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Rockstar Uproar Festival @ Credit Union Centre, Saskatoon SK, September 30, 2010

“It wasn’t the most cutting-edge collection of bands, but with a media pass easy to secure and nothing better to do on a Thursday night, why not head out to the Rockstar Uproar Festival? With an open mind, a perpetual caffeine buzz thanks to that drink they keep flogging, and no ticket buyer’s remorse, who knows what pleasant surprises one might come across? ”

Hellbound’s Adrien Begrand visited Saskatoon’s Rockstar Uproar festival, featuring Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Sour, Hellyeah and more…

Accept – Blood of the Nations

Despite my quibbles with the lyrical content, this album is a great piece of throwback metal, Andy Sneap harnessing the classic 80’s Accept sound and bringing it into the 21st century. Their last Udo-less effort may not have aged well, but Blood of the Nations is timeless.

The dangers of dumpster-diving for vinyl…

Last weekend, when I was on my way to the bank, I passed a cheap sign on Bloor St saying “1000s of vinyls, thattaway.” Intrigued, I followed the arrow up a residential street (I think it was Brunswick) to a parkette with a buncha milk crates laid out on the ground. This is why I love The Annex.

Sweet Cobra – Mercy

Mercy is a brave step forward for Sweet Cobra; it’s the sound of a band evolving from the damn-and-blast hardcore of its origins, and progressing into something more powerful in the dynamism that this newfound maturity brings with it. An incredible album.

Megadeth – Rust In Peace Live

“Originally released twenty years ago, Rust In Peace easily sits in the same revered place as true metal classics like Piece Of Mind, In Rock, Ace of Spades and Stained Class. It is the type of album that you pull out when a curious friend wants to know what the best metal albums of all time are. It is the culmination of the early formative years of Megadeth, which betters the already impressive levels the band had reached previously on Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying a few years before.”

Sean Palmerston reviews the new blu-ray disc release Megadeth – Rust In Peace Live.

Anekdoten – Chapters

Of course, no “best of” anthology could tell the whole story of this incredible band. There are some essential deep-album tracks missing, so once you’ve got a dose and you’re feeling that bittersweet Anekdoten bliss, you’ll need to check out the albums in full.

Kamelot – Poetry for the Poisoned

It’s a real testament to the song-writing ability and musicianship of a band when they can have superstar guests on their album but don’t really need them. Poetry for the Poisoned features such notables as Bjorn ‘Speed’ Strid (Soilwork), Simone Simons (Epica), Jon Oliva (Jon Oliva’s Pain, Savatage, Trans Siberian Orchestra) and hotshot guitar player Gus G. (Firewind, Ozzy) but all of the songs would have done just as well without the famous help.