Greg Mackintosh of Paradise Lost: The Hellbound Interview
Raymond Westland speaks with Paradise Lost guitarist and founding member Greg Mackintosh on the eve of the release of their new album Tragic Idol.
Mares of Thrace – The Pilgrimage
There are a handful of bands, rarer still in metal, whose sophomore record manages to trump their first effort, but Mares of Thrace have done that in spades with The Pilgrimage.
Psycroptic – The Inherited Repression
Upon first listen, Psycroptic sound like the spawn of Decapitated and Nile, which is why it’s no surprise that they’ve toured with both. Yes, this sound has been practiced and produced times before, but the recycling process doesn’t make the record a boring listen. Psycroptic respect the art of their progenitors in an attempt to make it their own. They’re far from an only child mentality as everyone in this band gets their time to shine.
Ancients / Burning Ghats / Nylithia / Cathar / Graves @ Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver BC, March 23, 2012
“It promised to be an epic night. With a good portion of Hellbound West (Rob Hughes/Cara Cross/yours truly) in the house, plus Mr. Palmerston representing the eastern faction, there was a definite buzz in the air for this showcase gig from local faves Ancients. On the cusp of putting out their reportedly-megalithic debut full-length, Ancients rented the Rickshaw for the night, brought a few friends’ bands along for the ride, and drew a pretty good crowd for their showcase.”
Live review by Kyle Harcott, except where noted. Concert photography by Ted Reckoning
Killing Joke – MMXII
In short, MMXII by Killing Joke is one mighty fine follow-up record to its illustrious predecessor. The album has all the hallmarks of a great record. It has the songs, boundless energy and all the apocalyptic themes to do for.
A Metal Blade quartet
Metal Blade celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2012. While the label has already released a plethora of classic and genre-defining albums, and fostered and supported our dearly loved heavy metal community, it remains, to this day, as active and energetic as ever. What the metal realm would have looked like without Metal Blade’s steely presence over the past three decades is a frightening thought indeed.
To help celebrate this, here are four new reviews of new Metal Blade titles by our New Zealand based writer Craig Haze, who tackles the new releases by Angel Witch, Exhumer, Ram and OSI
Castevet/ Æsahættr/ Sound Asleep/ The Sustained Low ‘C’ of Richard Strauss’ ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra’ @ Soybomb, Toronto ON, March 24th 2012
Hoping to inspire venom, Castevet found themselves facing a crowd that was listening intently, but far more interested in passive osmosis that an active confrontation. With no other weapon, Castevet responded by wielding their music like fists and broken bottles, bloodying the crowd as much as they could.
In Vancouver on Friday, March 23rd? Check this show out!
Are you going to be in the greater Vancouver area this Friday night, March 23rd? If so come out and check out this great metal show that Hellbound.ca is presenting
On Top – Top Heavy
Overall barring the vocals this is a well done album, where fans of this style will find enjoyment. The guitar work is excellent, the vocalist has his moments of greatness, and the songs are catchy enough. This isn’t the best traditional metal release you’ve ever heard, but it does have some worth.
Iced Earth / Symphony X / Warbringer @ The Fillmore, Charlotte NC, March 6, 2012
Review and photos by Justin Richardson Even though the golden era of power metal has been over for years now, the double bill of…