Foehammer live / photo courtesy of Foehammer

Baltimore’s best-known to the metal community as the home of Maryland Deathfest, but any hesher worth their leather also knows that Charm City and its surrounding area boasts a pretty damn impressive local scene. Case in point: Foehammer, a newly-minted trio who hail from a DC suburb and have summoned utter desolate hell on their new self-titled album.

It’s no secret that I’ve got a gaping soft spot for funeral doom, and Foehammer’s seismic pace and tension headache riffs fit right in there snugly. The album’s three songs are utterly devoid of European romance or keyboard-y flair, though; rather, a bitter miasma also surges through their recordings, recalling the poisonous sludge of feedback-loving greats Noothgrush, Corrupted, and Burning Witch.

Foehammer Grimoire Records here

Kim Kelly is listening to Venom covers on Twitter – @grimkim