Sean Palmerston

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

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Live July 29, 2010

Fates Warning @ Webster Theatre, Hartford, CT., June 4, 2010

Fates Warning went out on a high note, however, in ending their set with “Through Different Eyes”, taken from 1989’s Perfect Symmetry. Though this was probably the only point in the set which mirrored the awesomeness of Parallels, the feeling of true disappointment never really set, and the audience—ourselves including—left the Webster Theatre on this night feeling fairly satisfied that we’d just witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime engagement.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio July 29, 2010

Ted Nugent – Setlist: The Very Best Of Ted Nugent Live

Even without any accompanying video footage too, Nugent’s Setlist translates incredibly well; culling essential tracks from the extended edition reissues of Free For All and Cat Scratch Fever as well as essential tracks from Intensities In 10 Cities and Double Live Gonzo and Live At The Hammersmith ’79, Setlist assembles a very vivid track list that does conjure the images of a wild-eyed Nugent (check out how “Just What The Doctor Ordered” leads in, and you’ll get it) relishing in the moment – the lights, the attention, the spectacle – and it is the guitarist’s element; he loves every minute.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Audio July 28, 2010

HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE: The Metal Blade Reissues

San Francisco’s Hammers of Misfortune have recently signed to Metal Blade, and as a result, the label has reissued their entire back catalogue in hopes that it will get the due recognition it missed the first time around. With no expectation and no foreknowledge of the band, I tossed myself in at the deep end to review these four reissues and wound up discovering something completely fresh.

Kyle Harcott reviews the new Metal Blade reissues of the Hammers Of Misfortune back catalogue.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio July 27, 2010

Cynic – Re-Traced

This EP plays a lot with the dynamics of sound. The interplay between loud and quiet, digital and analog creates rich waves of tension and release. I was struck by the depth of each of the tracks, not just in terms of the layers of sound but also the thought and care that went into crafting these alternate interpretations.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio July 26, 2010

Fuck The Facts – Live In Whitby cassette

I normally don’t like live records. Between bad recordings, obvious overdubs and embarrassing stage patter, I find most live albums to be unsatisfying to say the least. Live In Whitby from Ottawa’s Fuck The Facts destroys all of my misgivings in the first few seconds. The sound on this release is amazing! In fact, you can almost believe you’re standing directly in front of the sound guy at the venue, watching the sweat fly.

Blogs, Features, Headline, The Editor's Blog July 23, 2010

The Top 10 Reasons Why HEAVY MTL Will Be Cool

This Saturday and Sunday will see the city of Montreal play host to the second ever HEAVY MTL. As longtime Hellbound readers will remember, we ran a belated review of the 2008 edition last summer that featured photos by our own Adam Wills and a few write ups by me. This year Hellbound.ca has a group of our writers heading down yet again, including Albert Mansour, Adam Wills and Laura Wiebe Taylor. They’ll be able to tell you how great it was afterwards, but in the meantime here are my Top 10 reasons why you should head down to Montreal on Saturday if you are on the fence.