Metalheads of Maryland: Shell Fest
By Ash Newton
On February 21, student club Metalheads of Maryland held its annual Shell Fest, where five local metal bands and musicians performed to a packed crowd in the Prince George’s room of Stamp. The bill comprised four bands and one solo act, spanning genres including thrash, black metal and death metal. Hardcore punk band Slag Dump was also slated to perform, but canceled due to illness.
Fall 2024 graduate Arda opened with a solo set, playing guitar and self-produced backing tracks. In an interview between acts, he explained he’d been active in Metalheads of Maryland since its formation in 2023, before becoming an official club. Metalheads of Maryland is not affiliated with the UMD Metal Club that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused clubs to cease operation in 2020.
Up next, newcomers Grandeur performed their first ever show. Three of the black metal five-piece are UMD students involved with Metalheads of Maryland. Of the other two members, vocalist Jack said the band recruited them after recognizing their t-shirts and connecting online.
'The other(s) joined our club’s Discord, and then we met in person,'he said. The current iteration of Metalheads of Maryland is centered around its Discord server, which is open to students and non-students alike and boasts 224 members. He was also one of the primary organizers of the festival, along with Grandeur guitarist Greg Chung and club member Vada Mercer.
'It was mainly the three of us putting everything together. But I’d argue almost every member of the club helped, if anything, just by showing up here.'
Mercer, a freshman Journalism student, explained that Shell Fest was almost entirely put together online. 'I helped out with reaching out to the bands. We were all in a group chat together … I don’t want to attribute most of the work to just me, because everyone did a really good job.'
When Grandeur finished, bassist Oscar Passin stuck around to set up for his second performance in the death metal three-piece, Obliviator. Despite their lack of UMD students, the band members are active in the Metalheads of Maryland Discord and have attended in-person meetings on campus.
'We were just looking for gigs, and everyone’s been super nice. We’re friends with all the people that put [Shell Fest] together,' he said. He noted that he was surprised by the turnout, remarking, 'I made a joke that under fifty people were gonna show up, but there’s clearly way more than that.'
Two of the concert's main draws were its free entry and stacked roster, especially closers Aphellion and Nuclear Tomb. Aphellion played their first show in January of 2024 to a sparse crowd on a friend’s front lawn, but since then have opened for acts such as Morbid Saint, one of the most celebrated thrash metal bands. Decked out in eighties-esque spiked gauntlets, leather pants and vintage jackets, Aphellion’s commitment to thrash aesthetics was mirrored by the raucous crowd, which gathered around guitarists Andy and Zac, throwing devil horns and air-shredding in appreciation.
Nuclear Tomb finished out the night with a set of signature 'weirdo thrash,' per the official Shell Fest flyer. Having played tours and festivals up and down the east coast and across the country, they were easily the most anticipated act of the night.
'I say hi to Michael from Nuclear Tomb every time I see him, without fail,' said Mercer. 'I was so happy that we could get them on the bill, because they’re some of the best local metal we could find.'
During Nuclear Tomb’s set, an individual who is not affiliated with Metalheads of Maryland threw a trash can at multiple showgoers, causing injuries. The police were alerted and removed the individual from the scene.
'There’s a level of respect you must have on a college campus, or any venue,' said Mercer. 'You can’t hurt people … or damage property.'
The individual is banned from all future Metalheads of Maryland events, Mercer affirmed.