FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
Echtra are among those bands that do not invite the exuberance or intensity of much extreme music, instead appealing to listeners’ more contemplative sensibilities. Paragate, of all the band’s output, is the most cohesive and single-minded work they’ve yet released.
“‘Six Pack Witchcraft’ is a full speed ahead, red lining, sing-a-long track that will have you pounding your fist on the bar, and possibly your pint glass as well. For ‘Go F*** Yourself’ the band moves back into a more old school black metal feel with production so thick you’d almost think the band had recorded with the microphones set up on the other side of a mattress.”
Jason Wellwood reviews the latest album from MAAX, a blackened rock and roll album reminiscent of Motorhead vs Darkthrone.
By Ola Mazzuca “No God, No Satan” could be another way of saying “No Pain, No Gain”, right? I mean, if you really put it…
“The stage is cast in smoke and shadow. Spotlights scale black tapestries depicting nature’ s creatures: wolf, owl, crane. At centre stage is an altar holding candles and a human skull, hemmed in by trimmings from an aromatic pine. Behind it is the drummer, bathed in a warm yellow light. The silhouettes of two guitarists flank the stage, eerie streams of blue light emanating from their instruments.”
Cara Cross reviews the recent Victoria performance of Wolves in the Throne Room.
By Jonathan Smith Any metal band named after partners in the symbiote relationships that make up our bodies is bound to perk interest. The…
Straying away from being genre-specific, Eclectika tackle the many traits of what it means to be an experimental metal band, but is it too much of an attempt? Though obscure, the band is not out to lunch but certainly eclectic and only for the open-minded.
“Black metal, if it is to be effective, must be capable of forming an expression that provokes in both music and ideology. In fact, it is a mistake to speak as if the former is discrete from the latter; the expression itself, if it is effective, must make the music ideological and the ideology musical.
Nightbringer, with its esoteric lyrics detailing the present-day shadows cast by ancient and forgotten gods, does precisely this.”
Album review by Tate Bengston
Having an Immortal at Wacken DVD is a real treat for me because I know that I’m going to get a concert that actually looks and sounds like a live show. No ridiculously quick cuts or overly obvious tricks, no overdubs, nothing. The stuff that comes out of Wacken Open Air is consistently awesome and this is definitely no exception. The show is shot beautifully, the editing done flawlessly without making your head spin, and the band plays a solid set.
“The intense lighting, dominated by greens and purples lancing through the heavy smoke, gave the impression of the underworld crossed with an alien landscape. Their sound was massive and heavy, reverberating straight through me. Shagrath’s vocals were mixed quite low from where I was standing (front and centre), but the intense, symphonic instrumentation more than compensated.”
Natalie Zed absorbs the recent performance from Dimmu Borgir, Enslaved and more at Toronto’s Sound Academy on December 12th. Concert photos by Adam Wills.
“The other reason is that people want to tag bands with some political name; especially if you don’t denounce the group they say you are a part of. I won’t denounce any political movements. One, I’m not a part of them and it’s not my place. And two, I believe in free speech and free expression. If someone wants to go out and be a part of a movement even if I don’t agree with it it’s not my place to step in. I’m not an activist, I’m not as politician. I have enough problems of my own and I don’t need to start a war with any specific movement.”
Justin M. Norton in conversation with Krieg founder and main man (and sometime Twilight collaborator) Imperial.