

(By Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker, Senior Writer/Journalist, RiffRelevant.com)

For last year’s Maryland Doom Fest, both Leanne [Ridgeway] and I ran pieces that took a look at some of our own individual “high priority” bands, ones we were especially excited to see at MDDF.

That tradition will continue this year with a short, ongoing temporary series that I have dubbed “The Must-See Spotlight” and this is my first segment. That said, allow me to add that ALL of the bands at the festival will be exciting acts to see but in all truthfulness, certain ones hold an intense excitement for me personally.

Sure, the reasons why they are such will vary, but for myself, most are so because of this being my first time to see them live. That is why my first shot at this series just has to take a look at one of the acts I am MOST stoked to see: ZED!!!

I don’t recall the first time I ever actually heard the San Jose, CA-based quartet ZED, I just know that I’ve been sold on them for quite a few years now. I do know it was their 2010 full-length release, “The Invitation“, a gritty, grungy salvo of true American rock ‘n roll.

That album, and the band – Peter Sattari (Guitar / Vocals), Greg Lopez (Guitar), Mark Aceves (Bass) and Rich Harris (Drums) – serve a heaping helping of riff-driven rocking that is so hard, it’s teetering on metal. One that none other than Juan Urteaga (A Band Of Orcs, Heathen, Skinlab, etc.) helped to capture by mixing and mastering this album.

Things really ignited for ZED with their breakthrough second album, one helmed by Tim Narducci (The Watchers, Spiralarms, Systematic) and independently released, “Desperation Blues“. This 2013 offering garnered intense critical acclaim, charted on CMJ and helped as the catalyst for some extensive touring from ZED.

Some say that the third time is a charm and hey, perhaps it is true as many view ZED‘s third studio outing as their “arrival” to a larger scale audience. Either way, the band’s 2016 effort for Ripple Music, “Trouble In Eden“, is a damned muscular opus of deep grooves, blues and passionate power.

Always heavy and always energized, ZED are one of the contemporary underground’s most solid acts. Each studio release has hit the mark in all the right places, delivering the goods and adding fuel to the fires of burning adoration that we ZED fans possess for the band.

This is why ZED are near the top of my own personal list of acts that I am beyond ecstatic about seeing live for my first time at Maryland Doom Fest 2018.

For all the latest info and details on THE MARYLAND DOOM Fest 2018, as well as to purchase tickets, visit THIS LOCATION. See ya there!

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