FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
Metalcore is a much maligned genre right now but it’s bands like Orchid’s Curse who are going to survive the ‘I’ve heard this before, booooring’ attitudes of today’s music consumer. Simply put, Voices: The Tales of Broken Men is a huge step forward and progression for the band.
“During this performance, they behaved as though the stage was land they wanted to annex; they walked on as though their performance was an outright invasion. The crowd responded accordingly. While the vibe in the room had gradually ratcheted up from “polite and well-behaved” to “cheerfully aggressive” during the previous three sets, when Nachtmystium played, the crowd finally smelled blood.”
Natalie Zed reviews the Toronto visit from Nachtmystium, with support from Zoroaster, Dark Castle and The Atlas Moth. Photos by Albert Mansour
By Kyle Harcott When the bands manage to get it right, I’m a fan of the trend of new classic-sounding power metal bands cropping…
The band’s first full-length, Our Slow Decay, constantly balances a tightrope between pronounced shades of Times Of Grace-era post-apocalypso, and modern-era thrash gallop on a par with Baroness, Bison, or High on Fire. As well, occasionally, the kind of vocal harmony work pops up that wouldn’t be out of place on an early ‘90s Dischord album – and holding the whole thing down, one hell of a masterful drummer in the drunken-fisted Gordon Koch. The band’s equally at home tossing around monolithic lightning bolts of slab-dirge as they are trotting through bone-jarring warhorse crunch, and Our Slow Decay is tempered with each equally.
By Jason Wellwood Laughing out loud at the lyrics of a song is generally not a good sign when you’re listening to an album…
By Matt Lewis Ion Dissonance, a band among bands hailing from the great metal hotbed of Quebec. Their fourth album Cursed comes without much…
“Late afternoon in Helena, members of several bands embarked on a hike toward some lush, mountainous terrain next to a lake. Granted, a sign did indicate the lake was technically closed, but we drove up the hill quite a distance before getting out to hike. When we finally arrived at the lake, it was beyond satisfying. It wasn’t the most breathtaking body of water by any means, not that it was bad, but compared to the daily atmosphere of a smoky bar with ear-exploding metal music, the serenity offered a welcomed change of pace.”
Jay H. Gorania returns with another installment of his tour diary with Cephalic Carnage. In today’s feature, he discusses Denver businessmen, the landscape (and womanscape) of Salt Lake City, vigilante justice and campfire stories. Enjoy!
The aesthetic presented echoes the show itself too. Sticking exclusively to material recorded by the band’s original line-up (Jane’s Addiction, Nothing’s Shocking and Ritual De Lo Habitual), JA’s set at Voodoo Experience leaves little to be desired as the band delivers an all-hits-and-fan-favorites set that includes songs like “Ain’t No Right,” “Mountain Song,” “Been Caught Stealing,” “Three Days” “Ocean Size,” “Stop” and “Jane Says.”
“Musically this album doesn’t deviate from the standard computer like sound of BTM past works. It has everything you would expect, ridiculously fast double kick, guitar licks like a robot was playing the 6 stringer and vocals guttural and abrasive enough to use on paint you need removed.”
Hellbound’s Matt Lewis discusses Maree Noire, the latest output from Quebec death metallers, Beneath the Massacre.
Review by Natalie Zed By now, you’re used to me attaching caveats to my reviews. I am profoundly aware that circumstances have a significant…