Reviews – Live

Trivium/Chimaira/Whitechapel @ Odeon, Saskatoon, SK, November 20, 2009

Trivium has talent up the wazoo. That’s never been in doubt. The problem with the Florida band is that Matt Heafy and his mates often try far too hard to impress, the perfect example being the bloated 2008 album Shogun, which threw everything at the wall, from thrash riffs, to hooky choruses, to tempo changes, to epic song structures, with very little sticking in the end. With this fall tour being one last go-round before the band takes a break to write and record their fifth album next year, it was interesting to see Trivium downplay the Shogun record as well as 2006’s The Crusade, instead focusing primarily on the breakthrough Ascendancy, as if they were openly conceding that it’s the best album.

Marduk/Nachtmystium @ Annex Wreckroom, Toronto, ON, November 22, 2009

Late November seems as good a time as any to take in a performance by Swedish metal veterans Marduk. A concert centered around a black metal band known for its own distinct take on imagery and songs centering on everything from war machines to religious blasphemy to paganism seems strangely appropriate for a grey month squashed between the twin commercial juggernauts that are Halloween and Christmas.

Concert review by Jonathan Smith

Alestorm Meets Their Biggest 7 Year Old Fan

So, when he learned his totally awesome dad was going to take him to see Alestorm, Sam took the initiative to make a sign saluting one of his favourite bands. Said sign read: “Alestorm is fucking awesome!” Honestly, I had nothing to do with its creation.

Kevin Stewart-Panko reviews the recent Toronto performance on this year’s traveling Heathenfest 2009 tour, which included Eluveitie, Belphegor, Vreid and, his son Sam’s favourite band, Alestorm. Sam was so excited he joined the Hellbound crew for the show, all of which is chronicled within.

Type O Negative @ Harpo’s, Detroit MI, October 31, 2009

By night’s end it was clear that the Harpo’s Halloween crowd had been treated to one of the strongest performances from Type O Negative in recent memory. What else other than perfection could one expect from a band whose set featured multiple songs about Halloween and fucking vampires?

Jonathan Smith recaps Type O Negative’s Halloween extravaganza at Detroit’s Harpo’s Concert Theater.

Dethklok/Mastodon @ Sound Academy, Toronto ON, October 23, 2009

With the completion of the second season of Metalocalypse, Dethklok took the road for a full North American tour with co-headliners Mastodon and strong support acts Converge and High on Fire. For a band that seems far from serious, they put together quite the heavyweight lineup, casting some of the top live talents to join them on their conquest for real-life world domination.

Adam Wills reviews the recent Toronto tour stop by Dethklok, Mastodon and friends.

Metallica/Lamb Of God/Volbeat @ Air Canada Centre, Toronto ON, Oct 27, 2009

Metallica may not be for everyone. You may love them or you may hate them. Some that attended the concert may have been there to accompany a family member or friend and others may have gone in large groups. Whatever the case may be, it was a damn good show. No matter what age, ethnicity or gender, the lyrics and music of Metallica have always been able to reach an endless amount of individuals.

Ola Mazzuca reviews the second of two recent Toronto stops by Metallica and entourage earlier this week.

3 Inches of Blood/Saviours @ Amigos, Saskatoon, SK, October 26, 2009

Based on the merits of Here Waits Thy Doom and Accelerated Living, a pair of first-rate albums released this fall, 3 Inches of Blood and Saviours finally feel truly on top of their game. With two new records conveniently out at the same time, not to mention two very compatible sounds, the pairing of these acts for 3IOB’s cross-Canada tour was a no-brainer, and as they hit Saskatoon two weeks into their whopping 14 date run from Halifax to Revelstoke, everyone was firing on all cylinders.

Adrien Begrand recaps the recent Saskatoon stop by 3 Inches Of Blood and Saviours. Naysayers beware!

Noctis Metal Fest 2009: The Concerts

Part two of Hellbound.ca’s coverage of the Noctis Metal Conference and Festival that happened earlier this year in Calgary, Alberta, in this segment Rob Hughes reviews the musical performances of the festival with a recap of the two nights worth of gigs. The first night featured sets by Ares Kingdom, Slough Feg and Novembers Doom, while the Saturdaynight included Aura Noir, Destroyer 666, Suffocation and Cynic amongst others.

Sonata Arctica/Borealis @ The Music Hall, London ON, Oct 15, 2009

Having recently played a shortened set in Toronto under Dragonforce, Sonata Arctica returned to play an exclusive headlining show – the only one on their current North American tour. With their recent release of The Days of Grays, new songs were the main focus of the evening. TDoG continues in the direction that Unia started – gone are the galloping riffs, and the sing-along choruses, but if anyone was expecting those, they’ve been out of touch with the band for awhile now.

Adam Wills reviews and photo archives the recent London ON live performance by Finnish power metallers Sonata Arctica.