FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
So, before I get into my top albums of the year, it’s time for some Christmas cleaning. These reviews have been sitting on my hard drive for a while, and chances are you haven’t heard of most of these bands–but some of them are worth checking out.
By the time you read this, tickets for the Deep Purple gig at Massey Hall next year will have just gone on sale. The band will be spending the entire month of February in our country on a 17-date Canadian tour that includes not one, but two gigs in Newfoundland, five concerts in Ontario, and at least one show in every other province except PEI and Quebec. I could be wrong, but I don’t think that a major non-Canadian recording artist has embarked on a cross-country tour of this magnitude in decades. Too bad they couldn’t turn back the clock on those ticket prices…
Back in late October Hellbound Radio presented a show here in Hamilton by two great young thrash bands, Fatality and Untimely Demise. Here are some photos I took of both bands during their sets. Cheeeerz.
I gotta say, I’ve always been more of a Maiden man. Put it this way: I heard “2 Minutes to Midnight” before “Living After Midnight.” Well, maybe not, but the former made more of an impression on me. However, when Judas Priest announced their Epitaph farewell tour in the summertime, I didn’t think twice about getting a ticket–even though Kyuss Lives! went on sale the same day. Finally, after several months of waiting, the time has come for their final Toronto gig: Tuesday, November 22nd. I’ll be there with bells on.
Scratch Acid may have been the hipper choice, but I headed to the Horseshoe last nite to catch quintessential stoner rockers Fu Manchu, touring in support of a new vinyl reissue of In Search Of… There seemed to be quite a few aging, balding pudgy rockers on hand–the place was pretty packed!
“I like my metal and I like my vegan food, so I couldn’t help but be delighted when earlier this year Vegan Black Metal Chef videos started circulating via Twitter and other social media: black metal aesthetics and meat, dairy, and egg-free cooking in a delightfully over-the-top combination.”
Laura Wiebe, Mark Coatsworth and Adam Wills made the Vegan Black Metal Chef’s Pad Thai. Photos by Adam Wills
When CKLN went off the air, I had it in the back of my mind that I’d be willing to get back into online radio at some point. However, it had to be under the right set of circumstances. I was looking for a station that specialized in stoner/sludge/doom with an open timeslot before most people went to bed. Fortunately, I found it. The first episode of Gruesome Tunes airs tomorrow at 6 pm!
Canadian thrash metal legends SACRIFICE have some merch left over from their recent Trois Rivieres Metal Fest gig and want to give you a chance to buy it before everything is gone.
Earlier this month SIEGE vocalist Kevin Mahoney died at the age of 46. And although his tenure in this legendary US fast hardcore band was short, their Drop Dead demo pretty much started grindcore and powerviolience. Hellbound’s Jay H. Gorania has collected the thoughts of some of the leaders in grindcore and sludge, including members of NAPALM DEATH, EYEHATEGOD, EXIT-13, KILL THE CLIENT, SOILENT GREEN and more to get their reactions on the sudden passing of Kevin and the impact that his created art has had on their scene.
Typically, when the hottest band from the land of Japan comes to town, the gig’s a sell-out. They’ve always played Lee’s Palace, and it’s always been completely packed. Although I’d expect nothing less from tomorrow’s performance, it seems that tickets are still available, both from Ticketbastard, and at Rotate This, which’ll save ya $4.50 in service charges.