Red Sparowes

Shooting Guns – Born to Deal in Magic: 1952-1976

In the hands of a producer who specializes in this style of music (this band was born to work with Sanford Parker), these guys could be capable of a record that sounds even more massive. For now, though, we’re perfectly content listening to one hell of a fun debut, one of the very best Canadian metal/rock albums of 2011, singer or no singer. Besides, with grooves this contagious, who needs a singer, anyway?

The Atomic Bomb Audition – Roots Into the See

“With a tortured vocal skirting the edge of post-black-metal (by way of Today is the Day), and thick, cloying guitars that crack like ice-breaking anchors, the song is a slow-motion drag under ice-cold waters. It is the sound of hypothermia’s stab ice-picking your brain moments before you calmly accept the inevitability of the drown.”

Kyle Harcott discusses an early contender for 2011’s best of lists, The Atomic Bomb Audition’s “Roots Into the See”