Adam Wills

Adam has been a photographer for Hellbound since day 1 and also has a hand in the technical aspects of running the site.

Woods Of Ypres + Guests @ Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver BC, June 26, 2010

The songs, stripped lean, take on a new sense of heavy immediacy. Intensely focused, David Gold kept the banter minimal, briefly introducing songs, but instead let the music speak on his behalf. And it was that intensity that made Woods of Ypres so amazing to watch live. They’re a band that pour their heart and soul into every endeavour –recorded and live- and that makes all the difference.

Kyle Harcott reviews the June 26th concert by Woods Of Ypres at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver, BC

The Hellbound Interview: Earl Douglas, Author of Black Rock Volume 1

“The first image in the book is Living Color during the Vivid era backstage at a concert, just goofing around, and I wanted to capture that these were really fun guys, above everything else,” he says. “Not only are these people rock stars, but it’s something they are passionate about, and it clearly shows. Capturing them in their most vulnerable, joyous and with the most rawest emotions they have in their performance, was important.”

Laina Dawes interviews long-time music photographer Earl Douglas about his new book, “Black Rock Volume 1”, a compilation of photographs of some of the most important (and possibly unknown) black rock artists.

Justin Pearson: The Hellbound Interview

A striking passage of the Bad Religion song “Latch Key Kids” reads: “In this world today there ain’t nobody to thank/Just blame it on the kids and toss ’em into the tank.” Those lyrics seem applicable to a young kid growing up in the 1980s named Justin Pearson, best known as the bug-suited vocalist and bassist for the grind/noise/hardcore band The Locust.

Hellbound’s Justin M. Norton speaks with Pearson about his upcoming book, “From The Graveyard Of The Arousal Industry.”

Iggy And The Stooges Return From The Brink

“We got asked a lot if it was supposed to be a tribute show or something; you couldn’t blame the writers for asking that, because it does happen that some dudes package up an old deal like a shtick. That’s not the case here; the way they play these new songs, they don’t do ’em like the old days, they don’t dress up like the old days, nothing’s like the old days – except the songs were written in the old days when they were younger men. That’s the difference; it’s not a Disneyland time warp ride”

Bill Adams talks with Stooges bassist Mike Watt about the current state of the band and their upcoming performance at Toronto’s NXNE Music Conference on Saturday, June 19th.

Postcards From Natalie Zed, Part 4

Hellbound readers, we’re sure that by now you are all familiar with our Natalie Zed, right? Natalie was our big grand prize winner way back in January, taking home more than 50 CDs + and shortly after she received her huge box ‘o CDs, Ms. Zed asked us over at Hellbound HQ if we’d be interested in running reviews of her winnings if she did postcard sized reviews of the albums. How could we say no?

So, after a long layoff (sorry NZ!), here is Natalie’s fourth installment (reviews #31 – 40 for those keeping stats at home) in what Hellbound likes to refer to as “Postcards From Natalie Zed”…

Vilipend – Detonating Metallic Parameters

The beastly grit of doom. Grindcore’s fiery onslaught. Black metal’s confrontational excess. The jarring obtuseness of tech. Metal is founded on explosive, aggressive and often combative attitudes. Still, just when one feels remotely comfortable—possibly slightly expectant—as to what the genre’s next twist will be, something so dominant, furious and volatile comes along that it redefines the parameters of what makes a band extreme.

Keith Carman talks with Toronto’s Vilipend about their multifaceted and dangerous approach to music.

Obituary/ Entombed/ Rumplestiltskin Grinder at The Opera House, Toronto, ON June 1, 2010

I have yet to attend a metal show that I am not excited about. It’s an excitement that transcends ticket price, record label, venue, or profile. Whether I am going to see a deep-underground band playing in a tiny bar, or a legend taking on the ACC, I experience the same moment of unrestrained pleasure when I step out my door wearing heavy boots and carrying earplugs in my pocket.

Natalie Zed reviews Obituary/Entombed/Rumplestiltskin Grinder in Toronto, accompanied with photography by Adam Wills.

Type O Negative @ Harpo’s, Detroit MI, October 31, 2009

By night’s end it was clear that the Harpo’s Halloween crowd had been treated to one of the strongest performances from Type O Negative in recent memory. What else other than perfection could one expect from a band whose set featured multiple songs about Halloween and fucking vampires?

Jonathan Smith recaps Type O Negative’s Halloween extravaganza at Detroit’s Harpo’s Concert Theater.