Author: Sean Palmerston

  • Arch/Matheos—Sympathetic Resonance

    Sympathetic Resonance might only contain six new tracks, but every one of them is superb. I know I’m not the first one to say this, but if you were contemplating investing in some progressive metal and you were reaching for the new Dream Theater release—stop right now. Arch/Matheos is infinitely more creative and a hell…

  • Matt Finney: The Hellbound Interview

    “As evidenced by my previous review of their infectious Ain’t No Night album, Heinali and Matt Finney’s music really crept up on me this year. A taut, vivid marriage of shoegaze, post-metal and doomy spoken-word, the duo craft something very special, unlike anything I’d heard before. That they do it from separate continents, despite having…

  • No Dick, No Metal? No Effin’ Way!

    Disparaging women is a real problem in our society. Ignoring someone who has been given a platform to write that the images and videos of young women, scantily clad with self-tailored metal gear is an irrefutable sign that women in metal do not, and will never be legitimized as true fans, is wrong. As a…

  • Voivod – Warriors of Ice

    Warriors of Ice is a definitely a high point in the career of Voivod and a show that will certainly go down in Canadian metal lore. Whether the band attempts to write an album of new material or even continues on in this (re)incarnation remains to be seen. If they decide not to continue on…

  • Evergrey / Sabaton / Powerglove @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, September 22, 2011

    Natalie Zed reviews the September 22nd performance by Evergrey, Sabaton and Powerglove at Toronto’s Opera House.

  • The Atlas Moth—An Ache for the Distance

    From the moment the ringing guitars kick in on the first track, “Coffin Varnish”, all the way through to the final noisescape of “Horse Thieves”, the band delights in kaleidoscopic twists and mind-expanding turns, plucking ideas and harnessing influences from across the musical spectrum.

  • Black Cobra – Invernal

    Don’t get me wrong, I like my sludge metal, but I’m more into bands that bring something palatable to the table. If I were to liken the genre to a Mexican restaurant—I also like me some Mexican food—Black Cobra would be the basket of plain tortilla chips they put out before the main course.

  • KEVI METAL’S RIMSHOTS – THE ALL-VINYL VERSION

    Hi friends. It’s been a while. I know it. Sean certainly knows it. You, on the other hand, probably didn’t even notice I was gone. That’s okay. In my absence, I heard a rumour that some people have reaffirmed a love affair with vinyl. Some of these people even own turntables! Fucking crazy!! So, in…

  • Katatonia @ The Montage Music Hall, Rochester NY, September 24, 2011

    Katatonia, the Swedish kings of melodic gloom, are enjoying a couple of anniversaries in 2011. To celebrate, the band is playing a little more than a handful of headlining shows on the nights when current tour mates (and fellow Swedes) Opeth have decided to take some time off. Hellbounders Adam Wills and Laura Wiebe caught…

  • Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare

    The nightmare thread notwithstanding, Alice and company could have given this a different title and stayed away from the ‘sequel’ aspect and still had this be the best, most complete sounding Alice Cooper album in a decade. Yes, even the song with Ke$ha (‘What Baby Wants’) is catchy as hell, if not a little discoesque…