Category: Reviews – Live

Hellbound is always there, lurking in the crowd, while the band blisters the very air.

  • Maryland Deathfest 2010 Recap Part 2

    Part two of Jay H Gorania’s recap of the 2010 Maryland Deathfest, covering what he saw and heard on the Saturday, May 29th portion of the fest. It includes Incantation, Asphyx, Repulsion, Jucifer and Autopsy

  • Maryland Deathfest 2010 Recap Part 1

    The great thing about fests like MDF is that the metal is simply overflowing. The bad thing about fests like MDF is that the metal is simply overflowing. If it’s sitting down to catch your breath, or grabbing a drink or a bite to eat, there are plenty of reasons causing one to miss one…

  • Hypocrisy/ Scar Symmetry/ Blackguard @ The Wreckroom, Toronto ON, May 29 2010

    It was shortly after 8:00 pm when Hypocrisy made their significant entrance; the excitement in the room was palpable when they strode onto the stage, lit vaguely by dim blue light and partially obscured by theatrical smoke. I can only describe their set as an all-out assault. While the sun might have still been impudently…

  • Slough Feg/ Funeral Circle @ Red Room, Vancouver BC, May 29 2010

    The inveterate Slough Feg are one of those bands that pulls it off so well live that they’re able to sound identical to what they do on tape, which I found pretty impressive considering how ornate their songs can get. Personally, I was there to hear songs from their latest, Ape Uprising!, and they did…

  • Portal/ Krallice/ Bloody Panda @ Mohawk Place, Buffalo NY May 24, 2010

    The energy that Portal projected, both in their music and their sheer physical presence, was overwhelming. Every gesture that The Curator made was impossibly intense. I spent the entire set staring wildly up at the band, certain that any moment something Very Bad was going to happen. They’re masters at wielding this carefully managed sense…

  • 16 Volt/ Chemlab/ Left Spine Down @ Neu+ral, Toronto, ON, May 10, 2010

    16 Volt is the project of Eric Powell. The tour included KMFDM’s Steve White. For a group that included some borrowed musicians due to the inability for some of the regular players to cross the border, the sound was quite cohesive. While Powell may not be personable with the crowd as Louche he still knew…

  • 3 Inches of Blood/ Goatwhore/ Burning the Day @ Mod Club, Toronto ON, May 13, 2010

    There is something solid, straightforward, almost wholesome about 3 Inches of Blood’s brand of traditional heavy metal that is particularly satisfying. Cam Pipes sang about orcs and hammers while unleashing a series of throaty old-school wails—what was there not to love? Natalie Zed reviews the May 13th Toronto performance by 3 Inches of Blood and…

  • Porcupine Tree @ Sound Academy, Toronto, ON, May 8, 2010

    Were this simply an auditory barrage (which I am more than familiar with), I might have had more resistance. But it was much more than that. This show was a carefully orchestrated, beautifully curated performance. The video accompaniment interesting and tasteful, and varied enough that I was never able to settle fully into it or…

  • Eyehategod / Iron Age / The Roller @ Emo’s, Austin, TX, May 7, 2010

    Concert review by Jay H. Gorania Like incense burning prior to a ritual, the scent of Mary Jane preceded EYEHATEGOD’s entrance onto Emo’s indoor stage. A sold-out show, the sweaty heathens on hand were crammed like sardines (and they didn’t smell much better). The anticipation was almost tangible because this wasn’t just any Eyehategod gig.…

  • Red Sparowes / Casapian @ Bitmore Cabaret, Vancouver BC, April 30, 2010

    Red Sparowes are a fascinating live band, but sometimes their performance almost gets overshadowed by what you’re watching on the screen.