FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
Since Hellbound.ca is a Canadian-owned and operated metal publication, we thought we’d do things a little differently than most. As 2009 quickly is coming to a close, we asked all of our contributors to pick their Top 5 Canadian metal albums of the year. We then tabulated up their responses and have created our first annual Top 10 Canadian Metal Albums of 2009 writers poll.
Ever hear of The Year Of Our Lord? Kudos if you have, because they were damn good. Some readers might have caught their 1999 EP or the 2002 self-titled release From Willowtip . I hadn’t heard any of their music until recently but I’m glad the Dead To You compilation showed up on my doorstep like an early Christmas present.
Black Breath is the kind of metal that’s devoid of any pretension whatsoever, just five scruffy guys hunkering down and coming up with some of the most bracing, rewarding circa-1985 retro metal you’ll hear these days.
A lost classic no longer, this hidden gem deserves to be heard!
Prior to The Fire is earnest but it’s easy to like, solid and tight. Everything just falls into place for Priestess in a charmed way on Prior to The Fire; it’s the ideal introduction to the band, and a calling card release.
The overall sound gives me an image of Viking Goths parading around in Scandinavia. On most of the songs they manage to sound well balanced between classical and metal without sounding too rock opera cheesy
The biggest surprise in regards to mountain boys The Sign Of The Southern Cross (SOTSC) and latest effort …Of Mountains And Moonshine is probably its absolute absence of surprise.
They might be called Southern Cross, but don’t let the name fool you. This ain’t no southern rock band.
White Cowbell Oklahoma is now 10 years old, which makes them the same age as a fifth-grader. As a collective unit, that is; there are at least a couple geezers in the band. I wasn’t aware that the oldest of them, the skullet-headed Sergeant, had left WCO, giving them one less voice, guitar, and rhinestone-studded cowboy outfit. (He was always the best-dressed member, too…) But alas, they’ve soldiered on with their slimmed-down lineup, and celebrated their 10th anniversary in style last nite at Lee’s Palace.
With a roster of talent that is hard to match, Shrinebuilder’s Shrinebuilder is an impressive debut.