Month: January 2010

  • Bringing New Energy Back to the Barren Lands: An Interview With Ihsahn

    “I like the situation I’m in now with the solo thing. With this last album in the trilogy, it’s kind of a natural development from angL and The Adversary. I think they all kind of tie in together, but After is not the most logical step from the two other albums. It’s so different that…

  • Brutal Truth – Evolution In One Take:For Grindfreaks Only! Volume 2

    By Sean Palmerston After the success of their first For Grindfreaks Only! release in 2008 (for those unfamiliar it contains a late nineties set recorded live in the studio for a New Zealand radio program), Hellbound’s favourite THC-fueled grinders have decided to do it again, albeit with a slight twist second time around. While the…

  • Heading down to Cleveland to see Pentagram on Thursday… My DOOM awaits!

    A couple years ago, I saw Blue Cheer at Sneaky Dee’s, in what turned out to be Dickie Peterson’s last performance in Toronto. (May he rest in peace.) Few musicians worshiped Blue Cheer as much as Bobby Liebling, the Pentagram singer who turns 60 this summer. In what could be another “last chance” gig, I’ve…

  • Defiance: The Prophecy

    The good news if you’re a Defiance fan is The Prophecy is 100% Defiance and there should be no surprises or complaints. If you’re looking for aggression, innovation or even progression from the 80’s Bay Area thrash scene, The Prophecy will just to serve as a nostalgia piece.

  • Exodus: Shovel Headed Tour Machine-Live At Wacken

    With their hardcore fans in mind, Exodus has put together their third DVD release, a three-disc extravaganza that tries to give the die-hards what they want, and in their own inimitable way, succeeds mightily. Adrien Begrand reviews the massive new three disc DVD set by Bay Area thrash legends Exodus on the heels of their…

  • Black Cobra: Chronomega

    Chugging along like a steam train bound for the pits of hell, Black Cobra’s Southern Lord debut is one hell of a beast.

  • Elis: Catharsis

    By Melissa Andrews Elis hails from the tiny country of Liechtenstein. Catharsis is their first release with new vocalist Sandra Schleret singing. Schleret is the replacement for the band’s original singer, who died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage in 2006. Schleret’s vocals are adequate but her voice doesn’t have that character of the beautiful innocence…

  • Dark Age: Acedia

    A very solid mature release that should garner them some attention, Acedia is chock full of very well written songs that are smartly paced and demand repeat listens.

  • Film Review: Laid to Rest

    Robert Hall’s Laid to Rest is a slasher film that doesn’t waste any time on story in order to get to its blood-soaked kill sequences. A young woman (Bobbi Sue Luther) awakens to find herself with amnesia and locked in a casket in a funeral home. After breaking out, she is almost immediately confronted by…

  • Assjack: s/t

    All in all, while it’s wonderful to finally hear how Assjack sounds on an album, this is more of a get-it-out-of-the-way effort.