Category: Featured

Featured posts

  • Edguy – Age of the Joker

    The fact that Edguy sound more hard rock than power metal these days shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has listened to the band over the last few years. They all have the chops to pull of the experimenting and damn Tobias has a great voice. This is head and shoulders above the last…

  • Who doesn’t need a little Weed Metal on a Tuesday nite?

    North Carolinian road warriors Weedeater are at it again, coming through town this Tuesday for the fourth time in three years (by my count)–and the second since their new album, Jason… the Dragon came out. Not only have they taken a step up in venues this time around, playing Lee’s Palace instead of the Wreckroom,…

  • WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM/ THOU/ THANTIFAXATH/ GATES @Soybomb, Toronto ON, September 6, 2011

    “Pausing only to remind the crowd to not take flash photos and to thank people for coming out, the band tore their way through three other songs (including a particularly inspired rendition of “I Will Lay Down My Bones Among The Rocks and Roots”). One of the appeals of a Wolves in the Throne Room…

  • Heaven & Hell – Radio City Music Hall Blu-Ray Disc

    if there is one criticism that I could lay on Radio City Music Hall it is that it was filmed far too early on after their reformation. The difference between this band’s performance here and the way they were playing that October when they did a second North American tour was like night and day.…

  • Weapon – From The Devil’s Tomb

    On From The Devil’s Tomb, Weapon manage to weave a thread of incredible beauty through what should be truly ugly music.

  • Sonic Boom, Two Inches to the Left

    There is an old episode of That 70’s Show where the Foremans hire Hyde’s stoner pal Leo (played by Tommy Chong) and his contractor buddy (a cameo from Richard Karn, aka “Al” from Home Improvement) to renovate their basement. The pothead contractors do their thing, much to Red and Kitty’s dismay, moving everything in the…

  • Vreid / Kampfar / Necronomicon @ Annex Wreckroom, Toronto ON, August 25, 2011

    “Also hailing from Norway, black metal unit Vreid filled the headlining position and performed what was unquestionably the strongest set of the night. In contrast to the theatricality of the other bands’ appearances, Vreid adopted a simple, almost military look for their style and dress. They performed with much more energy than the other acts…

  • Decapitated – Carnival Is Forever

    The Polish deathstars return with a fifth studio release, Carnival Is Forever, not too far off from Nihility’s celebrated “Spheres Of Madness” yet closer to a fresh sound that provides fans with an ear-catching listen.

  • Rwake – Rest

    An original effort of epic proportions, Rest takes the music of Neurosis/Isis into the 21st century, with their own unique southern touch. Often, songs this long have me nodding off, but there is enough dynamic fluidity, changes of tempo, pace and styles to keep me interested throughout.

  • Kroda—Schwarzpfad

    For an album stacked with layers of instrumentation, nothing’s been overwhelmed. The aggressive and melodious parts marry up nicely, and the production isn’t overly busy, although a bit of thinness creeps in here and there. Kroda induces some genuinely mead-swilling moments that capture the feel of nature at its most capricious.