the rest are just meh.

Bear in mind that Exciter has their original lineup back together. I saw them last March and they were awesome.

I'm indifferent to Venom and Destoyer 666 because they've both got their original vocalist and hired guns. They could still be fun, but they aren't drawing me to the fest. I'm excited about Sinister and Lord Belial myself. And there's a fair bit of black metal this time around.

By next month I'm guessing the lineup will have doubled, so who knows what else is in store.

Exciter absolutely killed at Defenders of the Old. Might have to go see them. Also doesn't The Haunted kind of not fit this fest?

Venom, D666, and Lord Belial have essentially sealed the deal for me on this one. In the case of D666, I do wish the band still had Shrapnel, Mersus, and Matt, but K.K. knows what he's doing. Hopefully some more good black metal bands will be added also. I'm still hoping for Nokturnal Mortum.

I have a mental wishlist of other black metal bands I'd like to see added... Among them, Satanic Warmaster (feasible since he's playing Hell's Headbangers' fest in September), Craft (just signed to Season of Mist and have live shows in the works), Rotting Christ (cancelled their last US tour), Sigh (Mirai expressed interest in playing MDF again), Absu, and Satyricon. We'd be lucky if one of them were added, but yeah, I'm always anticipating black metal acts the most.

I've been hearing good things about Exciter lately; I may have to go just for them.

Samael, D666, Thulcandra, The Haunted, and Sinister is enough to keep my interest. But I will probably pick the best day for the Edison Lot and that will be it. Frankly, MDF is a great Fest but they just don't get enough name bands over here to really make someone want to spend the money for all three days or for the smaller venues, since most of the lesser known bands you can check on regular club tours. Here is my wishlist for MDF XIV : ENSLAVED, BORKNAGAR, MOONSPELL, KING OF ASGARD, ABSU, MOONSORROW, and VREID (doing a Windir set), AHAB, SAYTRICON, and ABBATH.

Judging by how slowly the four-day passes sold out on Friday, I'm sure that quite a few people would agree
MDF gets tons of great bands and rare performances. Sure, at least half of them I haven't heard of prior to any given year's fest, but the vast majority are great nonetheless. Through MDF I've discovered loads of amazing bands. I mean come on, they got Vinterland to play 2 years back!

Yeah, to me it all comes down to the cost-benefit analysis. I KNOW I will absolutely have a great time no matter who's playing. But with flights, hotels, tickets, merch, food and booze it's still going to cost me $1,200 at the very least. Combined with the fact that I will likely have to take one or two days off of work it's just never been worth it for me. Especially when the most appealing bands I have seen before or will very probably see soon.

The second announcement is here already! It's a smaller one:


Holy crap! Craft and Impaled Nazarene! Keep the black metal coming.

Desaster would be fuckin awesome!

I went to my first MDF this year, holy shit that was incredible!

How the hell can they book these bands? It's amazing! Sinister??!! SAMAEL PLAYING CEREMONY IN FULL???!?! Damn... I am saving up now, see you guys next year!

45 bands just announced.
https://www.facebook.com/MarylandDeathf ... 51/?type=1

List of newly added bands:

Wow, now that's an impressive lineup

Nuclear Assault
Discharge
Buzzov-en
FUCKING REPULSION (much needed emphasis on this)
Hirax!!
Rotten Sound!!!!!
Dragged Into Sunlight
Satan
DOOM!!!
Even Testament, though I've seen them like 5 times.

Not to mention the incredible bands already announced!!

Wow, I am pumped. A healthy dose of every sub-genre, every US festival needs to learn from MDF

What are your guys thoughts?

Honestly, I thought this last announcement was a bit of a bummer. Only 2 or 3 bands really got me to think "Oh hey, thats cool!", but otherwise just a list of bands that I either know or don't know. Demonical and Secrets of the Moon are the two that really jumped out at me, but I've seen 'em both, soooo *shrug*

I'll save up and go to Wrestlemania instead

Underwhelming is the word that comes to mind. There a handful of bands I'd like to see, but I'm not exactly frothing at the mouth over any of them. Satan's a really nice addition, though. Also, not the be the "where's the death metal?" guy, but where are the death metal headliners? They went heavy on the speed/thrash this time with Testament, Venom, Exciter, Nuclear Assault et al. Testament is kind of weird as a headliner too, considering how often they tour.

It's not too out of the way so I might still go and have a good time. Just not too enthralled by the lineup as a whole.

Very weak lineup this year. Secrets of the Moon was a total shock, other than that nothing to get me to spend my money. No real big names nor any decent newer underground bands. Might go to see Samael but might not.

Samael's set was totally underwhelming at Messe des Morts back in April. Yes, they played Ceremony but it was sort of played with their current modern style so meh.

Yeah, this year's lineup is especially weak. 2014's is still the single greatest one they've had. There are obviously bands I'd like to see, but nothing that's going to make me drag my ass halfway across the country.

I would go just for Testament and The Haunted, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in at least a few of the others.

MDF is really becoming our own European style festivaI in the states and this lineup proves how much it is growing. I am really looking forward to this, I hope to see you guys there

Just got my tix for Friday. Samael, Paradise Lost, Novembers Doom, Khold, The Haunted, and a few others. Looked like the best day to me even know Impaled Naz. and Destroyer 666 will be missed also Secrets of the Moon is playing Ram's Head and tix were 30 bucks on same day, have to miss them also, sucks but, oh well...

Is it me or was everything announced a whole lot quicker this time around? Nothing really has me super excited, but I'm still going to try to get there for one or two of the days.

Agree, way too fast and it just seemed way too thrown together. There are so many decent underground bands that could use the exposure that this fest can give, but they refuse to book any bands that are really up and coming. A lot of bands are just okay, nothing that no body is really head over heals about. And some of the main bands as well; I wouldn't pay money to see Testament or Venom just not my cup of tea. Friday Edison is really the only night for me that does anything for me and that's mainly because of Samael and Paradise Lost. I don't predict this being as huge as it's been, people are just not impressed with this line-up.

Yeah, the 4-day passes haven't even sold out yet, which is saying something. I think it only took a couple of hours last year.

I really expected more bigger name European bands like Dimmu Borgir, Borknagar, Abbath, or even Emperor. Last year we got Amorphis and Arcturus that's the type of bands this fest needs! Sorry but Testament won't sell tickets or Venom. Not knocking either one of these bands but lets face it they need bigger names and more up and coming bands like Winterfellyth, Fen, Darkest Era, Gormathon, Ahab ect...plus book some solid acts that been around for awhile that will draw a real metal crowd like Absu, or hell I would kill to see Kalmah or Eternal Tears of Sorrow, or even Marduk.

I think they may have added more 4 day passes this year. Last year they sold out right away, but all the venues still had tickets available. I had to buy all of the tickets separately.

I've gone every year since MDF IV. Back when it was just one stage at one club I think they were trying to get bands that people were unlikely to be able to see anywhere else. The focus was pretty much just Death Metal and its' subgenres. Now that it has gotten so big they are still getting a lot of those bands, but they are also getting bands that people are likely to have seen already, as well as getting a more diverse variety of music. I personally like the huge variety that is offered now. I think there is a fair amount of eclectic metalheads out there that can get into other styles. I'm not saying they should book hip hop (although I did see some metal dudes buying Mobb Deep shirts at that weird mix up this year), but it is cool to get to see all kinds of metal at one festival.

Mayhem will be playing all of De Mysteriis on Friday at the Edison Lot.

This should be pretty cool. I wonder if they will headline or will Samael?

This will be my third MDF, earlier editions I went to were 2010 and 2015. I like a lot of the line up, as I haven't seen Excel and Jungle Rot yet; same with Dragged into Sunlight, Angelcorpse and Atrophy. It's going to be a hell of a puzzle to see everything I want to see.
Read about my earlier encounters: http://www.mruforums.com/f22/maryland-d ... ore-17179/ and
http://www.mruforums.com/f22/maryland-d ... 5-a-10888/

I was going to go to this next year, but between this and a (hopeful) trip to Norway, I think I'm gonna go with Norway. I've never been there and I really want to experience the country before I die. If I don't go now, I may never go so I think that's gonna take priority.

For anyone here that's attending, I will legit PayPal you the cash to pretty please pick up a Demolition Hammer ".44 Caliber Brain Surgery" shirt and either of the Gruesome shirts being sold at the JSR Direct booth if you feel so inclined.

Went Friday Edison Lot. Novembers Doom killed it! Paradise Lost was the highlight, absolutely perfect set from them!!! Probably the best live performance I have seen in my life and been to well over 100 shows, just pure magic! Samael was also awesome, and Mayhem was great too even know I left after a few songs because I had a 3 hour drive back to PA so all in all it was a great day, picked up some great merch, ate some good food had a few Natty Bohs at The sidebar, very cool time indeed, can't wait till next year!

I only went Friday to the Edison lot to see PL, Samael and Mayhem. I met up with some of the people I met at the Behemoth show in Philly last month and we had a blast. Khold played their first show in the US and it was the only time that Mayhem will ever play DMDS and Samael play Cermony in the US. (Presumably) This was the day after I got out of the Marines and will be the last time I go to a show on the east coast before I move out west. I also have the distinction of seeing Attila play twice within less than a week. (I saw him with Sunn O))) last week)

This is the first time I've been to a metal festival, if I could do it all over again I would stayed all weekend regardless of the lineup!

we drove down saturday morning with 3 of us, including a buddy over from Finland. Managed to check in to our nearby hotel and get some pregaming in, before heading down to Edison lot to catch Gruesome as we have friends in that band. That was a good start they we were pretty killer. Old Death worship. We went back to hotel for more partying and to check in friends to another hotel. Back to Edison lot in time for Hirax, and the rest of the bands there. Heat was sweltering as hell. Atrophy were better than expected - glad to finally see them. Hail of Bullets were decent, Imapled Nazarene had the best in between song banter and kicked ass. but EXCITER was the long awaited bucket list highlight of the day for me. And i suspect for many people - the crowd were pretty into it. They played a short set though, that was a little disappointing, but that's festivals i suppose. Nuclear Assault played a huge, long set and sounded pretty good - the first, and probably last time i'll get to see them as they're basically retiring. People had complained about Nuclear Assault's previous live shows, but they sounded pretty solid here. Huge crowd for them. Had seen Testament like 3 times before and not much of a fan, so we headed off after Nuclear Assault. That was the hottest all day temperature at a gig or fest i've ever attended. some people found it brutal. I made sure to keep a massive tub of beers in my nearby hotel room, and drink plenty of overpriced $7 large budweiser cans.

On Sunday, after brunch at a nearby spot and a little hotel pregaming, with some friends we headed down to Edison lot again in time to catch Nocturnal Graves, on another hot day in downtown Baltimore. They were pretty good, i'm pretty new to them to be honest. Not sure if their sound was a little off. We met some cool new people and chatted to them while watching Wombbath from the shade. I'm quite new to this band. Next up, Desaster were one of the standout bands of the fest for me. High energy, high enthusiasm in their lengthy, very fun live set. They seemed to be genuinely having a blast, and people were super psyched on them. And although they had some slight technical difficulties, they were Great German beer drinking metal. Chatted with friends and managed to catch a bit of Bongzilla although i have no interest in weed or weed related music. I haven't even heard that band since 2003. Demolition Hammer got a huge amount of hype and most people seem to have considered them a highlight. I enjoyed it well enough, but prefered bands like Satan, Exciter and Desaster. Satan were absolutely phenomenal. Raining pretty hard during the band though! Brian Ross is an excellent singer and frontman and he sounded great. It was great to see them play to a huge, near closing slot crowd at a festival. It was magical. Last time i saw them was in a tiny club and i remembered thinking they deserved way more. Anyway i managed to meet the Satan guys both after the set and the next morning over breakfast. Incredibly down to earth and theyre apparently back in NA touring later in the year. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Venom vs Venom Inc but i was just happy to finally see some incarnation of the band. They actually sounded brilliant, though it was again pouring rain during their set it was still very enjoyable. They definitely know how to sound good live because i remember some songs sounding flawless. I hadn't managed to catch any incarnation of the band before this either in Europe, Australasia or North America, so i was happy to get it. Set list was a pretty good length. Managed to meet Cronos of Venom the next day. Pretty cool way to cap off the fest for me. Back to hotel room with a big crew of friends for pizzas and beers.

All in all it was a surprisingly fun festival. First time for me so didn't know what to expect. had heard mixed things. Heard there were a lot of idiotic people there i wouldn't like, heard the fest organisers weren't good, heard the edison lot venue wasn't good, etc etc. Didn't see any fights or bullshit happening, but some friends had to help an incredibly bloody, injured man who was just mugged - right after they left my hotel. That sucks. Baltimore is definitely sketchy. I recommend everyone take a lot of caution when walking to and from the venues. Keep in groups and dont get to drunk. Also someone else i know said their friend died of an overdose there. WTF. Anyways, the wait lines for beer were short, food was apparently not bad from what i saw (though i didnt try any), and my hotel (plaza baltimore) was an easy 10min walk (although a bit harder in that 90+ heat). The rain was annoying though whatever. The lineup had pretty good bands to interest me, although i have no interest in the bands playing Rams Head or Sound Stage venues. It's only a 2hr drive from us, so easy to travel to. I would definitely consider going again, even though I didn't have to pay for tickets this time. It was a pretty fun time and as at most festivals, half of the fun is meeting cool new people. I'll probably go next year.

Destroyer 666, Venom, and Exciter are 3 of my top 6 bands so when the lineup was originally announced, it easily ranked as the best lineup of all time for me. Even after D666 cancelled, Venom, Exciter, Satan, Grave Miasma, and Desaster still made this the best MDF lineup of all time so I don't understand earlier complaints. I went Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, I first did merch shopping then watched a bit of Hail of Bullets and Impaled Nazarene. Exciter were excellent as usual but I wish they'd played "Destructor", "Under Attack", and "Feel the Knife." I then went over to Ram's Head and caught Saturnalia Temple who sounded Sabbathy. Grave Miasma were outstanding and one of this year's highlights but they omitted my favorite, "Arisen from the Grave Miasma." Sunday started off with great sets from Denouncement Pyre and Nocturnal Graves. Desaster were great but unfortunately my favorite, "Divine Blasphemies", was not played. Interment and Incantation performed well and then it was time for Satan. I got 100% satisfaction from their 2014 show where I experienced favorites such as "Kiss of Death", "Time to Die", and "No Turning Back." Therefore, I was mainly focused on new songs that I had not witnessed live before such as "Devil's Infantry." With respect to the Venom vs. Venom Inc. debate, I'll enjoy "Metal Messiah" or "Tribes" one minute and "Nemesis" or "Grinding Teeth" the next. To make up for 2013's shortened set, Venom opened up with "Witching Hour" and the crowd went berserk. Venom also played "Rip Ride" in full (not as only part of a medley). I've been attending MDF since 2010 (except 2015 which I skipped), and this version of Venom is the band that I enjoyed the most. On a negative note, I got a bad sunburn so in the future I won't watch any outdoor daytime shows. I also noticed that MDF 2016 was a lot less crowded than MDF 2014. It seemed like there was a 50% drop in attendance-maybe the economy was a factor.