Blogs

Noctis Valkyries Returns This Weekend!

This Friday and Saturday sees the return of Canada’s most unique metal festival – and I’m happy to say I am a part of it this year! Calgary, Alberta plays home to the fourth edition of the Noctis Metal Fest and Conference this weekend and I am about to jump on a plane on Thursday to be an active participant as a panelist during the Conference segment. It is something I have always wanted to do in a metal context – I’ve had the chance to participate in a few non-metal music conferences before, but never one to do with my real passion – and this this is going to be a pretty interesting time on Friday during the day.

Best weekend ever…

In case you didn’t know, I just got back from the West Coast a couple days ago. Saw Sleep in concert at the Roseland Theater in Portland, then caught the Seattle Seahawks’ season opener at Qwest Field. These were the best two days in recent memory.

Cephalic Carnage Tour Diary: Part 2

“Late afternoon in Helena, members of several bands embarked on a hike toward some lush, mountainous terrain next to a lake. Granted, a sign did indicate the lake was technically closed, but we drove up the hill quite a distance before getting out to hike. When we finally arrived at the lake, it was beyond satisfying. It wasn’t the most breathtaking body of water by any means, not that it was bad, but compared to the daily atmosphere of a smoky bar with ear-exploding metal music, the serenity offered a welcomed change of pace.”

Jay H. Gorania returns with another installment of his tour diary with Cephalic Carnage. In today’s feature, he discusses Denver businessmen, the landscape (and womanscape) of Salt Lake City, vigilante justice and campfire stories. Enjoy!

Cephalic Carnage Tour Diary: Part 1

“Indeed, while nonsense and debauchery had definitely gone hand-in-hand with the entire Summer Slaughter tour, it wasn’t all fun and games, as some might assume. With a ten-band package, shows were early. Very early. Load in times were normally around one, doors were normally 3-ish. This means that almost immediately after shows were over and odds and ends were sorted, it was time to embark upon the journey to the next town (and the tour’s routing had been far from perfect, to say the least).”

Hellbound’s Jay H. Gorania joined Relapse Records’ Cephalic Carnage for a leg of their North American tour, and gave us an inside scoop on vehicle breakdowns, public change rooms and inter-dimensional contact.

HELLBOUND RADIO: August 22nd, 2010 Playlist

Jesus Christ…I go away for a month and everything goes to a shambles. The station from which we broadcast Hellbound Radio every Sunday has begun the process of being gutted in order to be moved to a still undetermined location sometime in the next nine months – nothing like planning ahead, eh? Half the college seems to be under construction as well, which makes getting to the actual station after hours a bit of a pain in the ass. Then, there are my esteemed co-hosts who failed to put up a single playlist while I was away. So, here you go, Sunday night’s goods.

I can now proclaim to have seen Peyton pass the pigskin in person…

I bought into the Bills in Toronto series when it was first announced, opting for the three-game ticket package. Aside from a close, competitive exhibition game against the Steelers in ’08, the Bills hardly delivered on my somewhat-considerable investment. This season, sensing that the Toronto natives were getting restless, the organization threw us a bone by bringing Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts to town.
Unfortunately, it was another freakin’ exhibition game.