Author: Adam Wills

  • Otargos – No God No Satan

    By Ola Mazzuca “No God, No Satan” could be another way of saying “No Pain, No Gain”, right? I mean, if you really put it into perspective, there cannot be one without the other. This is up for heavy argument, but to many individuals this is usually a general and common thought. Stepping aside from philosophical ideas on…

  • Stephen Pearcy – Under My Skin

    By Jason Wellwood First off, the world does NOT need another version of ‘Round and Round’. Yes, this version features The Donnas (who I love) but enough is enough! Between Stephen Pearcy himself and his Ratt brethren, there are over six versions out there. That’s not including covers not related to the band. It’s a…

  • The Devil’s Blood – The Time of No Time Evermore

    What makes The Devil’s Blood successful is its masterful gift for restraint. The band knows how to hold back, painting a partial musical portrait consisting solely of shadows and allowing the listener to infer the details using that most horrifying of artists: the imagination. Tate Bengston gives us a great review of the latest output…

  • Sonic Medusa – demo

    By Gruesome Greg Sonic Medusa is a brand-new quartet of heavy rock veterans like Greg Rogers of The Obsessed and Tom Five, who played in a sludge-metal band called Angel Rot—before joining White Zombie.  (Their other guitar player has him beat though. He played with Axl in the Hollywood Rose days…) When you can get…

  • Hirax – Noise, Chaos, War

    By Jason Wellwood This is a ‘catchup’ album of sorts for those of us who didn’t pick up the EP’s released in 2001, 2006 and 2007 (Barrage of Noise, Assassins of War, Chaos and Brutality respectively). While Hirax never made as much splash with mainstream audiences as ‘The Big Four’ did, they definitely hold down…

  • 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…

  • God Ox – Abyssal Gigantism

    By Gruesome Greg Despite the most pretentious band bio I’ve seen in a little while, I decided to check out NYC’s God Ox.  These guys have clearly invested in a good dictionary and/or thesaurus, with song titles such as “Benevolent Severity,” “Pestilent Dogmata” and “The Ontological Argument for the Existence of the Lord God.”  Nevertheless,…

  • Wolves in the Throne Room / Ahna / Gyibaaw / Sick @ Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver BC, January 6, 2011

    “Nathan Weaver began by briefly thanking the crowd for coming and admonishing them to please refrain from flash photography, and also from moshing – something the majority in attendance seemed to appreciate. This band and all their trappings are an experience in the live setting, and the mood the stage sets seems as important and…

  • This Week in Metal!

    King Diamond and Nergal going under the knife (all of us at Hellbound wish them all the best and a speedy recovery), Metal Film Festivals, Year End lists and more make up “This Week in Metal”, a weekly feature that features what has gone by the past week.

  • Dimmu Borgir / Enslaved / Blood Red Throne / Dawn of Ashes @ The Sound Academy, Toronto ON, December 12 2010

    “The intense lighting, dominated by greens and purples lancing through the heavy smoke, gave the impression of the underworld crossed with an alien landscape. Their sound was massive and heavy, reverberating straight through me. Shagrath’s vocals were mixed quite low from where I was standing (front and centre), but the intense, symphonic instrumentation more than…