FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
Excitement is an understatement when you hear that your favourite band is coming to town. You read the show listing, the time, the date, and you immediately scan your brain to process your work schedule and the money you either have or lack to pay for the tickets. It will always be enjoyable to experience music in the comfort of your own home and solitude but nothing will ever compare to a live experience.
Jucifer live is Total Ritual: Thick smoke and hot underlight, howling fury and gnashing of teeth, sonic overkill pouring forth from Amber Valentine’s monolithic wall of cabinets. From the second she steps onto the pitch-dark stage to begin her rite of setup to the moment the cloak is removed and the Flying V is strapped on and she begins beating hell out of it like it’s some faltering beast of burden, ritual is the only way to properly sum up the band’s live oeuvre.
Kyle Harcott reviews an appearance in Vancouver, BC of touring machine, JUCIFER.
In summation: Decrepit Birth: bad name, bad past, good band. Polarity: great record. Bravo!
Another one of those bands I somehow stumbled onto by accident, there’s very little I can tell you about Indianapolis’ Sleepbringer. Born out of the ashes of Heroes Laid To Rest, an Internet search bore only one other short review (so far) of Compendium, although I have the feeling that once this record gets heard a little more, that’s going to change. What I can tell you without a doubt is that this record absolutely crushes, it’s one of the most promising debuts I’ve heard this year.
“Metal cannot often be defined as subtle. Every now and again, however, these is a show that serves as a sort of palate-cleanser, offering metalheads an opportunity to indulge in some of the more delicate flavours that this broad, strange genre of music has to offer. Cynic, Intronaut and Dysrhythmia performed just such a show, giving the audience at the Opera House an aural meal to be sipped and sampled as well as devoured.”
Natalie Zed reviews the August 2nd Toronto performance by CYNIC, INTRONAUT and DYSRHYTHMIA. Concert photography by Adam Wills
The songs, like the lineup of the band itself, seem a tad underdeveloped, like a reasonably well-produced demo tape made to audition a bassist and/or singer. I doubt that stoner/doom minded musicians are in great abundance in Belgium, but the band would benefit from both in my belief
Although it’s still over a month away, I’ve been counting the days till September 11th for a little while now. But I’m not some sick creep who gets off on seeing the Twin Towers fall, nor an American patriot who watches the all-day memorials playing ad nauseum on cable news networks.
Do I remember where I was when the planes hit? Yes. Do I care to remember it? No. But September 11 is about to become a much more memorable date for me moving forward…
Lucky number seven! The seventh installment of the Hellbound Handshake Clip Of The Week is a doozy! Pentagram playing “Forever My Queen” at Maryland Deathfest VIII
“While avoiding the bookend records (Suck On This and Antipop) completely, Primus pulled together a set tailor-made to please the devout and focused on fan favorites like “Eleven,” “Pudding Time,” “Golden Boy” and “Southbound Pachyderm” rather than reaching for any “Wynona” or “My Name Is Mud”-sized brass rings (“Jerry Was A Racecar Driver” represented the only bonafide hit in the set) or throwing any curiosity-seeker that may have been in attendance a bone.”
Bill Adams reviews the July 27th Toronto performance by the reuinited PRIMUS. TOM FUN ORCHESTRA opened the show.
All in all, I’m not overly impressed by this release. Only by purposefully listening for something positive did I find anything worth more than one listen. The musicians on this record do a great job but they don’t mesh with Floor Jansen’s voice at all. The song writing on this just didn’t seem to be as much of a focus as the keyboard and vocal flourishes were.