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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 off the line-up, the Leaves’ Eyes / Blackguard billing drew a smaller crowd, making it easy to get close to the stage and giving the in-between-song banter a more conversational tone. The casual atmosphere made me a little more forgiving of the often muddy mix for all three bands that blurred some of what, on record, comes across fairly clean and precise.”

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 made for small-venue to large stadium shows or, on the contrary, zero desire to tour at all.”

Kataklysm’s latest death metal offering is discussed by Ola Mazzuca.

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 are going for; this is the original template they’re paying homage to.”

Natalie Zed shares her evening with original and modern classic heavy metallers, Skullfist, Cauldron, and the legendary Raven. Photos by Albert Mansour.

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 to be an active participant as a panelist during the Conference segment. It is something I have always wanted to do in a metal context – I’ve had the chance to participate in a few non-metal music conferences before, but never one to do with my real passion – and this this is going to be a pretty interesting time on Friday during the day.

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.

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 burnin’ garage rock, greasy punk, blues, hardcore, Motorhead, black and death metal. They manage to sound like all of the above without exactly sounding like any of ‘em,

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 drawn as guitar strings, fully embodying his instrument.”

Natalie Zed documents an evening of rather emotional music (in all directions) as Katatonia, Orphaned Land and Swallow the Sun recently invaded Toronto.