FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
“If you’re a fan of extreme metal and you live in North America, it’s likely that you have a strong impulse to attend the continent’s biggest annual festival: Maryland Deathfest. Actually attending the fest, however, isn’t always possible, especially if you live thousands of miles away.”
Part one of Jay H. Gorania’s recap of Maryland Deathfest 2012, with live photos by Albert Mansour.
“Clockwork Angels” is indeed a serious contender for album of the year. Utterly breathtaking!
If South of Salem made you a believer, you’ll be defending keeping the faith with Cauldron of the Wild.
Currently set to celebrate its Canadian premiere at the NXNE festival in Toronto, Så Jävla Metal is a documentary about the evolution of heavy metal music in Sweden. The film traces the beginnings of heavy metal through hard rock, beginning with bands like Europe, and continuing to trace the development of the sound as the music became heavier. It contrasts the way that Swedish metal grew up in tandem with metal in North America and other places in Europe, specifically in Norway, where the violence of black metal is contrasted again Swedish death metal. Writer and director Yason Hillborg found the time to talk to Hellbound about the documentary, his vision for it and his experiences making it.
At The Gates Of Sethu is first and foremost a very traditional Nile album. Brutal technical death metal is still at the heart of it all, the three-pronged vocal attack has lost nothing of its venom and the religion and history from Ancient Egypt still form the main source of inspiration for Karl Sanders. What sets Nile apart from their peers is their collective attention for small details, such as ritualistic chants and the use of indigenous instruments and percussion.
This sophomore release would feature some of the band’s most well-known compositions, such as “I, Motherfucker,” an ode to Ted Bundy, and the Andrei Chikatilo-inspired “Red Ripper Blues”—though it was initially only available in Japan.
After my proclamation earlier this year that Liberteer’s debut album, “Better to Die on Your Feet Than Live on Your Knees” is the front runner for my favourite album of the year, I’m standing by those words 150-fucking-percent. (And yes, I still say that even after fucking Palmerston took like four months to run this second part of this interview!) I’ve been spinning the album a few times daily since last week and am loving it more and more each time. So, I got in touch with main man (well, only man) behind Liberteer’s all-awesome awesomeness, Matthew Widener, for another round of word association. Here’s the resulting silliness.
Talk about a surprise, the debut full length by Georgia’s Royal Thunder has got to be the sleeper hit of the summer, and one of the most unexpected, surprising albums so far this year.
Beautifully packaged, and as an extra-special feature, it includes a unique interview that Quothon did with Godreah main-man Crin for the legendary Godreah magazine. Truly these are songs to hail on high!
Distilling Van Zandt’s work down to a poignant acoustic framework (as he used to do so well in a live setting) brings the immediacy and lyrical genius of his work to the fore. However, not only does the album pay due respect to the influence Van Zandt has had on Kelly, Von Till and Wino, it also serves as a reminder of the sublime artistry that sits at the heart of their own work. If you can’t find something to latch onto among these nine hauntingly picturesque tracks, or recognize Kelly, Von Till and Wino’s own legacies at play, then it’s best you check your pulse to see if you’re even living.