40 watt sun

A Monster in the Making: Looking Back on Austin Terror Fest 2017 + 2018

As we race within striking distance of the third annual Austin Terror Fest - coming up June 7-9 - we thought we’d take a look back through the haze at some choice shots from years one and two, on an event that’s grown exponentially into a national powerhouse.

In its inaugural year, the fest bunkered down within the trusted cavity of The Lost Well in March of 2017, using familiar turf cement its foundation in Bat City after the discontinuation of Southwest Terror Fest in Tucson the year prior. Year two saw a shift in venue, and timing - with the fest eschewing the melee of SXSW week in favor of a June date (great call), and splitting the now three-day event between The Lost Well and the two stages at Barracuda downtown on East 7th (on rotating days). Though The Lost Well lurks among my favorite establishments in the country, the decision to alternate the festival days between venues was a welcome shift, a notion that seemed to be widely shared amongst festival attendees. From a photography perspective, shooting different rooms, and particularly shooting outside at Barracuda, provided opportunity for some visual variance. To be brief, it can be an exhausting exercise in patience and creativity shooting three consecutive days in a scantly-lit venue.

Dusty, Dorian and company seriously upped the ante once again for year three, assembling a staggering lineup and moving the fest entirely into the Red River district to be held at Barracuda and Empire Control Room & Garage. My speculation here really isn’t worth shit, so I’ll let you draw your own assumptions about the quake readying to shake Austin in a few weeks. The ATF camp also just dropped the following teaser:

Sunday night will also feature a very special, intimate show at Beerland beginning at 7:00 p.m. Performing acts and additional details will not be released until day-of-show although fans can continue to expect a dynamic, curated lineup of top acts in today’s heavy metal scene. This secret show will only be $10, cash-only.

Directly below you’ll find the Austin Terror Fest 2019 lineup as well as daily schedules, followed by a collection of images from ATF 2017 and 2018. I shot the black and white photos, and the color shots from 2017 were taken by Jay Conlon. I’ll see ya up front. - mg

ATF 2019 Lineup (Daily set times below)

ATF 2019 Lineup (Daily set times below)

DAY 1 - FRIDAY, JUNE 7

BARRACUDA

6:30 - 7:30 PM: Goatwhore

5:30 - 6:15 PM: Pyrrhon

4:45 - 5:15 PM: Genocide Pact

4:00 PM: Doors

EMPIRE CONTROL ROOM

11:30 PM - 12:30 AM: Church of Misery

10:15 - 11:15 PM: Primitive Man

9:00 - 9:40 PM: Unearthly Trance

7:45 - 8:30 PM: Terminator 2

7:00 PM: Doors

EMPIRE GARAGE

12:30 - 1:30 AM: Pig Destroyer

11:00 PM - 12:00 AM: Integrity

9:30 - 10:15 PM: Full of Hell

8:30 - 9:15 PM: Taverner

7:00 PM: Doors

DAY 2 - SATURDAY, JUNE 8

BARRACUDA

5:30 - 6:30 PM: Panopticon (*Blaze Foley - Cover Set*)

4:30 - 5:15 PM: Dorthia Cottrell (*Townes Van Zandt - Cover Set*)

3:45 - 4:15 PM: Deep Cross

3:00 PM: Doors

EMPIRE CONTROL ROOM

11:30 PM - 12:30 AM: Indian

10:15 - 11:15 PM: Dalek

9:00 - 9:40 PM: Street Sects

7:45 - 8:30 PM: Crowhurst

7:00 PM: Doors

EMPIRE GARAGE

12:30 - 1:30 AM: Lightning Bolt

11:00 PM - 12:00 AM: TR/ST

9:30 - 10:15 PM: Daikaiju

8:30 - 9:15 PM: Machine Girl

7:00 PM: Doors

DAY 3 - SUNDAY, JUNE 9

BARRACUDA

6:30 - 7:30 PM: Bongzilla

5:30 - 6:15 PM: Thou

4:45 - 5:15 PM: Temple of Angels

4:00 PM: Doors

EMPIRE CONTROL ROOM

11:30 PM - 12:30 AM: Bongripper

10:15 - 11:15 PM: Black Cobra

9:00 - 9:40 PM: Dreadnought

7:45 - 8:30 PM: Mountain of Smoke

7:00 PM: Doors

EMPIRE GARAGE

12:30 - 1:30 AM: Alcest

11:00 PM - 12:00 AM: Panopticon

9:30 - 10:15 PM: Dark Castle

8:30 - 9:15 PM: Echo Beds

7:00 PM: Doors

BEERLAND (SECRET SHOW)

8:00 - 10:40 PM: TBD Special Guests

7:00 PM: Doors

Austin Terror Fest // Friday gallery

The second edition of Austin Terror Fest went off this weekend, with metal fans from Austin and far beyond turning out in droves in the face of a swampish heat. Changing tack a bit from last year, this year's three-day fest was split between the Lost Well (Friday and Sunday) and the Barracuda (Saturday), a change of pace that brought a variety to the event many seemed please to see. In addition, the moving of the festival off of SXSW week, as it was last year, and into June helped the festival establish a presence much more its own. These factors and an incredible lineup helped ensure both venues remained packed throughout the fest. It was one hell of a weekend to say the least, and a great step forward for Austin Terror Fest.

The bands all rose to the occasion, with a number of groups delivering sets that may have been the best I've ever seen from them. At least the most striking, given the intimate nature of the venues. Yob's Friday night finale was certainly one of those performances. 

Though we left Denver at an ungodly hour Friday morning, the U.S. west is still fucking huge and by the time we reached the Lost Well Of Feather and Bone was hammering out the final 30 seconds of their set. Thus, the smaller gallery for this opening set of photographs. We will roll out shots from Saturday and Sunday over the next two days. - mg

*Apologies in advance to any bands who do not appear in the galleries. It's certainly nothing personal - these are simply a few selects from what we were able to shoot. Thank you to Dusty, Dorian and the whole Austin Terror Fest crew, everyone at Worshipper, the Lost Well and the Barracuda. Well fuckin' played.

photos: Michael Goodwin // @boilingdenim