Hellbound recommends
Another round of staff picks and playlists from some of the folks at Hellbound. If you have your own recommendations, let us know in the comments below.
Steve Earles
New Release: Darkthrone – Old Star. Everything just as it should be!
Live: Deep Purple – Live In Europe. Classic set from a classic band.
Non Metal: Rosalie Cunningham – Rosalie Cunningham. Former Purson singer Rosalie’s debut solo album is truly superb. A star is born!
Wild Card: A book called The Cosmic Serpent by Jermey Narby. Intriguing story of the knowledge of Shamans.
Arta Gailuma
Listening to: Monuments. Getting into the mood of seeing them live again in a few days.
New release: Lacrimas Profundere – Bleeding the Stars. 26.07.2019 via SPV/Steamhammer.
Live: Black Tongue at Tech Fest. Have never seen these guys live before and they were incredible. The moshpit was just crazy.
Danielle Griscti
Listening to: Horrendous – Idol.
Strangely, though these Philadelphia death metal darlings have been on the radar for 7 years since their debut full-length “The Chills” in 2012, there’s something about them that seems new and fresh with every release. “Idol” is no different, and I somehow missed it last year, stumbling across it recently when ITHIEST appeared on my radar. It so happens that the expert mastering of that album was done by Horrendous frontman Damian Herring, whose growing catalogue of work as Subterranean Watchtower is nothing short of impressive. You can peruse for your listening pleasure at http://www.subterraneanwatchtower.com/, and Idol is at https://horrendous.bandcamp.com/album/idol
New release: Itheist – Itheist.
My first thoughts on this were, this is tight and groovy af! Also, is it black metal? I still can’t decide, and a full review will probably be on its way once I’ve digested it properly. It was just released in June. For now though, I can say it’s quite delicious, and absolutely worth a dedicated listen at https://itheist.bandcamp.com/releases
Live: SAOR / Wayfarer / Falls of Rauros / Catacombes at Lee’s Palace, Sunday July 21st.
Went for Wayfarer and Falls of Rauros, was not disappointed by any of these stellar acts. Headliner Saor’s bio best describes them, as ” Caledonian Metal from Scotland inspired by heritage, nature and traditional poetry.” Falls of Rauros and Wayfarer both embody the west-coast atmosphere pretty flawlessly, coming from Portland and Colorado, respectively. Openers Catacombes, from Montreal, set the stage for a thoroughly energetic and satisfying evening.
https://catacombesbl.bandcamp.com/
https://fallsofrauros.bandcamp.com/
https://wayfarercolorado.bandcamp.com/
Non-metal: Cabaret Nocturne.
This will be old news to those tuned in to the industrial/synthwave/dark pop bangers of the day, but, I can’t stop dancin’ to it, and that’s a fantastic thing, late to the party or not.
Wild card: Cares + WHQB.
A Toronto-based collaboration of experimental intensity, beautifully on fire. Tantalizing, bizarre, “stressful ambient” music at its finest, defying attempts at description. An upcoming live set is on August 30th at See-Scape.
https://politecult.bandcamp.com/album/cares-whqb
Gruesome Greg
Listening to: Khemmis – Desolation
New release: Swamp Coffin – Flatcap Bastard. Features (bizarrely titled album from a British sludge band that worships the NOLA scene)
Live: Khemmis/Cloak at the Velvet Underground a couple days ago. So many upcoming shows in August and Sept, though!!!
Non-Metal: For some reason, I’ve been listening to a lot of REO Speedwagon lately…
Wild card: Am I the only person in Toronto who watches the CFL?
Sarah Riley
Listening to:
- Psycroptic – A Calculated Effort (Observant, Nuclear Blast, 2008)
- Gruesome – Fragments of Psyche (Fragments of Psyche, Relapse Records, 2017)
New Release: Memoriam – Requiem for Mankind. (June 21st, Nuclear Blast). I’ve definitely ran this album through more than once since its release! https://willettsio.bandcamp.com/
Live: Summer Slaughter Festival, July 28th @ The Opera House, Toronto. Great friends, some wicked bands, an insane pit and Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation. What more can a girl ask for?
Non-Metal: Turnstile – I Don’t Wanna Be Blind. (Time & Space, Roadrunner Records, 2018)
Wild Card: Midsommar (film). Initially after watching, I thought I hated everything about this movie. But, once I couldn’t stop thinking about it, I accepted that I definitely had a soft spot for that shroom-filled pagan commune.
Adam Wills
Listening to: Bruce Dickinson – Chemical Wedding (Sanctuary)
New release: Tomb Mold – Planetary Clairvoyance (20 Buck Spin)
Live: Heavy Montreal (Devin Townsend, Skálmöld, Clutch and Corrosion of Conformity highlighted the weekend)
Non-metal: Midsommar (Original Score) – Bobby Krlic
Wild card: Midsommar – dir. Ari Aster
Laura Wiebe
Listening to / new release: Lacrimas Profundere – Bleeding the Stars (26 July 2019, SPV/Steamhammer) — Thanks, Arta, for the head’s up that this record is out.
Live: Heavy Montreal with a killer crew, including Adam Wills and Gene Gaona
Non-metal: Maître Gims – Ceinture noire (Transcendance) (2019)
Wild card: THIS IS SERIOUS: Canadian Indie Comics, an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Hamilton running June 21, 2019 – January 5, 2020 https://www.artgalleryofhamilton.com/exhibition/this-is-serious-canadian-indie-comics
