Bringing the Heat at the Inaugural Snowblind Festival!
Thinking back to when the Snowblind Festival was first announced on social media in the beginning part of 2022, I immediately had to take a breather to stop from hyperventilating based on the stellar lineup. The inaugural lineup for the Snowblind Festival reads like a “who’s who” in the doom/sludge/stoner metal family. This year’s lineup consisted of High on Fire, Corrosion of Conformity (C.O.C.), Weedeater, Pentagram, Mothership, The Obsessed, Year of the Cobra, Cloak, Order of the Owl, Dyer Wulf, Stoneman, DayGlo Mourning, Bog Monkey, Dead Vibes Ensemble, Withered, and Realm. Unfortunately, due to some medical/personal issues, Atlanta’s Hot Ram and Savannah’s Black Tusk had to cancel their appearances at this year’s festival. All of us at Concerthopper are sending good vibes and love to both Hot Ram and Black Tusk’s camp as they need all the support they can get right now from their friends and fans! Especially to the folks in Hot Ram, we offer our condolences for your loss. (R.I.P. Kathie Pavese 07/07/1942-11/19/2022)
I will say that one of the coolest things about this festival is that it highlights several local Atlanta/Athens area doom/sludge/stoner metal bands that are fan favorites (and some of my favorites as well) in the metal community. By adding these local faves to a lineup that showcases some major metal acts like High on Fire, C.O.C., Weedeater, Pentagram, Mothership, and The Obsessed, many fans are also being introduced to them for the first time. I have often said that the Southeastern region needed a metal festival like Desert Fest (pick any of the lineups ever produced in New York, London, Ghent, Antwerp, or Camden) or Psycho Las Vegas. Snowblind Festival features one of the closest and most comparable lineups that stays true to fans of the doom/sludge/stoner metal community. Even though this lineup is stacked all in one day, they still managed to stagger each stage’s performance so there was very little overlap. I felt like a kid in a candy store as I was filled with excitement as so many incredible bands were lined up to make this an unforgettable first Snowblind Festival.
Kicking off the inaugural Snowblind Festival on the Purgatory stage was Dead Vibes Ensemble, a two (2) piece doom/heavy/sludge metal band from Athens, Ga. that consists of Markus Shaffer (bass) and Brian Head (drums). If you are an Athens native or possibly familiar with a local business named Shadebeast – a small business known by music aficionados all over that sells original designed tees and hoodies by some of the best artists/graphic designers, posters/prints for the shows that are organized by them, random music influenced stickers, and well you should just follow the link above to check them out. Markus and his partner Joe Eldridge are responsible for making that magic happen. But for the purposes of this performance, Markus and Brian came up first and delivered one of the most brutal sets of the day. Follow this link and head over to their Official Bandcamp page today and check them out for yourself!
Next up on the Heaven Stage was none other than Withered, a local Atlanta that was previously featured on Concerthopper when their latest release Verloren was reviewed by fellow Concerthopper- Richard Davenport. For those of you who are not familiar with Withered, forming in 2003, they are a death/doom/black/sludge metal band from Atlanta that consists of founding member Mike Thompson (guitars/vocals), Beau Brandon (drums), Dan Cayedo (guitars/vocals), and Rafay Nabeel (bass). I suggest that if you are a fan of black or heavy metal, then you need to check out their blend of ‘blackened metal’ today. Curious about Withered? Follow this link to their Official Bandcamp page today.
Atlanta’s Bog Monkey would take The Purgatory stage next to a vibrant crowd that came early in the day to bang their heads. According to Bog Monkey (per their Bandcamp bio), “3 Dudes In A Loud Noisy Rock Band Just Monkeying Around In Atlanta Georgia (sic)”. The band consists of Zachary Romero (guitar/lead vocals), Joji Castillo (bass/backing vocals), and Doug Preece (drums/backing vocals). Follow this link to check out Bog Monkey’s Official Bandcamp page today!
Taking the Heaven stage was Atlanta’s very own Cloak, a four (4) piece consisting of Scott Taysom (vocals/guitar), Max Brigham (guitar), Sean Bruneau (drums), and Billy Robinson (bass). This was my first time getting to see them live and I am kicking myself knowing how many shows I have missed of theirs. Never again! Check out Cloak by following this link to their Official Bandcamp page today!
Atlanta native Tommy Stewart’s Dyerwulf was next on the schedule on the Purgatory stage. A two (2) piece doom metal band consisting of Tommy Stewart (bass/vocals) and Dennis Reid (drums). Dyer Wulf recently made an appearance on Concerthopper in Richard Davenport’s review of the Tennesse Metal Devastation Festival a few weeks back. Check out Tommy Stewart’s Dyerwulf by following this link to their Official Bandcamp page today.
Seattle’s Year of the Cobra (heavy rock/psychedelic doom metal) took the Heaven stage next at 3:40 pm to a dedicated and energetic crowd. Year of the Cobra (YotC) is a two (2) piece that consists of Amy Tung Barrysmith (bass/vocals) and Johannes Barrysmith (drums). This was another band that I have wanted to see perform but have not had the chance to see them live. Well, that changed after the Snowblind Festival. One of the best performances of the day! Don’t miss out on YotC. Check out Year of the Cobra’s Official Bandcamp page today and get hooked!
Realm, a psychedelic doom metal band from Knoxville, TN., took the Purgatory stage next. The band consists of Kurt Bell, Jake Lonas, and Nick Leichtweis and formed as a band in 2014. The band has been described as “born of doom, blues, beer, and stoner rock” and has drawn inspiration from Frank Herbert’s Dune in their two (2) releases. Check out Realm’s music by following this link to their Official Bandcamp page today!
As mentioned previously, there are a few bands on this lineup that I have been chasing for quite some time, Mothership is another one of them. Mothership took the Heaven stage to a roaring crowd that gathered to watch this Dallas based stoner rock/metal band make its triumphant return to Atlanta. The band formed in 2010 and consists of brothers Kyle Juett (bass/vocals), Kelley Juett (guitar/vocals), and Judge Smith (drums). You can hear some of Mothership by following this link to their Official Bandcamp page today and check them out!
Atlanta based three (3) piece band, DayGlo Mourning (stoner/doom metal) was next up on the Purgatory stage. Formed in 2017, DayGlo Mourning consists of Jerimy McNeil (bass/vocals), Joe Mills (guitar/vocals), and Ray Miner (drums). This was my first time checking these guys out, and I am kicking myself again for missing out on so many shows in the past. Follow this link to check out their Official Bandcamp page today and hear them for yourself!
Next up on the Heaven stage was the legendary band, The Obsessed. The Obsessed is a heavy/doom metal and stoner rock band from Potomac, Maryland that first formed back in 1980 with founding member/lead guitarist/vocalist, Scott “Wino” Weinrich. This version of the band also consists of Jason Taylor (rhythm guitar), Chris Angleberger (bass), and Brian Costantino (drums/backing vocals). Considered by many in the metal scene as the Godfathers of doom metal, The Obsessed are always welcomed back in Atlanta. Head over to The Obsessed’s Official Bandcamp page and give them a listen!
Atlanta’s own Stoneman, a four (4) piece stoner/doom metal band founded in 2016 and consists of Mike Arfa (guitar), Todd Ciepluch (bass), Devon Cantwell (guitar), and Joseph Dingle (drums). Another great local metal band that made an impact on the crowd in attendance. You can hear Stoneman for yourself by following this link to their Official Bandcamp page today.
Next up on the Heaven stage was Pentagram, a doom/heavy metal and blues/psychedelic rock band, from Alexandria, VA. that formed back in 1971. The band currently consists of founding member Bobby Liebling (vocals), Matt Goldsborough (guitar), Greg Turley (bass), and “Minnesota” Pete Campbell (drums). Head over to Pentagram’s Official Bandcamp page today and listen to them today!
Closing out the Purgatory stage was none other than one of Atlanta’s favorite sludge/stoner metal band Order of the Owl. Founded in 2011, the band consists of Brent Anderson (bass/vocals), Casey Yarbrough (guitar/vocals), Billy C. Robinson (guitar), and Dwayne Jones (drums). To close the night out, OOTO treated us all to something incredible. Will Fiore (Zoroaster/Royal Thunder) came on stage to perform a Zoroaster song, “Bullwhip”. The crowd lost it as they should! You can follow Order of the Owl and listen to some of their music by following this link to their Official Bandcamp page now!
Wilmington, N.C. natives Weedeater, a stoner/sludge metal band, was next up on the Heaven stage. The band was founded in 1998 and consists of founding members Dave “Dixie” Collins (bass/vocals), Dave “Shep” Shepherd (bass), and Ramzi Ateyeh (drums) who joined the band in 2019. Another killer set from the boys from Wilmington. I love seeing Weedeater play live! Follow this link to check out a previous review for Weedeater (circa 2019) via Concerthopper if you want to read more about Weedeater. Also, you can follow this link to check out Weedeater’s Official Bandcamp page today!
Raleigh, N.C. natives Corrosion of Conformity (C.O.C.) who were co-headliners with High on Fire, are a stoner/southern rock, sludge/heavy/southern metal, and sometimes hardcore punk and crossover thrash band that formed in 1982. Currently, the band consists of Pepper Keenan (guitar/vocals), Woody Weatherman (guitar/backing vocals), Mike Dean (bass/backing vocals), and John Green (drums). You can check out a previous review featuring C.O.C. from their last performance in Atlanta on Ministry’s Industrial Strength Tour (2022). Also, follow this link to check out C.O.C.’s Official Bandcamp page today!
Finally, closing out the Heaven stage was the thunderous and vicious, Grammy award winning doom/stoner/sludge/thrash metal band High on Fire. If you know me, you would already be aware of my obsession with a certain musician named Matt Pike (Matt Pike 4 President!), who is also a founding member of the influential doom/stoner metal band Sleep. Oakland’s High on Fire was founded in 1999 and consists of Pike (guitar/vocals), Jeff Matz (bass), and Coady Willis (drums). Head over to High on Fire’s Official Bandcamp page today and listen to what you are missing!
Any festival that has High on Fire and C.O.C. as their main two headliners has my complete and full attention. So, knowing that they also took care of the local bands as well makes this an ideal festival for the Atlanta area metal community to support on an annual basis. Snowblind Festival’s promoter, Syd Howell, is also responsible for the successful run of Slaughter-Que festivals that blended metal and barbeque at The Masquerade. After promoting another successful venture, I am excited to see what bands are being sought after for next year’s Snowblind Festival! Hell, knowing that he is planning on bringing Slaughter-Que back plus keeping the momentum gained with this year’s Snowblind Festival, I see some major things happening. Who do you want to see added to next year’s Snowblind Festival? Personally, I would love to see Sleep, Spirit Adrift, Earthless, Elder, Degradations, Whores., Guillotine A.D., The Well, Yob, Baroness, Dreadnought, Acid King, and/or Bongzilla added. Regarding some of the Atlanta/Athens/Savannah flavor, bring back Withered, Cloak, Hot Ram, Black Tusk, and Order of the Owl to next year’s lineup as well. Talk about a dream line up!
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