Interview questions created by Justin M. Norton
With today being the second anniversary of the launch of Hellbound.ca (yay us!), we have decided to do short interviews with the staff of Hellbound so that you the readers can find out more about us and where we come from. Justin M. Norton came up with a bunch of questions, which we will be asking all of our current staff over the next few weeks.
Adrien Begrand was the first writer to sign on with Sean when he decided to start Hellbound, so he is the first one to be interviewed. Here is his interview below. Please enjoy!
Name and Location:
Adrien Begrand, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
How did you start writing for Hellbound?
The beginning of 2009 wasn’t much fun, as Unrestrained!, Metal Edge, and Metal Maniacs had all ceased operations within weeks, leaving many of us writers in the lurch. Intrepid editor Sean Palmerston was considering starting up a new website devoted to metal but with a Canadian slant, he and I were bouncing ideas back and forth for a while, and he was kind enough to take me on as one of the initial crew of writers. It’s been nothing but great, and I’m awfully proud of the talented roster of metal writers Hellbound has amassed over the last two years.
What’s your favorite piece published during Hellbound’s two years?
Of everything, it would have to be Justin M. Norton’s interview with Varg Vikernes. Somehow he was able to not only pepper Vikernes with far more questions than was usually allowed, but get some remarkably forthright answers from one of the prickliest artists in metal.
As for my own personal articles I’d have to say our gigantic four-part recap of the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise is my favourite. We had no idea what to expect going in, and it only turned into one of the greatest trips and metal events ever.
Also, our annual Best Canadian Metal Albums poll is something I take great pride in.
What are some of your best concert memories?
At the top of my list is seeing Metallica in December 1986. Their extensive tour across Canada art that time of year was insane, but it galvanized metal fans across the country and solidified Metallica’s Canadian fanbase for decades. And the band played with a ferocity that they would never equal again.
Then there’s Iron Maiden, whose concert experiences I treasure, and who incredibly gets better each time I see them. In addition, there was seeing Strapping Young Lad obliterate a Mexican cantina in front of a few dozen people, Paganfest ’08 in Montreal, Sahg in Oslo in 2008, Tool/Meshuggah in 2002, Slayer in 2005 (after waiting 21 years to see them!), and seeing Amon Amarth fittingly perform outside on a boat in the freezing cold at two in the morning.
Black metal, death metal or grind?
Black metal.
Person you’d like to interview but it hasn’t happened…
I’ve nabbed most of my personal white whales, but Metallica is one that remains. It almost happened this year, I’d gone through all the ridiculous hoops you have to jump through to make it happen, but it was nixed at the last second. I’ll make it happen soon enough!
The most underrated metal album is:
Warrior’sFighting For the Earth. A slickly recorded major label debut that came out in 1985, this promising LA band virtually disappeared off the face of the earth mere months later. A real shame, because I was crazy about the album that year. It was a smart blend of post-NWOBHM, proto-power metal, Queensryche’s progressive bent, and Dio’s bombast, and it still holds up brilliantly today.
You are suspended in limbo for eternity and can only listen to five metal albums on repeat. What are they?
Iron Maiden, Live After Death
Metallica, Master of Puppets
Slayer, Show No Mercy
Accept, Restless and Wild
Black Sabbath, Paranoid
