Category: Reviews – Live
Hellbound is always there, lurking in the crowd, while the band blisters the very air.
-
Liturgy @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, 19 June 2015
HELLBOUND.CA @NXNE2015 “Are you ready for some transcendental black metal?” asked a friend I ran into, while prepping my camera, as the lights went down on a Friday night in Toronto. That was all the preparation I had for the set, as apparently I have been living under a rock for the past two or…
-
BRIEFCASEFEST 2015, TORONTO ON, JUNE 6
Night 2 Oui oui, le black metal Québecois! For night 2, following sets from JUGURTHA, ILMESTYS and DEATH KNEEL, we got into some seriously decadently dark material at Briefcasefest. Fog and fury were the order of the hour with Basalte from Montreal, highlighted by a pummelling performance by their vocalist/drummer that had the crowd enthralled. Ottawa’s…
-
DTRASH + Schizoid & Melt Banana in Toronto, 17 May 2015
In these days of digital music production and distribution my snail mailbox sees a lot less action than my email inbox. In some ways it’s a relief (I ran out of shelf space for my CD collection years ago). But that fact also makes it all the more special when something more tangible does actually show…
-
BRIEFCASEFEST 2015, Toronto ON, June 5
Night 1 The word “diverse” doesn’t even begin to cut it. This bill was off the beaten path for sure, with a number of acts featured on both nights. Spanning a broad spectrum and encompassing many types of energy, all were dark, some were surprising. I tried to capture some of that energy in pictures.…
-
The exquisite sound and philosophy of a Vile Creature
Photo by Adam Wills Commentary by Laura Wiebe Sometimes it’s not till the moment when you hear a sentiment voiced that you realize you hear it far too seldom. I had this revelation most recently at This Ain’t Hollywood in Hamilton as, in the process of introducing themselves, St. Catharines anti-oppressive doom duo Vile Creature acknowledged their experiences with…
-
Not Of in Toronto, ON – April 18, 2015
Not Of album release show @ The Magpie Taproom, Toronto, ON – April 18, 2015 It’s only in this day and age of digital music distribution that a band can throw an album release party on Record Store Day with nary a physical album to be found. Up-and-coming noise rock duo Not Of showed up…
-
The Return of Faith No More
Vancouver BC @ PNE Forum, 4/15 Seattle WA @ Paramount Theater, 4/16 When announcing their reunion in 2009, Faith No More described themselves as “… some sort of unique beast: part dog, part cat—its music almost as schizophrenic as the personalities of its members.” Indeed, there is something very special about Faith No More. When…
-
Enslaved and Yob in Toronto – March 19, 2015
Enslaved, Yob, Ecstatic Vision and Kosmograd Live at the Opera House, Toronto, Ontario, March 19th, 2015 A show like this was by most in the extreme metal community of south-eastern Ontario considered a must attend. There a are a couple reasons, one being that the last time Enslaved was supposed to be in town they couldn’t make…
-
Through Space and Grind Tour in Toronto – Feb 4, 2015
Through Space and Grind Tour: Napalm Death, Voivod, Exhumed, Iron Reagan and Black Crown Initiate Wednesday, February 4th, 2015 The Opera House, Toronto Well, this writer was happy the weather had held off for the roads to be safe enough for him to make the long trek to Toronto on a Wednesday. After dinner with a…
-
Varga in Kingston ON, Dec 5, 2014
VARGA with Non-Existent, Rise of Dissension, Meathook and Ithon December 5th, 2014 at the Overtime Sports bar in Kingston, Ontario What better way to spend a Friday night than watching a band you grew up listening to and, not to mention, supporting your friends and their local bands that were also attending and playing on that night? Ithon…