- - Metal Music Festival Announces Complete Lineup

Madz DizonJanuary 28, 2026 at 3:21 AM

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Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTV

Maryland Deathfest has announced the complete lineup for its 2026 edition, confirming what fans have been waiting months to see: a massive, global roster packed with extreme metal legends and special one-time sets.

The announcement was shared on the festival’s official Instagram page, where the poster displayed band logos instead of typed names.

The 21st edition of Maryland Deathfest, also known as MDF XXI, will take place from May 21 to May 24, 2026, in Baltimore, Maryland. The annual festival, held during Memorial Day weekend, will once again turn the city into a four-day celebration of death metal, grindcore, black metal, doom, thrash and related heavy subgenres.

Remaining ticket options, including multi-day and single-day passes, are now available through the festival’s official website.

According to the festival’s announcement, the completed lineup features “an unrelenting global roster with many exclusive appearances and rare special sets.”

Among the most talked-about names are Kreator, Pig Destroyer, Dying Fetus, Death Angel, Destruction and Grave. Several of these bands will deliver unique performances created specifically for the festival.

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Kreator is scheduled to play an exclusive “deep cuts” set, while Dying Fetus will focus on material from its first three albums in an old-school performance. Pig Destroyer is set to perform Prowler in the Yard, a landmark release in grindcore history.

Other notable inclusions span a wide range of extreme styles. Bands such as Batushka, God Dethroned, The Crown, Der Weg einer Freiheit, Havukruunu and Antichrist Siege Machine bring black metal, death metal and crossover influences to the bill. The lineup also features rare appearances like Sarcófago, performed by Gerald “Incubus” Minelli and the Laws.

The full roster includes dozens of acts, such as 1914, …And Oceans, Blood Red Throne, Cerebral Hemmorhage, Condemned, Cryptic Shift, Mortician, Ossuary, Pathology, Putridity, Solitude Aeturnus, Witch Vomit, Wolfheart and Unmerciful, among many others.

Maryland Deathfest 2026 will run across multiple Baltimore venues, including Nevermore Hall, Baltimore Soundstage, Power Plant Live, Market Place and Angel’s Rock Bar. Each venue will host different styles and daily lineups, allowing fans to move between stages and catch a wide range of performances throughout the weekend.

The festival is an 18+ event and is known for its organized scheduling, short changeover times, and genre-focused stages. Over the years, Maryland Deathfest has built a reputation for delivering tightly run events despite the sheer number of bands involved. Daily schedules, venue splits, special set details and artist spotlights are available on the official festival website, along with curated playlists to help fans prepare.

Founded in 2003 by Ryan Taylor and Evan Harting, Maryland Deathfest began as a small underground gathering and has grown into North America’s largest extreme metal festival. It has hosted more than 800 bands from over 40 countries and regularly draws fans from across the United States and around the world.

After weather challenges and pandemic-related cancellations in past years, recent editions have shifted toward indoor-focused venues, improving the overall fan experience.

With the 2026 lineup now fully revealed, Maryland Deathfest once again lives up to its slogan as “America’s biggest metal party of the year.”

Related: Rock and Metal Festival Announces Show Update

This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”