Wilmington is about to get considerably heavier.

Delaware Does Doom takes over Bar XIII on Saturday, Sept. 12, bringing together NEW DAWN FADES, SONIC COMMAND, LOCUST POINTE and DOUBLE PLANET for a four-band night devoted to the slower, darker and heavier end of the underground.

The bill pulls from several corners of the regional doom scene rather than stacking four bands with identical approaches. Philadelphia's NEW DAWN FADES brings the stoner metal and heavy rock weight, Delaware's SONIC COMMAND works in instrumental doom and sludge, Baltimore's LOCUST POINTE pushes toward progressive doom, and DOUBLE PLANET brings its collision of doom, stoner rock, hard rock and metal from the Philadelphia region.

NEW DAWN FADES arrives behind Lores, released March 25. The eight-track album follows the band's 2023 Forever EP and expands its mix of doom, heavy psych, grunge and stoner metal into a full-band statement. The current lineup features GFA on vocals and guitar, Corey Pettingill on guitar, Algar on bass and Steve Roche on drums.

SONIC COMMAND represents the home state on the bill. The Delaware trio operates as an instrumental doom/sludge outfit featuring Pug on bass, Terry on drums and Rog on guitar. The band released its Commandments I-III EP in 2025.

LOCUST POINTE comes north from Baltimore with one of the newest names on the lineup. The progressive doom band released its debut single, “Handmaidens of the Apocalypse,” in July, introducing a sound built around massive riffs, dark atmosphere and melodic weight. The group features Eric Flores on vocals, Tom Stacey on guitar, Rob Shore on bass and vocals and JB Matson on drums.

DOUBLE PLANET rounds out the bill with a broader heavy-rock attack. The Philadelphia-area band describes its sound as a fusion of hard rock, stoner rock and classic heavy metal, with doom and thrash also running through its catalog. Its most recent chapter includes The Great Divide: Volume 2, released in 2023.

Bar XIII has confirmed Delaware Does Doom as part of its September live schedule. The venue has long positioned itself as a home for alternative nightlife in Wilmington, making it an appropriate landing spot for a bill centered squarely on regional underground heaviness. 

Delaware Does Doom takes place Saturday, Sept. 12, at Bar XIII, 1706 Philadelphia Pike, Wilmington, Delaware. Doors open at 8 p.m., with a $10 cover at the door.

Four bands. Four different approaches to doom. One appropriately heavy night in Delaware.