Natalie Zed

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live November 9, 2010

The Devin Townsend Project / TesseracT @ the Mod Club, Toronto ON, November 3, 2010

“Everything about this show was carefully planned out, meticulously orchestrated. The sound was excellent and the lighting choices novel and interesting. Every aspect was carefully chosen to enhance the experience. Devin had a stark white light pointing upwards toward his face, catching every crease and shadow, emphasizing every ridiculous expression he contorted his unique features into. I’ve never before seen a man who could appear so scrumptiously handsome one moment then so cartoonishly grotesque the next.”

Natalie Zed reviews the recent Toronto appearance from The Devin Townsend Project, supported by UK’s TesseracT.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live November 2, 2010

Nevermore / Warbringer / Blackguard @ The Opera House, October 22 2010

Above all, I was profoundly impressed by how satisfying it was to sing along to their music with a room full of rabidly passionate metalheads. It felt like I was participating in a kind of full-contact crowd karaoke, especially during “The Heart Collector” and “Inside Four Walls.””

Natalie Zed documents Nevermore’s recent visit to Toronto accompanied by Warbringer and Blackguard.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Live October 25, 2010

Unexpect / Stream of Passion / Manahil / Modified / Half Past Four @ Sneaky Dee’s, October 19 2010

“Nearly impossible to describe, they hit me like a crazy gothic metal version of cabaret/gypsy music, which a great deal of dark, psychotic carnival thrown in the mix as well. The violin took centre stage for me, running the gamut from classical trills and traditional Roma fiddling to dark, screeching black-metal wailing.”

Natalie Zed witnessed the recent Toronto stop of Montreal’s Unexpect, with Stream of Passion, Manahil and more.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Audio October 1, 2010

Postcards From Natalie Zed, Part 5

Hellbound readers, we’re sure that by now you are all familiar with our Natalie Zed, right? Natalie was our big grand prize winner way back in January, taking home more than 50 CDs + and shortly after she received her huge box ‘o CDs, Ms. Zed asked us over at Hellbound HQ if we’d be interested in running reviews of her winnings if she did postcard sized reviews of the albums. How could we say no?

So, after a really, really long layoff (sorry NZ!), here is Natalie’s fifth installment (reviews #41 – 48 for those keeping stats at home) in what Hellbound likes to refer to as “Postcards From Natalie Zed”…

Articles, Headline, Reviews - Live September 23, 2010

Raven / Cauldron / Skullfist @ The Wreckroom, Toronto ON, September 16th, 2010

“Raven stormed the stage last, serving as both main course and dessert for this particular metal buffet. It was fascinating to watch this legendary NWOBHM band perform after Cauldron and Skullfist had already worked the audience over. The only word to appropriately describe the experience is “educational.” This is the aesthetic that the younger bands are going for; this is the original template they’re paying homage to.”

Natalie Zed shares her evening with original and modern classic heavy metallers, Skullfist, Cauldron, and the legendary Raven. Photos by Albert Mansour.

Headline, Reviews - Live September 17, 2010

Katatonia / Orphaned Land / Swallow The Sun @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, September 13 2010

“Vocalist Jonas Renkse is at once physically imposing and intensely vulnerable. He cradles the mic in his hands almost pleadingly, offering his voice to the audience. I found him completely mesmerizing. It was also a great joy to watch Anders Nystrom perform in person. He’s a wiry-framed and incredibly intense musician, his sinews as tautly drawn as guitar strings, fully embodying his instrument.”

Natalie Zed documents an evening of rather emotional music (in all directions) as Katatonia, Orphaned Land and Swallow the Sun recently invaded Toronto.

Headline, Reviews - Live September 16, 2010

Nachtmystium / Zoroaster / Dark Castle / The Atlas Moth @ Lee’s Palace, Toronto ON, September 11th, 2010

“During this performance, they behaved as though the stage was land they wanted to annex; they walked on as though their performance was an outright invasion. The crowd responded accordingly. While the vibe in the room had gradually ratcheted up from “polite and well-behaved” to “cheerfully aggressive” during the previous three sets, when Nachtmystium played, the crowd finally smelled blood.”

Natalie Zed reviews the Toronto visit from Nachtmystium, with support from Zoroaster, Dark Castle and The Atlas Moth. Photos by Albert Mansour

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Live September 2, 2010

Mares of Thrace/ Spitfist/ Drunk Hussy @ Rancho Relaxo, Toronto ON, August 14, 2010

Mares of Thrace played last on the bill, and brought the night to a thunderous close. I am profoundly interested in the aesthetics of constraint and the way art can be produced by limitation. Mares of Thrace plug directly into this particular obsession. Consisting only of vocals, baritone guitar and drums, this two-woman force of nature produce a wall of sound: intense and varied, deep and resonant, pulsating and urgent, and shockingly complex.

Articles, Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live August 30, 2010

Exodus/ Holy Grail/ Bonded By Blood/ Fatality/ Black Elysium @ The Mod Club, Toronto ON, August 24, 2010

“Just as my energy level was reaching a crisis point, the audience’s had risen to a fever pitch, becoming positively explosive by the time Exodus took the stage. I made it about halfway through their 90-odd-minute set before throwing in the towel, but what I saw was absolutely spectacular. They are without a doubt a band not to miss, and I was glad for every moment I hung in to soak up some of the torrent they unleashed upon the crowd.”

Natalie Zed recaps the Toronto performance by EXODUS, HOLY GRAIL, BONDED BY BLOOD and more at Toronto’s Mod Club on August 24, 2010