FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
For the past four or five years, I’ve counted on Japanese spaced-out psych merchants Acid Mothers Temple coming through town in April. They always seem to take a trip over here right when spring starts to bloom. Well okay, so spring was a little late this year. Also of note: this gig wasn’t at the El Mocambo, their typical Toronto tour stop for as long as I can remember, but rather at The Garrison, down by Dundas and Ossington.
On Thursday, April 5th, Inertia Entertainment and the Annex Wreckroom hosted a memorial show dedicated to David Gold. The sudden death of Gold, a major player in the Canadian metal scene and main man behind the band Woods of Ypres, was a sobering moment in metal scenes across the country and beyond. The evening’s theme, “love the living while they’re still alive,” a lyrical reference to one of Gold’s last songs, became a mantra repeated several times by Gold’s mother, Esther. It suited the night’s ambiguous mood well. The event was a celebration of Gold’s life and music, a chance to be with old and new friends still here, but the evening could not help but feel bittersweet given the lingering grief of those who were still mourning and missing him.
Show recap by Jonathan Millard-Smith; Live photos by Adam Wills.
Prominent American senators and presidential hopefuls have pointed their fingers at Cannibal Corpse, implying the band is partially responsible for society falling apart. Murder victim family members have also done the same. Censorship has reared its ugly head in Germany, a nation where the band has been legally prohibited from playing certain songs. And yet through it all, the Florida-based death metal machine continues to march on, hacking away at everything in sight—musically, that is—nearly a quarter of a century after its inception.
Jay H. Gorania interviews Alex Webster, bassist and founding member of death metal legends Cannibal Corpse.
“There is something about Paganfest that is magical. Someone on my Twitter feed referred to it as “the Comic-Con of metal shows” and I can’t think of a more apt description. The cosplayers were certainly out in force, from warriors carrying drinking horns and wearing utili-kilts to pirate wenches in striped tights. Before a single note was played, I saw foam swords, pirate flags, inflatable moneys, and even one memorable chain mail bikini. This show was all about the pageantry, about proclaiming your allegiance to one of the pagan metal subcultures, whether that be Russian folk or Roman Centurion. It made the audience a part of the entertainment, and made the ridiculous length of the show a lot more bearable.”
Natalie Zed reviews the April 2nd Toronto performance of the 2012 travelling Paganfest featuring Turisas, Alestorm, Ex Deo and more.
What we have on our hands is another classic 21st century record from one of my favourite 80’s metal bands, and I sure as hell ain’t complaining!
Swiss death folk leaders Eluveitie return with a rustic record of wood-burning, raw depth. Helvetios fuses century old elements with a modern metal tone that support each other like a horde facing battle.
By Raymond Westland Paradise Lost is one of the true pioneers of the early UK doom/death metal movement, together with Cathedral, My Dying Bride…
By Gruesome Greg Japanese murder doomsters Church of Misery are finally coming to North America for the first time, playing Maryland Deathfest and a…
On March 25th Alcest and Deafhaven played The Casbah, the smaller stage at Charlotte NC’s Tremont Music Hall, and Justin Richardson was there to soak it all in. Here is his review of the show.
“Progressive post-sludge” this is not, as not a single one of the ten Deep Cuts on here exceeds 5 minutes in length. But if you’ve always been partial to the term slow-core, you’ll probably wanna give this one a listen.