Greetings! And in the words of shamed pop-pervert Gary Glitter "it's good to be back"!

For the past few weeks I have been away galavanting around the Eastern shores of the USA, hence my absence from providing you with meaty metal morsels. Don't worry though, I'm not going to bore you with endless holiday snaps and tales of donkey rides. Instead, I thought I'd give you a rundown of the absolute pinnacle of the trip (and no doubt heavy metal highlight of my year) - the Born to Be Doomed Festival.

Set at Baltimore's Sidebar Tavern, BTBD brought together some of the finest doom that the US (and further afield) has to offer. Anyway, I already gave the d-low before leaving (read here for the background), so without further ado I'll give you a brief report of the most heavy of weekends...

Day 1

The proceedings kicked off with the Sabbath shaped form of Levey and friends, a group comprising of former Iron Man singer Rob Levey, plus drummer Ronnie Kalimon (Iron Man, Internal Void, Unorthodox) and Larry Brown (another former Iron Man-ner). Joining them were a selection of guitarists from across the weekend incl. Josh Hart, Bert Hall, John Brenner and Dave Depraved. As you may have guessed from their prior history, they wheeled out a set of Sabbath classics including War Pigs, Electric Funeral and Heaven & Hell, which warmed everyones evening up nicely.

Against Nature picked up the baton and proceeded to play a fantastic collection of doomified classic/progressive rock from their rather vast catalogue; the highlight being John Brenner's use of a guitar voice-box on 'Drawing Arrows.' Band of the day without question.

Next up were Soul, featuring Johnny Wretched (of Wretched fame and more recently for his stint in Pentagram). Whilst I enjoyed what I saw of their more straight-ahead/relaxed rock stylings, I was otherwise engaged in catching up with far-flung friends whom I had not seen for an age.

The finale of day one was a set of covers (inc. Vitus, Buffalo and a wonderful version of Rush's 'Working Man') jammed by a plethora of the weekend's finest musos. A brilliant end to a brilliant start. But that was only the beginning; a light taste of what was to creep forth during the next 2 days...

Day 2

It wouldn't be right for me to comment on the Age of Taurus set which opened day deux, so find a video or something...(although I will say that I enjoyed it immensely). I can, however, comment on the brilliant piledriver of a performance which followed from Sanctus Bellum:  A twin-lead heavy metal ball of energy straight from Texas, that hammered forth substance and style in equal measure. If you're into Trouble/Las Cruces/Solitude Aeturnus etc, you should certainly be directing your ears towards this band ASAP.

Canadians Electric Magma started the alarm bells ringing (literally) with their slab-heavy instrumental dirt-doom and smoke machine (did somebody call the fire brigade?). They remind me a little of Church of Misery minus the vocals and were a perfect accompaniment to the liberally-poured jagermeister shots circulating the room by this point...

Next up were Yet So Far, a total exclusive to the fest and something that I'd been looking forward to since it's announcement. Effectively YSF were the Revelation line up who released the record of that name, and it was an utter pleasure to hear tracks from the album peformed with such clarity and sincerity. Messrs Cornelius/Hunter/Branagan - I salute you.

The evening was rounded off by Maryland stalwarts (and previous 'band of the week') Iron Man, who delivered a storming barrage of high quality heavy metal taken from throughout their history (with a lean towards most recent album 'I have Returned'). Original guitar hero Al Morris delivered riff after riff and solo after solo that satisfied all of the (mostly inebriated) throng...

Day 3

Due to a mammoth hangover, I missed the first 4 bands of the day, which caused me great anguish (particularly Blizaro and Cyrus whom I was hugely keen to catch) and by the time I'd dragged myself to the venue, it was already approaching 4pm. Thankfully I did make it in time for the mighty Apostle of Solitude, who delivered a heartfelt and hugely heavy 40 minutes, chock full of riffs. They threw out a mixture of material old and new, crushing at times, delicate at others. Fantasic musicianship+ not your run-of-the-mill vocals + killer songwriting = perfect results.

I'm not quite sure how it's possible to follow the Apostles, but Black Pyramid certainly managed it by shaking the bar's foundations with their Sleep/High on Fire-esque lesson in loudness! How a trio can make such a wide sound escapes me. Whatever their secret, it most definitely works, particularly on beastly numbers like 'Visions of Gehenna.'

Little did I realise prior to their set, but Orodruin had planned to perform the truly gargantuan 'Epicurean Mass' album (which happens to be one of my favourite doom records) in it's entirety. And that they did! From the opening notes of 'Peasants Lament' John Gallo transfixed the audience with his monumental riffing/soloing and Mike Puleo nailed every vocal perfectly. All of this was helped further thanks to the reintroduction of 2nd guitarist Nick Tydelski, playing his first show back with the band for some time. Quite simply the absolute highlight of my weekend. Burn the witch indeed.

And then there was  Revelation, who delivered (as they always do) in the best possible way, with a set comprising of material from their 2 most recent albums; 'Release' and 'For the Sake of No One'. Watching a band as comfortable on stage as they are, is both reassuring and satisfying and it was impossible not to be drawn in by the songs they put forward. The highpoint was the meandering 'Vigil' that, after 8 mintues, works itself into one headbanger of a riff. My neck was sore, but my mind was at ease.

Second only to Orodruin on my 'top hits of the weekend list'  were the mighty Blood Farmers, who tore the house down with their bass-heavy overdriven doom. Nestled amongst classics like 'Bullet in My Head', 'Albino' and 'Orgy of the Rats', were also several new monsterous pieces that may well appear on an upcoming album (yes, a new Blood Farmers album...fasten your seatbelts).  As a side note, it should also be mentioned that they opened the show with a tribute to former bassist Phil 'Dr Phibes' Markonish who recently passed away. I'm sure he will have been enjoying the weekend from afar.

Finally, as if all too soon, Earthride brought a grizzled end to proceedings with their rumbling, sludge-drenched doom.  Gravel-gargling frontman Dave Sherman did his best Harley-riding impressions before speeding off into the drunken distance. Be sure to search out their new album, due shortly through Southern Lord, as the new material sounded vast.

And that was it; full time, game over, last orders. As sad as I was that the weekend had come to an end, I left safe in the knowledge  that what was expected to be a good weekend, ended up being one of the best. It's impossible to go to something like this without feeling a total sense of community and belonging. Bands and fans melt into one because, quite frankly, the bands are fans. Do yourself a favour and look up any of the above that are unfamiliar to you and for Odin's sake, don't miss the next one. Sir Brenner, Sir Gallo; my hat is firmly tipped to your mastery.

Right, I promise normal service will be resumed next week with one band only.

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As usual, bribes & jibes can be forwarded to ageoftaurus@googlemail.com