Author: Gruesome Greg

  • GRUESOME GREG’S TOP 15 CONCERTS OF 2017

    GRUESOME GREG’S TOP 15 CONCERTS OF 2017

    While 2017 initially didn’t seem like such a special year for shows, when I was looking at my concert pictures, I realized that I had been to quite a few good ones.

  • Heavy metal in 2017 by Gruesome Greg

    Heavy metal in 2017 by Gruesome Greg

    Ah, that most glorious time of the year for music writers – year-end season is upon us once again! 2017 was a tumultuous year, but even so, it was a damned good one for heavy metal, and Team Hellbound had a cornucopia of great albums to choose from. Here, we turn the page over to…

  • AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: UNSANE/Big Brave @ Hard Luck, December 16, 2017

    AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: UNSANE/Big Brave @ Hard Luck, December 16, 2017

    The last time Unsane came to town was back in 2010, when they headlined a killer triple bill with Today is the Day and Keelhaul. After not having been particularly active in these past few years, they delivered a solid comeback album a couple months back, leading to a rare winter tour hitting down on…

  • Mr. Plow – Maintain Radio Silence

    Mr. Plow – Maintain Radio Silence

    If you remember the glory days of Man’s Ruin and MeteorCity, this album might be right up your alley. Mr. Plow started playing heavy riffs back in ’97, and released four indie recordings in 2000, ’04 and ’06 before calling it a day. Toronto scenesters might even know that voice—their singer made a brief appearance…

  • Corrosion of Conformity – No Cross, No Crown

    Corrosion of Conformity – No Cross, No Crown

    Don’t get me wrong, I really dug those two records COC put out as a three-piece in the past five years… but just like southern cooking, it ain’t the same without Pepper. Mr. Keenan’s return injected new life into some old tunes back in 2015, and now they’ve finally returned with another new album, making…

  • Borracho – Riffography

    Borracho – Riffography

    I’m never quite sure what to expect with these “B sides/demos” comps. I mean, I dig Borracho, but do I really wanna listen to 75 minutes of music that never made it onto an album (often with good reason)? Mind you, most of these songs had already seen the light of day, including a couple…

  • Monolith Cult – Gospel of Despair

    Monolith Cult – Gospel of Despair

    This mid-November doom record nearly passed me by—I hadn’t previously heard of this U.K. outfit, and it’s just their second release. But when I finally got a chance to listen to the music, it grabbed me right away. If you like your traditional-style epic doom served with a side of power metal, complete with a…

  • Throneless – Cycles

    Throneless – Cycles

    This Swedish trio has been compared to Conan, but I detect a slightly more psychedelic sensibility on this, the second album from Throneless. For one thing, the songs are all rather lengthy—the four songs here span 40 minutes, with the shortest one clocking in at six and a half. “Born in Vain” opens the album…

  • Clamfight – III

    Clamfight – III

    Man, I really dug Clamfight’s second record, which came out almost five years ago. In tr00 none-more-kvlt fashion, they put out a live cassette tape that was limited to 20 copies in 2014, but no one has really heard from them since… until now. Their aptly named third album offers five tracks in just under…

  • The Hazytones – self-titled

    The Hazytones – self-titled

    It seems that there hasn’t been a solid heavy rock outfit outta Montreal since Priestess was in its prime. Enter The Hazytones, a stoner power trio that just got picked up by Ripple Music. Their self-titled debut offers 40 minutes of heavy tuneage to burn one to! “Light of the Day” starts things off with…