Author: Gruesome Greg
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KEN Mode – Loved
Like death and taxes, you can count on KEN Mode to deliver a new record every two to three years. Album number seven from the Winnipeg noise-rock veterans comes on the heels of a trio of Juno-nominated releases, the most recent being 2015’s Success. (Ironically, it didn’t win.) This nine-track, 35-and-a-half-minute effort seems to be…
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AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: MONOLORD/The Death Wheelers/Low Orbit @ The Garrison, September 3, 2018
On a hot September’s night, Swedish doomsters Monolord made their second Toronto appearance to a sizeable, sweaty crowd at The Garrison…
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Clutch – Book of Bad Decisions
One advantage of running your own label is that you don’t have anyone telling you what NOT to put on the album. Maybe that explains why Clutch’s 12th studio record ended up as a 15 track, 57-minute monstrosity. Not that there are any songs that really don’t belong on here… they just maybe could’ve trimmed…
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The Skull – The Endless Road Turns Dark
When The Skull played Toronto on a cold winter’s night in January, they ran through Trouble’s self-titled in its entirety before tacking on a couple of originals at the end. Hey, after all, that 1990 record has been long out of print, and this outfit includes both Eric Wagner, the voice of Trouble, along with…
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Brant Bjork – Mankind Woman
The press release for this record was all talking about how this is Brant Bjork’s most political album yet, cuz apparently you gotta be political to sell records in this day and age. But when I listen to Mankind Woman, I don’t hear politics—it’s all about the grooves, maaaaan! This 11-track effort kicks off with…
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AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: BLACK TUSK/Whores/WhiteNails @ Lee’s Palace, August 20, 2018
Black Tusk and Whores brought the energy up from Georgia to put a heavy end to the start of the week–with a solid supporting act straight outta Quebec!
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La Chinga – Beyond the Sky
The third album from this heavy rockin’ trio proves that rock ‘n roll hasn’t been priced out of Vancouver… yet. Their second effort for Small Stone Records is heading straight outta the 70’s, with 11 tracks clocking in at an even 45 minutes. “Nothing That I Can’t Do” starts off with a heavy boogie-rock riff…
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Black Tusk – TCBT
A bit of a new look for Black Tusk on this one, as this Georgia trio puts out its first new record since replacing the late Johnathan Athon with ex-Kylesa bassist Corey Barhorst. But while the lead singer might have changed, the song largely remains the same—despite some slight variations, their brand of thrashy, sludgy…
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Astral Witch – self-titled
I first saw this Hamilton outfit when they were a guitar/drums duo; Astral Witch have since added a bassist/occasional lead vocalist to the mix, giving their sound some added dynamics on their self-titled debut. Astral Witch begins with a doomy bass line on “Rune” before the rest of the band comes grooving up slowly, adding…
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Primitive Man/Unearthly Trance split
With both of these Relapse sludgy doomsters known for their droning, drawn-out numbers, I’m surprised this split between Primitive Man and Unearthly Trance is under 45 minutes. Each band gets three songs, with the opening track “Merging” serving as a mysterious one-minute collaboration between them both. Actually scratch that, Primitive Man’s A Side only has…