Author: Sean Palmerston

  • The Devil’s Blood – The Thousandfold Epicentre

    The latest band to make it big in the new wave of occult rock (ie Ghost, Blood Ceremony), these Dutch demons have unleashed a lengthy, 76-minute Metal Blade debut upon the masses with this, their second album. Opening with a shuffling, ringing, haunting instrumental, you know you’re in for a hell of a ride…

  • Skinny Puppy – HanDover

    With that being said, grab your headphones, turn down the lights and let the music take over. This is an album not to be missed.

  • Stu Block of Iced Earth: The Hellbound Audio Interview

    In late October Sean Palmerston had the chance to speak to Canadian vocalist Stu Block about his recent decision to join Iced Earth. Stu and Sean had a brief chat about how he came to join the legendary American power metal band band, about writing and recording the new Dystopia album, future touring plans for…

  • Cathedral – Anniversary

    All up, Anniversary is exactly what I hoped it would be. A mucky snail-paced trawl through the band’s debut, followed up by an unrestrained romp across the years. There’s obviously a wealth of material not on the second career-spanning disc, but I guess with only one side to play with you pick your best. I’ve…

  • Hard Charger – This Machine Is Driving

    At just under half an hour, This Machine Is Driving is almost not enough but at the same time it’s the perfect length. It makes you want to leave it on repeat, though continued listening may force you in to the shower several times a day.

  • We Are All Puppets: Devin Townsend/Today I Caught The Plague @ The Opera House, Toronto, ON, December 10, 2011

    “If we in the audience are puppets whose strings are manipulated by artists, then Townsend is both puppeteer and lead puppet, a living caricature of the genre who takes such obvious joy in poking fun at both the scene and his own place within it. His performances are both sincere and satirical, and that is…

  • Slash – Made In Stoke 24/07/11

    Who knew that Slash was so good at anything other than knocking out great, classic licks for almost thirty years? Some fans might have, but Made In Stoke shows makes the point unavoidable; these are great, classic songs all around.

  • Leviathan – True Traitor, True Whore

    Musically, while True Traitor, True Whore is rooted in black metal -as dragged through a mire of nightmarish black psychedelia- it’s too experimental to be labeled as anything so straight-ahead. The record runs the gamut as it incorporates avant-psychedelic passages, as well as experimental progression within its bleak and damnable structure.

  • Ghost: The Hellbound Interview

    If you follow metal it’s highly unlikely you haven’t heard of Ghost. The group – led by an Undead Pope vocalist sporting Satanic vestments – might be the metal band of the moment. Their album Opus Eponymous, which mixes infectious riffs with 1970s trappings, received critical raves. Their shows are packed. They were forced to…

  • Still Seeking Out “Uncharted Territory”: Devin Townsend Talks Seriousness, Humour and “Interesting” Art

    “I think that with these two recent records, Deconstruction and Ghost – specifically with Deconstruction in my head, I can probably write this sort of Andrew Lloyd Webber-esque sort of absurdity that, if I was in a genre which afforded me the opportunity to really go for it on the level that they’re able to…