Category: Featured

Featured posts

  • Leaves’ Eyes / Blackguard / Borealis @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, September 19 2010

    “Arriving at the Opera House a little late (missing Unleash the Archers for the TIFF presentation of Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins) we walked into a friendly greeting from Leaves’ Eyes growler Alex Krull. That second or two was characteristic of the relaxed and intimate vibe that held for the rest of the night. With Kamelot…

  • Kataklysm – Heaven’s Venom

    “One great aspect of the music of Kataklysm lies in its applicable lyrical content and fan connection by constant consideration of live performance. Tracks “Push The Venom” and “Hail The Renegade” have that moshpit-ready tone evoking imagery of successful stage presence with a responsive thrashing audience. It is important to decipher the differences between artists…

  • Raven / Cauldron / Skullfist @ The Wreckroom, Toronto ON, September 16th, 2010

    “Raven stormed the stage last, serving as both main course and dessert for this particular metal buffet. It was fascinating to watch this legendary NWOBHM band perform after Cauldron and Skullfist had already worked the audience over. The only word to appropriately describe the experience is “educational.” This is the aesthetic that the younger bands…

  • Noctis Valkyries Returns This Weekend!

    This Friday and Saturday sees the return of Canada’s most unique metal festival – and I’m happy to say I am a part of it this year! Calgary, Alberta plays home to the fourth edition of the Noctis Metal Fest and Conference this weekend and I am about to jump on a plane on Thursday…

  • Accept – Blood Of The Nations

    Helped by the fantastic production of Andy Sneap, you have the perfect combination of old school Accept with a modern touch. All their trademarks are here. Excellent riffs that are undeniably Accept in feel/tone, with those huge gang vocals and twin guitar attack will have you grinning from ear to ear.

  • HELLBOUND RADIO: September 19th, 2010 Playlist

    Here is the playlist for the September 5th edition of HELLBOUND RADIO

  • Kvelertak – Kvelertak

    Kvelertak hold nothing sacred, aren’t afraid to whip out their six schlongs to piss on the walls of convention and are getting the appropriate attention – both positive and negative – because of it, whether you like it or not. It all starts with their sound: a furious, kinetic and coruscating blend of 85 octane…

  • Best weekend ever…

    In case you didn’t know, I just got back from the West Coast a couple days ago. Saw Sleep in concert at the Roseland Theater in Portland, then caught the Seattle Seahawks’ season opener at Qwest Field. These were the best two days in recent memory.

  • Katatonia / Orphaned Land / Swallow The Sun @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, September 13 2010

    “Vocalist Jonas Renkse is at once physically imposing and intensely vulnerable. He cradles the mic in his hands almost pleadingly, offering his voice to the audience. I found him completely mesmerizing. It was also a great joy to watch Anders Nystrom perform in person. He’s a wiry-framed and incredibly intense musician, his sinews as tautly…

  • Wormrot – Abuse

    By Rob Hughes I thank Wormrot for making one part of this job easy. They’re easy to classify. They play grindcore, straight up, with pure bloodlines going back to Napalm Death. No sax solos, no circus interludes, no ambient digressions dilute the mix. There’s no bass guitar either, which has no effect on the scathing…