Author: Gruesome Greg

  • Some sounds from the stoner/doom underground…

    So, before I get into my top albums of the year, it’s time for some Christmas cleaning. These reviews have been sitting on my hard drive for a while, and chances are you haven’t heard of most of these bands–but some of them are worth checking out.

  • Deep Purple is touring Canada in February like it’s 1974. If only they’d bring back those ’70s ticket prices!

    By the time you read this, tickets for the Deep Purple gig at Massey Hall next year will have just gone on sale. The band will be spending the entire month of February in our country on a 17-date Canadian tour that includes not one, but two gigs in Newfoundland, five concerts in Ontario, and…

  • The end of the road for Judas Priest?

    I gotta say, I’ve always been more of a Maiden man. Put it this way: I heard “2 Minutes to Midnight” before “Living After Midnight.” Well, maybe not, but the former made more of an impression on me. However, when Judas Priest announced their Epitaph farewell tour in the summertime, I didn’t think twice about…

  • Fu Manchu – Still Kings of the Road!

    Scratch Acid may have been the hipper choice, but I headed to the Horseshoe last nite to catch quintessential stoner rockers Fu Manchu, touring in support of a new vinyl reissue of In Search Of… There seemed to be quite a few aging, balding pudgy rockers on hand–the place was pretty packed!

  • Back on the air — on the web, that is!

    When CKLN went off the air, I had it in the back of my mind that I’d be willing to get back into online radio at some point. However, it had to be under the right set of circumstances. I was looking for a station that specialized in stoner/sludge/doom with an open timeslot before most…

  • Boris is in town tomorrow–and there are still tickets available!

    Typically, when the hottest band from the land of Japan comes to town, the gig’s a sell-out. They’ve always played Lee’s Palace, and it’s always been completely packed. Although I’d expect nothing less from tomorrow’s performance, it seems that tickets are still available, both from Ticketbastard, and at Rotate This, which’ll save ya $4.50 in…

  • The guitar player from Solstice and the bass player from Pagan Altar log on to a board. Hilarity ensues!

    Take this posting about the new Pagan Altar/Mirror of Deception split 7″, for instance, in which PA bassist Manny Cooke reveals that the song his band contributes is a guide track–not the full lineup, just Al & Terry Jones with a drum machine. What happens next can only be described as a flame war of…

  • The Rocketman singing Iron Man!? Run to the Hills!

    After an impressive performance at the Charlie Sheen Roast, where he outshone several so-called professional comedians, William Shatner was firmly in my good books. A true Canadian icon; all past sins were forgiven. But then I heard this.

  • The nite that Tee Pee came to town

    Great gig at the Silver Dollar Room last nite, featuring Tee Pee recording artists Naam, ELKS and Toronto’s own Quest For Fire. It’s not every day that Toronto sees a heavy psych triple bill of this magnitude.

  • Kyuss Lives! Long Live Kyuss!

    Last nite, Kyuss Lives! kicked off its North American tour in Toronto, with support from The Sword and MonstrO. To say that the venue was a little out of the way would be an understatement, and the support was a little underwhelming, but I woulda given a kidney to see 90 minutes of Kyuss tunes…