The world is often a cruel place but we can make it a little better for those in need when we attend benefit shows that donate the proceeds to good causes. There’s a few coming up in the DMV that I thought I’d mention here real quick (you can always get the full list of upcoming metal concerts in the greater DC, Baltimore and Northern Virginia area on our handy calendar here). Ben Blanton plays drums in Fuzz Voyage and was the original drummer for Foehammer, plus has performed in many other bands around the DMV. Additionally he is a regular face at hard rock, punk and metal shows in the DMV ..read more

Local stoner/doom masters Borracho have released their 5th full length album, Blurring the Lines of Reality, and on Saturday, September 9th, they’re holding an album release show at the Runaway in Brookland! DCHM are long time fans of Borracho so I’m excited to be giving away a pair of tickets to the album release show as well as a prize pack that includes some sweet swag like a signed copy of the new album (on your choice of vinyl or CD), a Borracho t-shirt in the size of your choice, a Borracho sticker and high fives from the band! All you’ve got to do to enter is leave a comment on this po ..read more

Hell in the Harbor Fest really was a hell of a way to spend Memorial Day Weekend. The entire block of Market Street in front of the Baltimore Soundstage was blocked off and fenced in for the festival. The single outdoor stage located on the northbound lane of Market Street faced North with East Pratt Street to its back which lead to lots of pedestrians hanging around gawking and the bands performing there. The event was sold out and it got pretty crowded in the street near the stage when the more popular bands were playing there, especially since some of the food and drink vendors were located ..read more

The inaugural Hell in the Harbor Fest is just days away now (May 27th and 28th) and with tickets almost sold out I figured now would be a great time to give away a pair of weekend passes to the fest. To really sweeten the deal I’ve also got a pair of tickets to the pre-fest party on Friday, May 26th at Baltimore Soundstage that is headlined by Candlemass. But wait there’s more! I’ll also be throwing in a swag bag full of merch (some of which is still to be determined) that the winner will pick up at the fest. That’s right, the winner gets 2 weekend passes, 2 pre-fest passes and a swag bag of ..read more

Autumn has arrived and it’s the perfect season for occult doom metal. Luckily Windhand is performing at the Black Cat this Sunday, November 14th! It’s no secret that Windhand has long been one of my favorite bands from Virginia so I’m excited to be giving away a pair of tickets to this show to a lucky DCHM reader. To enter: just leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite doom metal album to listen to in the fall is. Thursday, November 11th at 5pm Eastern the winner will be selected from all valid entries using Random.org. Be sure to use a valid email you check regularly when y ..read more

I just thought that I’d throw together a list of some recent local metal releases for Bandcamp Friday (or whenever you’re reading this). Borracho – Pound Of Flesh Release date: 6 August 2021 It’s hard to believe that it has been 5 years since DC’s best stoner metal band has released a full length but Pound of Flesh is finally here! So Be It – Let The End Begin Release date: 6 August 2021 So Be It is a death/thrash band based out of Silver Spring that is dropping their second full length today for Bandcamp Friday. Cathy riffs abound on these mosh pit friendly songs. Grishka – Death Throes Ra ..read more

On the new episode of the Metal Embassy podcast Metal Chris interviews Josh Cayer, a First Nations Algonquin in Ottawa, Canada, that performs bass and vocals for the bands Longhouse and Dismal Aura. Josh goes in depth about the recent discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves of indigenous children at schools across Canada and the impact this has had on the country’s indigenous population. You can listen to this episode on the player below or by searching for Metal Embassy in most podcast apps (such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music/Audible, iHeartRadio and more ..read more

I wanted to do a light hearted episode this time and what could be better for that than talking to Jono Colliver of Dr. Colossus, a stoner/doom metal band from Australia that is dedicated to the Simpsons TV show. They just released a new album in May titled, “I’m a Stupid Moron With an Ugly Face and A Big Butt and my Butt Smells and I Like to Kiss My Own Butt” and as you’ll quickly be able to tell by listening to the track “Pickabar” at the end of the episode, unlike most funny theme bands, they’ve actually got some sick riffs! You can listen to this episode on the player below or by searching ..read more

With the shutdown of concerts it has been pretty quiet here on DCHM. So with my spare time I’ve decided to try making a podcast for DCHM since there just aren’t enough of those right now. I’m calling the podcast Metal Embassy since I’m still based out of DC but will be changing things up a bit on the podcast and focusing on metal bands from around the world. Each episode will feature an interview with a member from a metal band but unlike the regular interviews here on DCHM I won’t be transcribing them. I’ll play a tune by the band and hopefully expose people to some new music out there as we ..read more