Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Ohio is a state that has given fans of heavy music many notable bands, including Abdullah, Red Giant, The PB Army, Valley Of The Sun, Five Horse Johnson, Robot Lords Of Tokyo, and countless others.
That said, it will be an event in another state that will provide the same fans a chance to see another band that also calls The Buckeye State their home. For some of us in attendance at the upcoming MARYLAND DOOM FEST, it will our first real opportunity to see the heavyweight AFTER THE SUN live. This is reason a’ plenty for them to place on my in-no-particular-order list of Must-See bands at the imminent festival in Frederick, MD. AFTER THE SUN will play on Thursday, June 20th at the Pre-Fest Party that is also serving to celebrate 20 years of the iconic Stoner Hands Of Doom festivals.
In a scene where the word “underground” is brandished to the point that it has nearly become a catchphrase without substance, AFTER THE SUN is the type of band that initially epitomized the term. The guys came along in the year 2000, sometime after that word had been commandeered for describing certain musical entities. The quartet that comprised the band back at that time included vocalist Doug Perry, bassist Lance Collier, guitarist Rob Perkins, and drummer Mike Louden.
With a somewhat blue-collar, hands-on approach to their crafting excessively heavy, dense doom discharges with soulful vocals, AFTER THE SUN was quickly embraced. Taking inspiration from sources like Black Sabbath, Trouble, Cathedral, and the like, the band independently issued a three-song EP in 2001, ‘Anguish To Black‘. With slow-moving, molasses-like songs that oozed impenetrable riffs, thunderous rhythms, and rutted, deep grooves, their songs and the band ignited with the fans of non-mainstream music.
This reverence was driven home with great increase once the band played back-to-back years at the legendary gathering of all things gargantuan, Stoner Hands Of Doom (2000’s II and 2001’s III editions). Unfortunately, life can sometimes sabotage even the best-laid plans and at some point, the band entered a state of inactivity. Thankfully for all involved parties, 2014 would see an official reactivation, the anxiously awaited return of AFTER THE SUN.
In time, the return of AFTER THE SUN yielded a most proper milestone from the band, which now included drummer Bryan Kaiser, a 2018 self-titled, full-length recording. Upon it, all the qualities that attracted fans to these purveyors of the oppressive, yet profound output of burdensome sonic weightiness were increased to the Nth Degree. That album, along with AFTER THE SUN‘s reputation and standing in our community, has helped them to become the latest act to be revealed via this series.
The prospect of seeing AFTER THE SUN live for my first time is beyond just enticing, a bonafide Must-See Act for me and if you should feel the same, here is what you need to know: Reiterating from above, AFTER THE SUN will perform at the pre-fest kick off on Thursday, June 20th, the celebration for the 20th anniversary of the long-running, legendary gathering, Stoner Hands Of Doom.
In closing, AFTER THE SUN is poised this month to release a new four-song EP, ‘The Demise‘, to correlate with their M.D.D.F. appearance so be on the lookout for its unveiling!
Find all related MARYLAND DOOM FEST 2019 news and details at their official website HERE.
Purchase Maryland Doom Fest tickets HERE.
