Thrash Metal

Tankard is a thrash band from Frankfurt, Germany, established in 1982.  The bands' name speaks highly to their lyrical and musical themes, which mostly revolve around drinking, partying, and hell-raising.  Tankard paved the way for the great German thrash bands that followed later on in the 80's, including Kreator, Destruction, and Sodom, and have had a very influential presence internationally as well.  For nearly 30 years, Tankard has been recording and playing live, and they will be making a rare and exclusive appearance at Maryland Deathfest in 2014.

Sarke is a black metal/thrash metal band from Oslo, Norway.  Thomas "Sarke" Bergli began the project in 2008 as a one-man band, with Sarke himself writing all the music and lyrics.  Prior to the recording of the debut album in late 2008, legendary vocalist Nocturno Culto was brought in to lead the  vocal assault.  After releasing their first album and adding some live musicians to their lineup, Sarke played several successful shows in 2009, and it was decided to make the project a permanent band.

Lair of the Minotaur are a doom/sludge/thrash crossover band from Chicago, Illinois.  Their songs lyris are based on some of the bloodies tales in Greek mythology.  They have released four studio albums and have toured extensively in the U.S. and Europe.

Gnostic is a technical death metal band from Atlanta, Georgia.  Formed by Steve Flynn, ex-drummer of Atheist in 2005, after a long personal hiatus from playing music.  The group also has two other former members of Atheist in their lineup.  

Sigh is a Japanese extreme metal band from Tokyo, formed in 1989. They are credited as being one of the first Japanese black metal bands, when the majority of black metal in early 1990s came from Scandinavia. They gradually shifted from a more traditional black/thrash metal sound, to a more experimental, avant-garde style.

Deströyer 666 is a black-death-thrash metal band formed in 1994 by guitarist K. K. Warslut. The group originated in Melbourne, Australia and by 2001 had relocated to Europe and is now based out of England and Sweden.

Lethal Aggression is a crossover hardcore/thrash/punk band from Asbury Park, New Jersey.  The group formed in 1985, split in 1991, and reformed again in 2001.  Currently, the band only contains one original member.

Nekromantheon is a thrash metal band from Kolbotn, Norway that formed in 2005.   Nekromantheon or Nekromanteion literally means ''oracle of death'' or ''oracle of the dead'' in Greek and it was a temple of necromancy.

Swarm of the Lotus is a sludge/thrash/hardcore band from Baltimore, Maryland.  The group was active from 1998-2006, and again from 2009-2010.  During that time, Swarm of the Lotus released only 2 full length albums, both of which were very well received in the metal community.  In December 2010, they announced that the band is on indefinite hiatus.  

Ex-Dementia are a thrash/death metal band that formed in 2005 in New Jersey.