More than 120 metalheads headbanged and moshed on Sunday evening at Shellfest II, a recently revived tradition produced by the Metalheads of Maryland club. The event featured a mix of student and local bands, who took the stage at Clear Skies Meadery in Rockville.
Shellfest I occurred in February at Stamp Student Union. Shellfest II was originally meant to be at Stamp back in October, but the club had to postpone it for financial reasons. Musical groups Fatal Imposition, Cryptorchidism, Underserene, Slag Dump, Grandeur, Thionic and Ninth Realm performed.
Heavy guitar, intense vocals and no shortage of moshing defined the night. Bands played a variety of original songs and covers, with topics ranging from political violence and mental health.
Several attendees moshed in the pit. Others entered the pit less frequently but with confident energy and defined dance moves. Some chose not to participate in the pit, simply enjoying the music in other ways such as headbanging and swaying.
Suchitra Arun, a second-year biochemistry major, performed as the drummer for Fatal Imposition and a Underserene vocalist and drummer. Arun is also the Metalheads of Maryland event coordinator.
Arun emigrated from India to the United States in 2021. While living in India, she mostly played pop rock music on the guitar. But after immigrating, she expanded to metal music.
“I really love music,” Arun said. “I think it’s one of the core things in my life.”
The Metalheads of Maryland has 30 to 50 active members. The club attends shows, listens to music and trades merch. Additionally, club members and those affiliated with the metal scene express a sense of belonging within Metalheads of Maryland.
Lindsey Walter, a junior microbiology major who manages Metalheads of Maryland’s social media and assists in planning events, echoed the community fostered in this university’s metal scene.
“[The metal community] is a place where I feel like I can really be myself,” Walter said.
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Max Hyman, Clear Skies Meadery’s tasting room manager and self-proclaimed “DIY guy,” said he views events like Shellfest as an excellent opportunity to highlight local metal acts.
During his time at this university from 2010 to 2012, Hyman viewed himself as just a fan at the time but is now “really delighted in this space to have the opportunity to … open my doors to … independent artists of really, all stripes and to be able to give back in that kind of way.”
The energy continued with Cryptorchidism, followed by Underserene, a band that featured students from this university. Underserene’s two vocalists, bassist Lane Warram, sang melodically and provided a deep contrast from Suchitra Arun’s typical metal growl.
Some attendees reminisced about their time in the metal scene as students at this university.
Max Hofacker, who graduated from this university in 2013, was one of the founders of the UMD Metal Club which hosted the first Shellfest in the Nyumburu Cultural Center in 2011.
He co-founded the UMD Metal Club while hosting Auditory Assault, a radio show at WMUC. While the club dissolved during the COVID-19 pandemic, a friend contacted Hofacker about the revival of Shellfest by the newer formed Metalheads of Maryland.
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“It’s awesome to see that kids still follow their passions,” he told The Diamondback.
After Underserene’s set, Slag Dump and Grandeur took the stage. The night closed out with performances from Thionic and Ninth Realm. The evening progressed in tandem with the mosh pit’s energy — attendees threw themselves across the room as a form of self-expression.
“People can look scary and be some of the kindest people you’ve ever met. I think that encompasses the metal genre,” said Annika Kulkarni, a senior computer science major, who attended the show with Walter.
While Kulkarni does not typically listen to metal, they noted they enjoy the communal experience of feeling the music’s energy.
“For me, as a very genderqueer person, I come here and I see the expression,” Kulkarni said. “I see the expression of everyone else and how free they are with it and I understand that I am safe no matter how I express myself.”
