Sean Palmerston

Sean is the founder/publisher of Hellbound.ca; he has also written about metal for Exclaim!, Metal Maniacs, Roadburn, Unrestrained! and Vice.

Blogs, Featured, The Editor's Blog October 6, 2009

Blatant Self-Promotion: Porcupine Tree/King’s X Live Review on Exclaim.ca

While Hellbound.ca is definitely my main focus these days, every now and then I still write for other places when asked. Way back before I launched Hellbound.ca back on June 1st, a Toronto date for Porcupine Tree and King’s X was announced in Toronto for September 30th and I pitched Exclaim! on doing a review of it. True to my word, I went to the show and did the review for Exclaim!, who have posted it up online this morning.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio October 6, 2009

Revocation: Existence Is Futile

On the surface, the band is rooted in the same post-thrash groove that Lamb of God has dominated this decade, but unlike the otherwise likable Virginians, Revocation don’t dig themselves a safe little rut, instead using the sound as a launching pad for other, bolder musical excursions. The end result is their second album and Relapse debut Existence is Futile, an album undeniably accessible enough to draw in the Rockstar Energy™ Mayhem Fest crowd, yet clever enough to pull the rug from under everyone’s feet with sudden forays into progressive death metal and continue to command listeners’ attention while doing so.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio October 6, 2009

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Gods & Guns

My main problem with God & Guns is its lack of focus. It’s all over the place, almost a series of slow songs sketches loosely tied together rather than a classic 70’s-style Skynyrd southern rock album. I’m admittedly skeptical of anything from Lynyrd Skynyrd since that terrible Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 record, but getting back to this one I would only recommend it to diehard Skynyrd fanatics or Johnny Van Zant Band fans.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live October 5, 2009

Children of Bodom/The Black Dahlia Murder/Skeletonwitch @ Odeon, Saskatoon, SK, October 1, 2009

If there’s one band that fully deserves a “victory lap” tour, it’s Children of Bodom, who after a good dozen years plying their distinct brand of melodic extreme metal, is finally experiencing some significant success in North America. For most fans who live in the smaller centres, they best they could manage before was to catch Alexi Laiho and his booze-fueled band of flashy Finns as part of a package tour, be it the Unholy Alliance or Gigantour, which usually meant a measly eight or nine songs, maximum, and when a band has six studio albums under their belts, it’s tough to get some variety. So the venue was packed with fans hoping to get a huge dose of the old stuff, and that’s exactly what Bodom gave them.

Adrien Begrand reviews the recent Saskatoon stop on the CoB/BDM/Skeletonwitch tour.

Blogs, Featured, Jay Gorania October 2, 2009

Axis Over Europe: Today Is The Day/Jucifer Tour Diary, Part One

Supporting their Axis of Eden album last summer, the legendary experimental extreme metal/noise rock outfit Today Is The Day embarked on a successful, sonically violent multi-national European tour supported by the nomadic, dynamic duo Jucifer (they constantly tour and live in their RV), Pittsburgh’s grindcore outfit Complete Failure and Paris’ Four Question Marks.

Hellbound.ca contributor Jay H. Gorania was part of the contingent that criss-crossed Europe and has written a three part tour diary on the escapades that ensued. The first part of the diary is presented today, with the rest to follow next week.

Articles, Features, Headline October 2, 2009

Interview with Metal Film and Music Video Director, Handshake Inc.’s David Hall

The decision to create film and music videos for extreme underground metal bands was not exactly a conscious decision, but something that came to Hall organically. A fascination with the music, artistic innovativeness and raw talent (and the balls to contact and eventually build a professional and personal relationship with Today is the Day’s notoriously difficult frontman, Steve Austin) led Hall and Handshake Inc. co-founder, filmmaker/ photographer David Cardoso, to create a company that in a relatively short time, has made some of the most innovative metal music videos and films the metal industry has seen in years.

Laina Dawes interviews London, ON based filmmaker David Hall about his work with Today is The Day, making metal music videos and their work-in-progress documentary on the Maryland Death Fest.

Blogs, Featured, The Editor's Blog October 1, 2009

Blatant Self-Promotion: Obituary Live Review on Exclaim.ca

While Hellbound.ca is definitely my main focus these days, every now and then I still write for other places when asked. Exclaim! put out a call last Friday looking for someone to review that night’s Obituary show in Toronto, which I was going to cover for Hellbound.ca with a full review, so I wrote up a review for Exclaim! instead.

Articles, Headline September 30, 2009

Hatebreed: Interview With Jamey Jasta

He was the host of Headbangers Ball, he owns a few businesses, and he’s in two successful touring bands. On face value, one might think Jamey Jasta would have little to complain about, and even less angst to vent through hardcore music. But such criticism loses grounding when taking into consideration that he’s “turning negatives into positives,” as he puts it, by attempting to transfer difficult childhood experience, as well as recent tragedy, into song. Calling from Pittsburgh on the second-to-last night of the Decimation of the Nation tour (featuring Chimaira, Winds of Plague, Dying Fetus and Toxic Holocaust), Jamey shoots the shit with Hellbound’s Jay H. Gorania about Hatebreed’s new, self-titled release—easily the most diverse and dynamic output of the band’s career.