Trash Fest, an Orlando metal fest hosted by Orlando deathgrind band Trash Panda, is returning Friday, more ripe than ever — and not just to the City Beautiful this time, but for a very long and heavy weekend of Jacksonville and Tampa incursions.
What originally began as a one-night-only release show for filthy local metallers Trash Panda in 2023 has become a showcase for death- and grind-oriented bands in the Orlando scene. Now, for Trash Fest 4, the festival’s lineup is going on a Florida roadshow.
Anthony Roman, guitarist for headliners Trash Panda and festival organizer, tells Orlando Weekly that Trash Panda’s uniquely Floridian spin on grind came naturally. He and his bandmates wanted to make a less cynical, comedic take on the oft-nihilistic metal genre, blending raccoon humor with heavy riffs and guttural screams to serve as a brief reprieve from the deteriorating state of the world.
“We wanted to do something that just seemed in bad taste at the time, because we didn’t know what the current state of the world was, or where it was going to be,” Roman says. “So we wanted to do something that was kind of a distraction from that, something that was more fun, not as serious.”
All of Trash Panda’s lyrics are written from the POV of city-dwelling raccoons, living their best Southern lives eating garbage and swimming in dumpsters.
“I don’t know why, but it clicked pretty much immediately,” Roman admits. “It was very funny, and we wrote a song that day, and then we dropped it on the internet, and it was probably the easiest band that we’ve ever had to form.”
Trash Panda took just a month to finish their high-concept debut EP, Valley of Junk, and Roman says it got a surprising amount of attention considering the stinky subject matter, gaining more traction than any other project the group members have collectively or individually done up to that point
“So we just were like, ‘OK, I guess we’re doing Trash Panda now,’” Roman says.
As Trash Panda progresses, their schtick has become more socially aware, with added raccoon lore: industrialization, out-of-control development and humans’ rank inability to take care of the planet have actually been benefiting the raccoons directly, and they now have plans to take over the world from the junkyard.
The band also uses death metal-style song titles that connect to the raccoon experience, like “Discovered in the Crawlspace,” “Maggot Bath” and “Tearing Through the Hefty Bags.”
“It’s been kind of building every time we do it, so we keep doing it and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be able to keep doing it,” Roman says.
For this weekend of refuse, Trash Panda will be joined by Orlando death metal OGs Intoxicated, Florida death metal band Chaos Relic, newer Orlando deathcore act Bleed the Witch, Jacksonville slam-metal group Doublecrossed and death metal act Tombstoner, who are coming all the way from New York City.
Roman says he’s excited for festival-goers to headbang to Bleed the Witch. Their debut single dropped very recently and Roman thinks they are definitely someone to look out for on the bill.
Roman and his colleagues use the festival primarily to spotlight the local scene, but being able to bring Tombstoner in from NYC is a unique and welcome opportunity for all involved.
“I saw them play one time at Conduit, and they were phenomenal,” Roman says. “We reached out to them, and they were very excited to be able to join us.”
Trash Fest won’t just feature musical performances: The Tampa and Orlando shows will feature vendors selling gothic oddities, artwork, underground vinyl, rock collectibles, jewelry and more.
Roman, also a security guard at Conduit, says that metal shows are the ones he’s least worried about ruckus at when he’s on the clock. While stereotypes claim metalheads are world-hating, violent headbangers, Roman says they’re the nicest people you could ever meet.
Roman hopes to fight these stereotypes with the more lighthearted, jokey Trash Panda, which still features the same low-tuned, explosive riffs and growls of primo primal deathgrind. He wants to expand the scene’s reach with Trash Fest, exposing more to the dank depths of underground metal.
“We look scary, but we’re all great, well-tempered people that are there just because we love this crazy style of music,” Roman says. “I think the misconception is that we’re a little scary, a little cynical, we hate everything. It’s not necessarily the case. There’s a lot of love.”
Feel the love on Friday at Conduit. And don’t worry about the mess.
7 p.m. Friday, July 10, Conduit, 6700 Aloma Ave., Winter Park, conduitfl.com, $19.90.
Related Stories
Here’s what to do in Orlando this weekend
Broken pipe released 342K gallons of sewage water near SeaWorld Orlando
Headdress Gala returns to Orlando with fashion, performance and disco
This article appears in July 8-14, 2026.